Tash Sultana slams dodgy ticketing and merch vendors

Fake merchandise and bogus tickets aren’t just mudding the waters. They’re killing artists’ careers, one transaction at a time.

That’s at the heart of a new call-out from Tash Sultana, who has put scammers on blast while urging music fans to stay vigilant and buy only official goods.

The ‘Jungle’ singer shared an impassioned plea from their Instagram, pointing out that, during these dark days of the pandemic, scammers continue to peddle fake merch and tickets, sucking the money from artists’ already-tight bank balances.

“I have seen a lot of ticket scammers out there selling fake tickets to my upcoming shows,” writes Sultana. “I fkkkkkkkkkkkn hate scammers.”

It’s the same story with merch. Fake gear deprives artists from “having resources to fund their careers,” they write.

Artists take all the risks for their reward. And during this latest flare-up of COVID-19, the rewards are thin on the ground for those performers who rely on live performance to drive their businesses.

Buying official merch “contributes in a major way to artists during these times whilst we emerge from pits of our careers. It then enables us to have more funds to continue going and in some cases simply put a meal on the table,” Sultana continues.

A Rolling Stone Australia cover star, Sultana has a knack for blowing away audiences wherever they play.

Late last year, the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist sold out Colorado’s 10,000 capacity Red Rocks Amphitheatre 5 minutes, and a full itinerary of live dates is booked across Europe, starting March 13 at Madrid’s WiZink Center.

Sultana’s comments come as many Australian travellers face a rethink of their well-laid plans, with United States and Europe both downgrading Australia’s travel safety rating due to the Omicron surge.

“Go buy your favour artists’ merch and help keep the heart beat going,” concluded Sultana.

Sultana’s second album Terra Firma arrived at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart in February 2021, and earned Sultana an ARIA Award nomination for Best Soul/R&B Release.

Read Sultana’s full message below.

I have seen a lot of ticket scammers out there selling fake tickets to my upcoming shows.

The official tickets are from my website – only follow the links there otherwise you are being played. I fkkkkkkkkkkkn hate scammers.

It’s also the same with merch, unless you buy it from the artists website it ain’t official and then they don’t get the $ to be able to continue having resources to fund their careers.

The artists pay for everything in order to bring their shows to you. It goes a little like this – venue takes a cut, promoters take a cut, management take a cut, agencies take a cut, then you pay your crew (who seriously need the work), then you pay for rehearsals/pre prod/ production (audio packages and light packages), then you pay for visas, then you pay for everyone’s flights/ accommodation/ground transfers/food/caters/pds and much more. All before you step on the stage.

Buying official merch contributes in a major way to artists during these times whilst we emerge from pits of our careers. It then enable us to have more funds to continue going and in some cases simply put a meal on the table.

In case you didn’t know, now you do.

Go buy your favour artists’ merch and help keep the heart beat going.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.