Lucinda Williams now comes with cashback

Things are tight. And Lucinda Williams is alarmed at how much her people are charging her fans to go to her shows. So, she's doing something about it. She can't reduce ticket prices, but:

"I cannot, in good conscience, sit back and watch my fans get blatantly gouged." says Williams. "As an attempt to offset these fees, we are going to offer a standing credit at our merchandise table to everyone attending our upcoming US shows in 2009."

It's encouraging to see some artists are reaching out - and taking a hit on their own earnings - even while its dispiriting to see that artists (who we're often told are at the heart of everything the music industry does) can't even control how much tickets with their names on costs.