Radius Clause
A contractual provision that prohibits an artist from performing within a defined geographic radius of a confirmed date for a specified period before and after that show.
Reference
Music Industry Glossary
The live music business runs on terminology that agents and managers take for granted. This glossary defines the terms that show up in every offer sheet, deal memo, and settlement — written for independent promoters who need to use them, not just recognize them.
29 terms · 4 categories
Deal Structure
Guarantees, splits, and the financial architecture of a show
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Guarantee
The fixed minimum payment an artist receives for a performance, regardless of ticket sales — the core financial commitment a promoter makes when contracting a show.
Door Deal
A deal structure where the artist is paid a percentage of net door revenue rather than a fixed guarantee — shifting financial risk from the promoter to a shared outcome tied to actual ticket sales.
Offer Sheet
The formal written proposal a promoter submits to an agent to secure an artist's performance — documenting the deal terms, date, venue, and financial structure before contracts are drawn.
Break-Even
The point at which a show's ticket revenue exactly covers all costs — the guarantee, venue expenses, production, and marketing — below which the promoter loses money.
Ancillary Revenue
Revenue generated from a show beyond ticket sales — including merchandise, concessions, VIP upgrades, parking, and sponsorships — which can significantly improve a show's profitability independent of ticket performance.
Market Hold
An informal reservation an agent places with a promoter for a specific date in a specific market — creating a first-look commitment while the broader routing is finalized.
Headliner vs. Support
The distinction between the primary artist driving ticket sales for a show and the opening act — a hierarchy that affects deal structure, production, set times, billing, and whose agent is driving the routing.
Ticketing
How tickets move — presales, on-sales, fees, and secondary dynamics
Walk-Out
The gross revenue a show generates from ticket sales at the door on the day of the event — as opposed to presale revenue captured in advance.
Soft Ticket
A show where tickets are included with venue admission or bar cover rather than sold as standalone paid tickets — common in club environments where the draw depends on the night's energy rather than a specific artist.
Hard Ticket
A show where tickets are sold as standalone admissions to a specific performance — creating a trackable, advance-sale record of demand and a defined capacity ceiling.
Comp Tickets
Complimentary tickets provided at no charge to industry guests, media, artist guests, and venue staff — representing capacity consumed without generating revenue, which affects both economics and settlement accounting.
Presale
A ticketing window that opens before the general public on-sale, providing early ticket access to a specific group — fan club members, credit card holders, venue subscribers, or industry partners.
On-Sale
The moment tickets become available to the general public — a pivotal event in a show's marketing lifecycle that establishes public demand signals and drives the initial burst of ticket velocity.
Per-Ticket Fee
The service charges and fees added to the base ticket price by the ticketing platform, venue, or promoter — a key variable in deal math that affects both consumer price perception and net revenue to the promoter.
Dynamic Pricing
A ticketing strategy where ticket prices adjust in real time based on demand signals — allowing prices to rise as a show approaches sellout or drop during periods of slow sales velocity.
Secondary Market
The ecosystem of resale platforms — StubHub, Vivid Seats, SeatGeek, and others — where tickets are resold by original buyers at market-determined prices, often significantly above face value.
Operations
The people, processes, and logistics that make a show happen
Talent Buyer
The individual responsible for selecting and booking artists at a venue or for a promoter — the person who decides which acts to offer, at what guarantee, and on what terms.
Settlement
The post-show financial accounting process where the promoter and artist's representative reconcile all revenue and expenses to determine final payment — including any backend due above the guarantee.
Advancing a Show
The logistical coordination process that occurs in the weeks before a performance — confirming production requirements, hospitality, schedules, and operational details between the venue, promoter, and artist's touring team.
Talent Agent
The licensed representative who acts on behalf of an artist to negotiate performance contracts, build routing, and manage the commercial relationship between the artist and promoters.
Routing
The geographic sequence of dates on a tour — how an artist moves between markets, which cities get included, and how the logistics of travel, radius clauses, and market coverage are balanced.
Day of Show
The 12 to 18 hours spanning load-in, soundcheck, doors, the performance, and settlement — the operational execution phase where all pre-show planning is put to the test.
Capacity
The maximum number of attendees a venue can legally and physically accommodate — a foundational constraint that determines deal economics, risk exposure, and the revenue ceiling for any given show.
Tech Rider
The section of a performance contract that specifies an artist's production requirements — input channels, monitor mixes, backline, staging, and lighting — that the venue must supply or rent to meet the show's technical spec.
Hospitality Rider
The section of a performance contract covering an artist's off-stage needs — catering, dressing rooms, a buyout, hotel rooms, and ground transportation — that the promoter is contractually responsible for providing.
Artist Rider
The umbrella document attached to a performance contract that sets out everything an artist requires to play the show — combining the technical and hospitality riders into one set of obligations the promoter accepts by signing.
Event Cancellation Insurance
A policy that reimburses a promoter for the non-recoverable money already committed to a show — the guarantee, venue deposit, production, and marketing — when the date is called off, postponed, or cut short by a covered peril.
Market Intelligence
The data and signals that separate informed bookings from guesswork
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