The seven clauses that always matter
- Parties — full legal names of artist (or agent) and booker
- Performance details — date, set times, set length, encores
- Venue — address, load-in, parking, contact
- Fee — total, currency, deposit, balance due date, who pays platform fees
- Cancellation — sliding scale by how close to the date, force majeure
- Technical — PA, lighting, stage, power, rider
- Recording / image rights — can the booker film and post clips?
What a fair cancellation clause looks like
- Booker cancels 12+ weeks out — deposit non-refundable
- 6–12 weeks out — 50% of full fee
- Under 6 weeks — 100% of full fee
- Artist cancels — full refund + best-effort replacement
- Force majeure (genuine venue closure, illness with proof) — rescheduled or refunded
Overtime — the most-skipped clause
Set an explicit rate per 30 minutes or part-thereof, agreed in advance. "One more song" is how relationships sour.
"Every awkward post-show argument is about something the contract didn't bother to spell out."
Riders without the rock-star nonsense
A good rider is short and operational: stage size, monitor count, mic list, power, dressing room, hot meal time, parking. Reasonable hospitality is normal; absurd lists belong in arenas, not corporate ballrooms.
Image and recording rights
Default: the booker may film for internal use; public posts and paid ads need written permission. Most artists are happy to grant clipping rights — they want the marketing too — but ask first.
Payment and platform fees
If you book via StageSide, payment and platform fees are handled in-platform with a clear receipt. Off-platform handshake payments expose both sides — no deposit protection, no dispute mediation, no audit trail.
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