Glossary of Terms

Ad Break: Date ads first appear in print and on television or radio

Advancing the Event: Go through contract and riders, to make sure everything is covered. Working out the details.

Agent: Sells the entertainment acts to the promoter or venue.

Back Of House: Everything from the stage on back; equipment, dressing rooms, ...

Backline: Band equipment. Rented locally for artists who fly the date without their entire gear.

Billing: How an artist is presented in print, television, and radio. Examples are 100% Sole Headline Billing, 85% Special Guest Star billing; 100% Festival Billing

Box Office: Everything that has to do with ticketing.

Breakeven: monetary point at which the promoter begins to receive their promoter profit.

Buyer: Person responsible for buying the show; promoter.

Contract Rider: Document from the band. Make sure you read it cover to cover.

Front Of House: From the front of the stage on forward; includes exits in and out.

Guarantee: Fees guaranteed to the artist as a minimum amount of compensation for the engagement.

Gig: Event, Show

Green Room: Bands ask for green room mainly as the production office for the band manager.

Gross Potential: The total gross income of a show calculated by taking capacity (number of tickets printed) and multiplying by the ticket price.

Ground Transportation: Supply runner and vehicles, make sure band gets from point A to point B. The runner is very important as the band gopher.

Headliner: Artist that closes the show and receives preferred billing.

Hospitality: Food and beverage you supply the band, usually included in the rider.

Input List: Shows wires going into microphones and instruments from stage plot

Labor: Crew to set up and tear down

Lighting Plot: Same as stage plot, shows where the lights need to be pointed on stage.

Line Item: Expense item listed as a show cost. Examples are staffing, rent, advertising, stagehands.

Major Market: A population of over a million. Los Angeles, New York City for example.

Making the Offer Giving the artist a firm offer, once you've determined you want the event (usually you want to see the rider first)

Manager, Artist Manager: Takes care of artist. General oversight responsibilities for developing and protecting the business of their artist.

Meet and Greet: Term used to describe a session where the artist meets fans, radio giveaway winners and local V.I.P.'s

Net Potential: Gross Potential adjusted for tax

On Sale: Date tickets first go on sale to the general public

Power Requirements: You need to know the power requirements of each act playing in your venue and you also need to know how much power your venue can supply.

Presents: Designation given to a media outlet that sets them apart from others as the "Presenting" station. Normally a radio station.

Production: Anything that has to do with producing the show.

Production Manager: Makes sure production sound, monitors, and lights are in place.

Promoter Profit: Percentage of profit allowed to the promoter based on show expenses. Industry standard is 15%.

Riggers: People who get up in the rigging system to hang points; always in safety harness.

Road Manager: band road manager is responsible for managing the band on the road.

Routing: Travel route the band takes around the country on tour

Scaling: The number of tickets printed that are different prices according to the layout of the venue.

Secondary Market: A population of more than 100,000 to a million. Spokane, WA for example.

Security: Provides safe environment and security for the event.

Settling the show: After the show you gather reports and receipts and you account for every penny. Make sure you have all your ducks in a row before going to settle the show.

Shore Power: Electricity to the band's bus from the venue.

Snake: Cable that runs from sound board to stage.

Sound: System used to produce the sound for the concert or event.

Sound Wings: Extra speakers get put on sound wings in big shows

Split Point: The monetary point at which the promoter begins to receive their promoter profit.

Stacks and Racks: Sound equipment. Stacks are speakers. Racks are the amplifiers that run them.

Staffing: Security, stage hands, catering, ...

Stage Plot: Shows where the musicians will be on the stage, where their microphones and monitors are.

Stage Manager: Person in charge of directing people involved in backstage activities: gets folks on and off stage, supervises sound and lighting crew. If you have a good stage manager it sets the tone for a successful show.

Staging: What size and type of stage you need.

Support Talent: Artist that opens or gets second position on a show and lesser billing than the headliner.

Tertiary Market: Population of 100,000 or less. Missoula, MT is a tertiary market.

Ticket Manifest: How many tickets are sold, where they were sold, which seats or areas were sold, and for how much each was sold.

Truss: Rigging the lights hang from.

Variable: Show expense that isn't fixed. Normally a percentage based on number of tickets or net potential. For instance, rent may be a variable of 7%.

Venue: Synonym for building or theater where the show is being presented.

Versus Deal: Financial arrangement between the artist and the promoter whereby an artist receives a guarantee versus a certain percentage of the net revenues after the deduction of show expenses. The word is versus because the artist receives the guarantee or the percentage, whichever is greater.

Welcomes: Designation given to a media outlet that sets them apart from others as the "Welcoming" station. As opposed to the "Presenting" Station.

Walkout: Amount of money an artist can ear on a show where they are participating in revenues past a certain split point.