Advancing
Advance sheet
Also called Advance, advance form
The advance sheet is the written record of one show: deal, responsibilities, travel, hotel, ground transport, schedule, tech, hospitality, guest list, promo and contacts.
The advance sheet is where advancing ends up. It starts as a draft with what the artist side already knows: the deal from the contract, the riders, the promo assets and the travel. The promoter completes it with their parts: on-site contact, hotel, driver, set times, tech setup, hospitality, guest list spots and billing details. Once both sides agree, the promoter confirms it.
A good advance sheet has the same sections in the same order every time, so a promoter who has read one finds their way around the next in a minute. Each section says what is settled and what is still open.
Example
The first version for a Saturday show, six weeks out:
| Section | Status |
|---|---|
| Deal and payment | Settled, from the contract |
| Responsibilities | Settled: landed deal, the artist side books flights, the promoter books hotel and ground transport |
| Travel | Open, booked by four weeks out |
| Hotel, ground transport | Open, the promoter fills them in by three weeks out |
| Set time | Window agreed (00:00–03:00), final by two weeks out |
| Tech, hospitality | Riders attached, waiting for the promoter to confirm |
What to watch for
- The advance sheet is for the promoter and their team. Internal notes, commission and the artist’s own costs don’t belong on it.
- Keep one current version. Once there’s a PDF from three weeks ago and an email thread with changes on top, people work from whichever they open first.
- After confirmation, a change shows as a change, so the promoter sees what moved.
- The day sheet is taken from the advance sheet, not written separately.
More in Advancing
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