Announcement embargo

An embargo sets the moment a show may go public: the line-up post, the event listing, the ticket presale, a teaser. Until then nobody announces, neither the promoter nor the artist. The contract gives it as a date and a time, in local time at the venue.

There are usually three reasons for one. A festival reveals its line-up on a fixed day and wants to be first. The artist announces a tour or a release, and the dates go out together. Or another show within the radius needs to sell before the next one is public.

Example

A club in Leipzig confirms [Artist A] for Saturday 23 January. The contract sets the embargo to Tuesday 10 November, 18:00 local time, when the artist announces the winter dates. The club can prepare the artwork from the press kit, but the event page, the ticket link and the post go live at 18:00 on 10 November, not the evening before.

What to watch for

• Everything public counts. A listing on a ticketing or event platform, a presale sign-up page, a “special guest” teaser with the artist’s photo: each one breaks the embargo.
• Whose clock. 18:00 in Vienna is 17:00 in London. The time is the venue’s local time unless the contract says otherwise.
• Say what you need early. If your marketing depends on a date, such as a presale or a print deadline, put it in the request so the embargo can fit it.
• No date set means wait for the contract. Don’t announce on a hold or an unsigned offer.