Cancellation terms

Once the performance contract is signed, the artist turns down other offers for that night. Cancellation terms put a price on a late withdrawal and say what the promoter gets back if the artist can’t play. They usually cover three cases:

• The promoter cancels. A scale by notice: the closer to the show, the more of the fee is due, plus costs that can’t be refunded, such as booked flights.
• The artist cancels, for example through illness with a doctor’s note. Money paid is returned, the agency often proposes a replacement, and further claims are usually excluded.
• Force majeure. Neither side is at fault: an official closure of the venue, a ban on events. Both sides are released; the contract says what happens to deposits and costs already paid.

Example

The scale “less than 30 days before the show: 50% of the fee; less than 14 days: 100%”, a fee of €2,000 and a non-refundable flight already booked for €180:

What to watch for

• The deposit. Some contracts make it non-refundable from signing, whatever the scale says. Check which kind you have.
• Notice in writing. The day the written cancellation arrives decides the step of the scale.
• Postponed is not cancelled. If both sides agree a new date, the deal and the deposit usually move with it. If the new date doesn’t work for the artist, the contract decides who carries the costs.
• Low ticket sales are not force majeure. They are the promoter’s risk. Whether bad weather at an open-air counts belongs in the contract beforehand.