Hold rank

When several promoters want the same artist on the same night, their holds are ranked: first hold, second hold, third hold. The rank decides who may confirm first; a higher fee on the second hold doesn’t change the order. A second hold can confirm only once the first is released, has expired or loses a challenge.

Ranks usually follow the order in which the requests came in. A night runs from morning to morning, so a set at 01:00 on Sunday belongs to Saturday night and competes with Saturday’s holds.

Example

[Artist A] has three holds on Friday 4 December:

On 18 October the Vienna club finds out its main floor is booked for a private event that Friday and releases. Munich becomes the first hold and Ljubljana the second, and both hear about it that day. When Munich confirms, Ljubljana’s hold is released too, unless both shows fit into one night, such as an afternoon festival slot and a late club set.

What to watch for

• Ask where you stand. A second hold is a real chance, but plan with it as a maybe: no artwork, no venue deposit on it.
• Ask how ranks are set. First come, first ranked is the norm. If an agency ranks differently, for routing for example, you should hear why.
• The rank stays with the hold. Extend in time and you keep your place. Ask again after it expired and you join the back of the line.