Performance contract

The contract turns an accepted offer into a binding booking. It repeats every term of the offer and adds what both sides need in writing before the show. A complete one covers:

• Parties: the promoter’s company with address and VAT ID, and the agency acting for the artist.
• The show: the artist’s name as billed, venue, date, set time and length.
• Deal and payment: fee and deal type, the deposit and when the balance is due, VAT and any withholding tax.
• Who covers what: flights, hotel, ground transport, backline, catering.
• Riders: the tech rider and the hospitality rider, as part of the contract.
• Terms: cancellation terms, force majeure, recordings and streams, radius and announcement.

Example

Say a club in Vienna accepts an offer on 1 October: Saturday 14 November, set 02:00–04:00 on the Sunday, a fee of €2,500 plus travel, a 50% deposit within 14 days of signing, the balance 7 days before the show. The contract states exactly that, attaches the current riders, adds the cancellation scale and a 100 km radius, and is signed by someone who may sign for the club’s company.

What to watch for

• The right company. The name on the flyer is often not the company that pays. Contract and invoice need the legal entity.
• Read the riders before signing. If something in them can’t be done, agree the change in writing now or in the advance, not at the booth.
• Changes after signing. A different fee or deal needs an amended contract. Set times and logistics can still move through the advance.
• Sign, then announce. Until the contract is signed, the date can still change.