MUSI 1230 Terminology Test

venue priors

data from all shows presented in the venue for a specific period of time. Your agent can use this information to note the capacity of the venue, the other acts that perform there, what the ticket prices were and what percentage of tickets they sold at each show.

one-offs

a single date booked concert

buzz play

Playing a smaller venue in select markets to promote a launch of an album prior to or in conjunction with the release of a single.

percentage a booking agent takes from the artists guarantee

10%

What draw minimum, pre cap, do promoters expect the opening band can draw?:

250

LP

331⁄3 rpm microgroove vinyl records and are a format for phonograph (gramophone) records, an analog sound storage medium. They are also known as albums as one vinyl record would replace several of the shorter-running 78 rpm records.

what is the normal length of a headliners set?

75-90 minutes

What is the average split for a band and a promoter? First number being the bands profit; second number being the promoter's profit:

90-10

demo

A basic recording that highlights the talent and musical style/direction of an artist. This is usually distributed to potentially interested parties including booking agents or A&R representatives. Due to improving technology, professional-grade recording costs have decreased and therefore the production quality standards of demos have been raised.

manifest

A customs document that can be thought of as a "passport" for the equipment.

equipment manifest

A detailed list of equipment the tour will transport. This is often shown to boarder security at border crossings.

invoice

A document issued by a seller to a buyer listing the goods or services supplied and stating the sum of money due.

tech rider

A document that is part of all contracts describing in detail all the technical requirements of the show.

contract

A legally-enforceable agreement between two or more people or organizations to do something.

itinerary

A list of all prudent information for each date on the Artist's tour. A planned route or journey.

production rider

A list of technical, hospitality and security needs that must be provided by local promoters in each city.

door deal

A percentage of the tickets sold at the door of the club. This is a band deal for a band that does not draw yet.

private date buyer

A private concert that is not open to the public. Some of these oversea dates have been controversial.

copyright

A process taken by musicians to claim rights to their original material; this helps to stop people from stealing other artists' songs, lyrics or music.

personal manager

A representative who assists the musician/s in the development and management of their craft and entertainment career.

set vendor

A set building company that builds stage designs.

rider

A set of requests or demands that a performer sets as criteria for performance Hospitality + technical

cover

A song performed by an artist other than the original author.

Per Diems

A sum of money given out each day to tour personal and artists for daily expenses. An allowance or payment made for each day - usually used when touring. A band or crew member might be allocated a (for example) $30 payment to be spent on their personal activities like food, drinks, taxi's etc.

booking agent

A talent agent that specializes in getting an artist paid engagements, shows, concerts & tours. Those engagements are called 'Bookings'. A person who makes engagements or reservations for others, in particular. A person who arranges concert or club engagements for performers. A person who makes travel arrangements for clients.

split point (break even)

A. The figure computed by adding the breakeven and promoters profit. It is the point after which each dollar grossed is split between the act and the talent buyer. B. After all box office deductions are taken, and any guarantee, variable guarantee, and expenses are paid, this is the point at which there is overage that can be split between Promoter and Artist if there is any money remaining. Often 85% Artist vs. 15% Promoter.

heritage act

Acts who's biggest 'hit making' days are behind them. Some become bigger after their hit & some become staples for a given season or venue.

presser/press release/media release

An official written or recorded communication sent to the media for the purpose of announcing something newsworthy (for example an album release or a tour).

Availables

Available dates to book an act

360 Deal

Back in the day, record labels used to make money by selling recorded music. However, in response to the decrease in sales, nowadays labels often employ a '360 deal' where they take a cut from all of the artist's income streams - including merchandising, touring, publishing, record sales and others.

capacities

Basements = 25-50 Small to large clubs = 100-2,000 Ballrooms = 800-1,500 Theaters & Performing Arts Center = 2,000-8,000 Auditoriums = 5,000-10,000 Mid Size Arenas = 10,000-15,000 Large Arenas = 15,000-20,000 Amphitheaters = 10,000-20,000 Stadiums & Grandstands = 15,000-100,000

advancing the show

Calling the Promoter before the show, often a week and also a day before, to go over the details of the deal.

Production Technician / Tech

Crew members who operate and maintain the stage set, audio systems, lightening fixtures and other production equipment.

anchor dates

Dates that are most important that an artists plans a tour around.

EP

Extended Play (EP) records were originally 3 or 4 track 45 rpm 7 inch vinyl singles. (A normal vinyl single had one track on each side.) These days the term EP is used to describe releases that have more than two tracks but are too short to qualify as a full studio album or LP.

Assistant Production Managers/Production Assistant

Help with administrative duties for the tour. Distributing security passes, coordinating travel and hotels arrangements for production and crew members, creating and distributing detailed schedules for each day and setting up temporary production office in each venue.

building the fan base

If an act can sell out Minneapolis any time, but is still largely unknown in Cleveland, then the act should play Cleveland as least once a year. Messaging people on social networks that listen to similar music to your music about your act and where/when you are playing. Flier'ing your show at a concert that has artists playing similar music as you do.

versus

In this deal, the artist will be given two options and paid based on whichever ends up being more money. It can be based on either the gross profit (before expenses are taken out) or the net profit, so keep that in mind when you are negotiating because it makes a difference.

mechanical license

License that gives authorization from music publishers or songwriters to record and distribute a song.

tour/label support

Money provided to the artists by the record label to support the artists living costs and to promote the tour. This is recoupable.

flying system

Speakers suspended from ceiling beams of a venue.

ISRC

The International Standard Recording Code is designed to help track sales and radio station play. Every new recording and version of a recording must be assigned a unique 12 digit number code. These codes can be obtained through a number of online music service producers.

stage hand

The act's production personnel who knows best how to set up and operate all equipment and materials necessary to present the artist.

producer

The artistic director who overseas the creation of an album or other musical recording and is responsible for the overall artistic success of a recording.

Tour Bible

The book on tour that has all the pertinent information needed on the tour: dates, contact info, venue info and more.

production

The collective technical components of the stage show.

mastering

The final process of preparing a mixed recording for commercial distribution.

backline

The instruments, amplifiers and speaker cabinets that the act uses on stage

the routing

The location and dates of an Artist's tour.

gross potential

The maximum amount an engagement can possibly earn based on calculations involving ticket prices, seating capacity, and the number of performances.

settlement

The point at the conclusion of an engagement in a market when the Presenter and Company Manager reconcile all receipts and determine the engagement's final profit or loss. The Presenter's and Company Manager's numbers must all match. If their settlements do not match, they must work to locate the errors or discrepancies until all final numbers are in sync.

line check

The point during setup when each instrument is fed through the sound system and checked to ensure that all connections are correct.

exclusive rights

The privileges that only a copyright owner has with respect to their copyrighted work.

advancing the show

The process of calling each promoter to make sure the needs of tour will be met at the venue. This is usually done three weeks prior to the concert and the day of.

promotion

The process of raising public awareness of an artist or product.

performing rights society/organization

These associations act as business agents on behalf of music authors and publishers to license songs, issue performing rights licenses and collect and distribute royalty earnings to songwriters and publishers for performances of each copyrighted material, including broadcasts on radio, television, in a cinema, or on the internet.

the super fan

They are going to go to the show no matter what. They will pay double the average price, drive through a snow storm and miss a family event simply to see you perform.

the enthusiastic fan

They are knowledgable about the music, own a record and want to see the band live to form their own opinion. They will usually spend slightly more than the average price, but are willing to wait until the next time the artist comes around.

the familiar fan

They do not own a record, has heard some of the music, is mildly interested, thinks the ticket price is about right, and wants to get out and have a good time.

the casual fan

They may have heard a couple tunes, doesn't own a record, can't name a member of the band, but their friends are going and they want to tag along.

blanket license

This 'overall' license authorizes the public performance of all songs in the society's catalog. These are issued by the Performance Rights Organizations and are supplied to to radio station, venues and other places that host public performances of music.

radio show

This is a concert organized by a radio station to either reward listeners or generate revenues. Developing acts often plays these shows for reduced fee or for free. These shows are a source of controversy in the industry because of the leverage radio stations have over airplay.

the herder

This is a fan that is a leader in his of her local scene, where others rely on them to know the next great thing. One herder can make 20 fans - or more. They rally other for you.

the troll

This is someone who heard an album at the age of 15-17 and have been angry at the band for all their albums put out after the Troll's teenage experience. They associate too much of their memories with the first album they bought and don't release the new albums need them to make more memories if they are going to like that record as well.

advance

When an artist enters a contract with a record label or publishing company, they are given an 'advance' by their label/publisher - a lump of loaned money which the artist then uses to record an album, buy gear, tour, etc. Sometimes the advance can be an extremely significant amount of money (we're talking $500,00+), but it in any case it must be recouped (see below for proper definition) before any profit is made. Often the cost of album production will quickly consume the loan, and it is estimated that fewer than 10% of signed artists recoup their advance and become financially successful.

ground support

When speakers are placed on the floor rather than hung by the ceiling of a venue.

on-sale

When tickets are first available to the general public for a concert.

co-headlining

When two artists of equal popularity play together, both performers play the same length and get paid the same amount.

talent buyer

a person or company who pays an act or artist to perform.

endorsement

a promotional tactic employed by equipment manufacturers in which they provide gear at discounted prices (sometimes even free of charge) to high-profile and successful artists in exchange for exposure generated by the artist's use of the product.

consignment

agreement where the retailer takes possession of the artists product and merchandise, including CDs and T-shirts, and only pays the artist for the inventory that is sold. When a sale occurs, the retailer purchases the product from the held inventory to meet the order. This system is very common with online retailers of independent music.

compulsory mechanical license

an exception to the copyright holder's exclusive rights of reproduction and distribution that allows anyone to record and distribute commercially- released material as long as the mechanical license rates established by the copyright law are paid to the copyright owner of the original material.

promoter

anyone who puts on a show or event and sells tickets to make money

fixed seats

assigned seating at a venue

comps

free tickets given to media, music business people and friends/family of the band

publishers

in addition to print rights, these people help musicians with mechanical and synchronization rights and also collect money on their behalf for publishing-related copyrights.

performing rights license

license that grants authorization for the public performance of a song. This is usually granted by a performing rights society through a blanket license.

tour histories

lists, sometimes lengthy, that include box office reports for one selected act dating back to when their information was first reported.

residency

means the artist will perform regularly at that venue throughout a certain time period. A common example is playing on a set night every week for a month, such as every Friday for the month of July. This is usually payed based on a percent of "door" (a.k.a ticket sales) and it can be split based on how many people actually come out to see you. This means the person at the door asks each guest who they came to see and keeps a tally in order to determine how much to pay each artist. ____ are a good tool for developing artists to build a fan base because it gives them a chance to grow in that market by playing on a regular basis.

royalty

money given to a copyright holder in exchange for permission to use their music.

ground rigger

or down rigger, who stays on the ground and sends supplies to the climbing rigger.

climber

or up rigger who works on the beams overhead for the process of attaching equipment to the beams or other forms of structural support.

sheds

outdoor shows often in amphitheaters

Per Cap(s) (short for Per Capita):

per head spending at a venue

What job does the artist have?

perform music on stage at the agreed upon time, place and length.

marketing

process of aiming to increase artist popularity, profile and product sales by generating interest in the artist's music. This includes exposure in various mediums such as print, television, radio and the internet.

recoupment

process of the artist earning money through sales to pay off a record label's cash advance.

what is often the biggest expense before starting a tour for a small to mid-size band?

purchasing merchandise

back catalogue

refers to the body of work (for instance, albums, EPs and/or singles) that a writer or artist has released.

A&R

responsible for finding and developing upcoming artists, as well as acting as a point of contact for existing ones. seek out new talent, and help develop them - these people work closely with the artists throughout recording projects, in conjunction with managers, producers, songwriters and other musicians.

mechanical royalty

royalty earned for any hard-copy material that is manufactured and distributed with a copyrighted song on it.

performance royalty

royalty paid when the copyrighted song is performed live in public, such as through broadcast on radio, television and in a public space.

general admission

standing room at a venue

sampling

the act of copying a section of one sound recording and reusing it in a new recording. Without receiving appropriate clearance from the copyright holders of the original recording, _______ can result in copyright infringement.

billings

the list of artists performing at a given concert

Manager

the person responsible for developing the artists profile and career. advises the artist on all business related decisions and promotes the artist through direct personal networking, media coverage, distribution of demos.

distribution

the process of selling recorded material to the public through physical and digital mediums, typically through record stores or online retailers such as iTunes, cdbaby.com and bandcamp. Independent 'DIY artists' are usually interested in signing deals with large distribution companies and signing contracts with online retailers in order to accomplish sales without the legal constraints of a standard recording contract.

stage manager

the traffic cop of the stage, directing each local stagehand to one of the production departments. A local stage hand will do a job the stage manager asks, then return to him to ask for his/her next job

percentage

this deal is similar to the plus deal except that it does not include a guarantee. This means it's the biggest risk for the band and the safest option for the promoter. The artist gets paid a percent based on either gross or net profit. Llike the plus deal is based on net profit and already accounts for expenses. It means that you will get % of the money earned

site coordinator

visits the venue several days or weeks in advance to discuss the logistic needs of the act. Placement of the stage, dressing rooms, parking, storage for cases and crates, and production / management office location.