Five things:

1. Having a booking agreement can save you some serious headaches regarding the gig. It stinks if you get to the venue with a 5-meter extension cord and find that the power source is 60-meters away from the (also unexpected) outdoor site. And it’s happened to plenty of bands/ensembles with or without the agreement. The difference with the agreement is that you can point to it as a means to find a compromise or in tough circumstances to require payment if the venue does not meet their part of the agreement. And I’m not a lawyer.
2. I’ll once again remind you that I’m not legally trained in any way. I’m not a lawyer and if you want a legally binding contract, you should consult with one. What I’m offering is a simple checklist that can also serve as a basic agreement between a musician and a gig venue. And I’m not a lawyer.
3. There are other guides to creating your own musician booking contract on the web. I think you’ll find the basics of what you need for a gig checklist right here. If you don’t, please leave a comment and I’ll provide an expanded/updated definitive guide. And I’m not a lawyer.
4. Having an agreement helps you to come across as a professional. You know you are. Show the venue by having it together. And I’m not a lawyer.
5. This is a basic and generic guide. I can’t cover everything in a 500-word blog. And I’m not a lawyer. 😉

Basic Musician Booking Agreement

 Essential elements

•  Your name (or the name of your band/act). An opportunity to identify yourself and your brand with the venue.
• The venue or host name (may be an individual or organization, of course).
• The venue address.
• Date of the agreement.
• Date with start and end times of the performance.
• Payment:
  • what’s the amount of the payment?
  • how and when will it be paid?
  • do you need it to be in cash? Say so.
  • will there be a deposit and a remainder? give the amounts and dates that these are to be paid.
• Power: Specify that you need reasonable access to grounded outlet(s) at the stage and console locations. Specify a distance under 30 feet / 10 meters.

Other considerations, especially for larger venues

• Specify if you want the performance area (“stage”) to be protected from weather (precipitation and sunlight) in the case of outdoor venues.
• State if you want recording, reproduction and transmission of the performance prohibited by the establishment.
• Indicate that events beyond the control of either party allow that party to be excused from this agreement.
• Merchandising? (Are you going to be allowed to sell CD’s, T-shirts, etc. at the venue?)
• Acknowledgement of copyrights. i.e., you won’t infringe and if you do, the venue is indemnified (free-and-clear of any wrongdoing).
• Sound system: who is providing it? If it’s the venue, specify the number of inputs and indicate whether the venue should provide direct boxes.
• Parking: You will need a space to park. Also specify unloading of equipment in proximity to the performance site.
• Security: Is it required by you for backstage access? You may need this to be an optional section of your agreement since it may be overkill for smaller venues.
• Promotion: who will provide it? Again, this may be overkill for certain types of venue.

muz4now by Stan Stewart is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.