THE LINGO SHEET

Your place in line on a date for a potential booking — sometimes shown as just (H). You must challenge the date to gain control of it. 1H means first hold. It's your way of seeing what's open on a venue's calendar. If you challenge a date, intend to keep it.

NA  ||  Fri 5 Jul
6H  ||  Fri 6 Jul
5H  ||  Fri 12 Jul
4H  ||  Fri 13 Jul
8H  ||  Fri 20 Jul

An ask for the promoter to move you to the front of the holds list to confirm a date. The promoter reaches out to everyone holding above you to see if they'll release. A typical challenge takes 24–48 hours.

The initial commitment of compensation for the event. Remember — this is negotiable.

A presentation of terms without a specific date in mind.

Working through the details of the show before you arrive: hospitality budget and items, parking, hotel partners, load-in location and time, what equipment the venue has, including mics, stands, and cables, soundcheck and set times, set length, guest-list count, whether you can bring a videographer, and more. This is your prep so you know what to expect — and what's expected of you.

The schedule of times for the whole day. Adhere to it as best you can.

Requests from the artist to make the day more enjoyable and the show possible — food, snacks, drinks, and performance items like batteries or guitar strings.

Someone at the venue with a car to shop hospitality/rider items and drive members to the hotel, radio, etc., so the tour vehicle can stay parked.

The lump sum of expenses for the venue to operate nightly; rent, security, stage staff, box office, cleaning, and so on.

A venue fee deducted from each ticket gross. Varies by venue and typically increases with capacity.

Inclusive of all artists on the bill, not just the headliner.

Non-headlining acts. Direct support is the band right before the headliner; otherwise they're referred to by position on the bill, such as 2nd of 5, or 1st of 3.

A visual diagram of band members and their positions on stage.

Tickets on loan for the artist to sell, a way to get tickets to fans hand-to-hand, sometimes without venue fees. Stay organized: bring all unsold tickets and the cash for sold ones back to the venue.

Anything for sale from the artist. Hard goods are recordings; soft goods are shirts, hoodies, posters, etc. Expect the venue to ask for 5–20% of soft-good sales, negotiable. If the venue sells for you, count every piece in and out and reconcile at the end of the night.

Where the sound engineer operates from.

Many venues have their own, but you're in control of what you want. Standard is songs 1–3 from the photo pit, no flash, then potentially shooting from the audience.

Spots are limited and meant to show your most loyal supporters they're noticed. On a door deal, every free ticket takes money from you and the venue, don't go overboard. Not everyone on the list needs backstage; the greenroom is your space to prepare, not a hangout.

Have backup and request proof: a detailed list of tickets sold, prices and where, plus receipts for any deductions. A venue may ask for a W-9 so have one ready. If handed a check, don't lose it; if wired, confirm your details and follow up after the quoted timeframe.

A one-sheet pitch of your band: photo, pertinent touring history, where to find your music, a brief bio, and more.