Playing Booking Letter or informal contract/rider for gigs

As a veteran of more function gigs than I care to remember me and my merry men (and ladies) have fallen foul of a wide array of things that can potentially go wrong, misunderstandings and the like. In the spirit of making our shows run smoothly, and in conjunction with my work colleagues here at sax.co, I’ve devised a letter which we now send out with our booking to try and head off some of the more predicable pitfalls. Feel free to use/modify/ comment for your own projects….

Thank you for your booking. To ensure your event runs smoothly on the day we

would ask you for the following provisions-


-Vehicle parking for up to 3 vehicles within easy access of the playing area (we travel reasonably light but drum kit and keys can be quite bulky to move)


- A reasonable time window for us to get set up and work with the PA engineer to ensure the best sound for the venue we’re playing in (this shouldn’t take more than an hour but note that it is likely to be quite noisy and disruptive)

-Also, is it possible to check in advance and inform us if the playing area is governed by a sound limiter

-A secure ‘back stage’ area. Somewhere we can safely leave instruments and changes of clothes for the duration

-bottles, or glasses of water for on-stage use (its thirsty work!)

- A light meal per band member would be appreciated (please liaise with us re this)

- Can we also have a contact name of whoever will be dealing with on the day (best man, event organizer etc).


If you have any further queries re the above please contact us immediately to discuss them


We look forward to seeing you on the day

Regards

 

[rhysonsax]

Useful resource. We use something similar, but maybe not so well phrased.

What do you do about payment terms, including deposit, cancellation fees, when and how to pay the balance ?

Rhys

 

[Jules]

We're fairly flexible on payment (as long as its on the night) and, to date, haven't had problems which require deposits. Two more points which have come up recently- approximate stage times- we did a gig only yesterday where the second of our 45 minute sets was expected after midnight- something we weren't told beforehand and didn't go down well with those of us who had to drive back. Secondly- on the food front.... pre-warn catering about any vegetarians in the band (we did tell the booker but it didn't get passed on to the kitchen staff, who got a bit 'funny' about four vegetarians.... Fat45 being a right bunch of Brighton hippies at heart!)!

 

[dooce]

We always try to confirm the stage timings as well, ever since we played our 2 sets at a pub gig and were packing up at a civilised 11.30, only to be told that if we wanted paying we'd better be back on stage at midnight for another 45 minutes! Fortunately we persuaded the manager that it was a misunderstanding, got another 50 quid and we've been regulars there ever since........