Shared operating guide

Live Music and Booking Tool Guide

Coordinate offers, advances, show-day timing, settlement, production, and the working relationship between artist and venue.

What this guide is for

Live-music tools should reduce ambiguity before it becomes a show-night problem. They help both sides record what was agreed, what is still open, who owns each detail, and how money and timing will be handled.

Before opening a tool

  • Gather the current offer, contract, rider, artist contacts, venue contacts, ticket or cover assumptions, and production details.
  • Confirm which source is authoritative when email, text, ticketing, and contract details differ.
  • Identify deadlines for deposits, promotion, hospitality, production, and final advance.
  • Decide who can approve changes on behalf of the venue.

Working method

Complete the work in five phases

  1. Set the deal frame

    Record date, room, billing, compensation structure, ticket or cover model, deposit, and settlement method.

  2. Advance the show

    Confirm load-in, parking, stage access, soundcheck, doors, set times, curfew, equipment, hospitality, guest list, and day-of contacts.

  3. Coordinate promotion

    Document approved assets, announcement timing, ticket links, tagging, media responsibilities, and any co-promotion commitments.

  4. Run the day

    Use one current timeline and one clear contact chain. Record changes rather than relying on memory or scattered messages.

  5. Settle and close

    Reconcile attendance, sales or door figures, deductions, deposits, payment, signatures, incident notes, and rebooking follow-up.

Quality check before use

  • The current deal terms match the signed or approved source.
  • Every show-day time has a responsible party.
  • Production and hospitality promises are specific enough to execute.
  • Settlement inputs can be supported by records.
  • Changes are dated and communicated to both sides.

Save, print, and control the record

Review restored browser fields before relying on them. Confirm dates and assumptions are still current, then create the finished print, PDF, copied summary, or portable document. Put the date, preparer, approver, status, and revision on records that will guide other people. A browser draft and a finished exported record are separate versions.

Do not place confidential, medical, payment-card, protected employee, investigative, or other sensitive information in a shared browser. Delete local working data when the record has been safely retained elsewhere and the browser copy is no longer needed.

Mapped working tools

Tools that use this guide

Artist Offer Comparison ToolCompare guarantee, door split, percentage, and guarantee-versus-percentage deals.Artist Settlement CalculatorCalculate final artist settlement with guarantees, percentages, deposits, and deductions.Event Break-Even CalculatorCalculate break-even attendance, sales, profit, and required cover charge.Music-Night Format SelectorRecommend a music-night format based on room, budget, floor, and audience.Music Night Performance ScorecardScore profitability, audience growth, execution, and rebooking potential.Show-Day Run Sheet GeneratorCreate a printable show-day timeline for venue, artist, and production teams.Ticket and Cover Price OptimizerCompare attendance requirements across several cover prices while accounting for bar contribution and desired profit.Merchandise Policy (for artists & the venue)Use Merchandise Policy (for artists & the venue), a free working tool from Keep ’Em Coming Back for Texas venue, hospitality, and live-music teams.Sound Equipment Baseline GuideFree, fillable and printable reference / printable card adapted from Appendix F of Keep ’Em Coming Back, Volume 2.The Featured Show (Six-Week Runway)Use The Featured Show (Six-Week Runway), a free working tool from Keep ’Em Coming Back for Texas venue, hospitality, and live-music teams.The Night-Of RunsheetFree, fillable and printable worksheet / template adapted from Appendix C · Advance Sheet and Night-Of Runsheet Templates of Keep ’Em Coming Back, Volume 2.The One-Off Themed Event (Six-Week Build)Use The One-Off Themed Event (Six-Week Build), a free working tool from Keep ’Em Coming Back for Texas venue, hospitality, and live-music teams.The Recurring Weekly Night (Sustainable Cadence)The Recurring Weekly Night (Sustainable Cadence). Free, fillable and printable working tool adapted from Appendix D · Promotion Calendar Templates of Keep ’Em.The Showcase (Multi-Act, Cross-Promotion Driven)The Showcase (Multi-Act, Cross-Promotion Driven). Free, fillable and printable working tool adapted from Appendix D · Promotion Calendar Templates of Keep ’Em.The Week-Of Advance SheetConfirm week-of show details, contacts, arrival timing, production needs, hospitality, settlement, and responsibilities before show day.Full Musician EPK TemplateFree, fillable and printable worksheet / template adapted from Appendix A · The Musician’s EPK and One-Sheet Template of Keep ’Em Coming Back, Volume 3.Musician One-Sheet TemplateCreate a concise musician one-sheet with positioning, proof, live-show details, contact information, and booking-ready highlights.The Rider & Hospitality WorksheetFree, fillable and printable worksheet / template adapted from Appendix D of Keep ’Em Coming Back, Volume 3.The Settlement & Money WorksheetFree, fillable and printable worksheet / template adapted from Appendix G of Keep ’Em Coming Back, Volume 3.What the Other Side Wishes You KnewFree, fillable and printable working tool adapted from Appendix E of Keep ’Em Coming Back, Volume 3.

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