Live Music Performance Megatips: Knowing Your Payment Options

So you've just booked your first club gig and want to know how the payment goes? If this is your first time doing a club gig and expecting payment, you may not know how the performing game goes, I'm here to break down all the details for you! There are two types of payment that you may encounter at your club performance, the first is Pre-paid and the second is called a "Door Split".

The Pre-Paid Payment

The Pre-paid form of payment consists of being paid in advance for your gig. This means you may be paid a week or two in advance to do one or more shows. This method of payment can be both a positive and negative. The flat rate that you will receive may be over what you could make or under, it all depends on how many people will be attending the show. Attendance will determine if the up front fee was worth your time and effort.

The Pre-paid form of payment does have one major advantage over the "Door Split", payment will be for sure, and no exceptions since you will have the money in your hand before you perform. If signing a contract before receiving your upfront payment, make sure that you have a lawyer or legal advice near you.

The Door Split

Oh yes, welcome yourself to the wonderful world of the "The Door Split." This option all depends on the crowd attendance of the club. If you have invited a lot of people that actually plan to show up, this is the method of payment that will increase your bank account. With the "Door Split", the club promoter/owner will be forced to pay you a percentage of what is collected at the door for the night. For beginners in this area of payment, know that there is no such agreement as 50/50. Once the promoter has made back what they spent on setting you up with the show, accept no less than 70% of what is made at the door.

Most of the time club promoters will pay up to 85% of the club profits to the artist, however; be careful of shady promoters that try to withhold some of the night's earnings. With this kind of deal, you should stick to seeing everything on paper in black and white as oppose to a verbal agreement. Protect yourself in this type of payment method by having a legal representative with you.