Venue: The physical location where the concert takes place, such as a stadium, ballpark, arena, or coliseum.
Front of House (FOH): The area where the sound and lighting consoles are located, typically located in the middle or back of the audience.
Backline: The equipment used by the musicians during their performance, including amps, monitors, instruments and turntables.
Soundcheck: A pre-show rehearsal where artists and sound engineers test microphones, instruments, and monitor mixes, ensuring optimal audio quality for the performance.
Setlist: The planned sequence of songs a band or artist will play during their performance.
Support Band/Opener: A smaller band or artist that plays before the main act to warm up the crowd.
Green Room: The backstage area where artists relax and prepare before their performance, such as a team suite or locker room
Production Load-in: The process of bringing in or building the stage on the field, and setting up the sound and lighting systems, in the days prior to the event date.
Rider: A document outlining the artist’s performance requests, including production needs like staging, lights, sound, backline, & inputs, and hospitality requests, like catering & green room accommodations.
Credentials: Passes that are issued to the artist, crew, event staff, and security to ensure people are not in unauthorized places.
Field Protection: Tough coverings, like DuraDeck or plywood, placed under the stage, trucks, and audience to protect the field or turf from damage.
Advance: The process of organizing and confirming the show details, production requirements, hospitality and day-of-show (DOS) schedule between the artist and venue teams prior to the show date.
Pro Forma: Projection sheet of potential expenses and revenues used to determine the feasibility of an event.
Mobile Stage: A semi-trailer able to be driven into place and unfold into a full covered stage. The scope and scale of the show will determine the mobile stage required.
Doors: When the venue opens to fans.
Will Call: A box office pickup option for tickets that were purchased in advance.
Merch: Short for merchandise. Think T-shirts, posters, vinyl, necklaces, hats, and sweatshirts.
VIP: Can include early access to the venue, access to VIP lounges, meet and greet, soundcheck, and exclusive merch.
Barricade: Refers to a physical barrier between the stage and the audience.
Billing: The size, prominence and order of artist’s names and images on any promotional materials.
General Admission: Access to a general standing area on the floor, often on a first-come, first-served basis.
Pit: The space between the stage and the barricade. This area is typically reserved for security & credentialled media.
Tour Manager (TM): Responsible for the logistical aspects of a tour, travel for the artist and crew, finances, venue coordination, and more.
Production Manager (PM): Oversees the technical aspects of the event, including sound, lighting, and staging.
Talent Buyer: Works on behalf of a client to research proper market value for artists, locate routed tours and assist with executing the event, charging a fee for their services, but typically not sharing in the risk or reward of the event.
Promoter: Takes the risk & puts up the costs to produce the event, in this case, paying the venue to rent the ballpark or stadium, and subsequently takes the ticket revenues (and sometimes part of the F&B).
Stadium concerts require coordination among all these roles. Talent buyers negotiate with tour managers, promoters manage the financial risk, production managers execute the technical vision, and venue teams ensure field protection and safety compliance. Understanding each role's responsibility prevents miscommunication and ensures smooth execution.
Live music is a fast-paced world. If you want to understand it so you’re better prepared to host a concert in your stadium, knowing how to talk the talk helps you collaborate better with the pros in the music industry around you and makes the whole process smoother.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to Degy Entertainment to learn more about the process of booking a show and take the first step towards an unforgettable concert.
What is the difference between a talent buyer and a promoter?
A talent buyer works on behalf of a client (like a stadium or venue), researching artist value, locating available acts, and assisting with booking while charging a fee but not assuming financial risk. A promoter takes on the financial risk of producing the event, pays venue rental fees, and retains ticket and concession revenues. Talent buyers mitigate risk; promoters assume it.
What does "advancing" a concert mean?
Advancing is the process of confirming and organizing show details between the artist team (tour manager) and venue team (3-4 weeks before the event). This includes finalizing production requirements, hospitality needs, day-of-show schedule, load-in windows, soundcheck timing, and all logistical coordination. Proper advancing prevents day-of surprises.
Why is a Pro Forma important when planning a stadium concert?
A Pro Forma is a financial projection showing potential expenses (artist fees, production, insurance, staffing) versus revenues (ticket sales, sponsorship, food and beverage). It determines whether a concert is financially feasible before committing resources. A realistic Pro Forma prevents events that lose money or fail to meet financial goals.
What does "billing order" mean and why does it matter?
Billing order refers to the size, prominence, and sequence of artist names on promotional materials. Billing disputes are common in multi-act concerts because artists view their positioning as a status indicator and marketing benefit. Contracts should clearly specify billing to avoid conflicts and ensure all parties understand their promotional positioning.
What is field protection and why is it necessary for stadium concerts?
Field protection consists of tough coverings (DuraDeck, plywood) placed under stages, trucks, and audience areas to prevent turf and field damage. For sports stadiums with expensive playing surfaces, field protection is non-negotiable and typically required in venue contracts. Without it, equipment and foot traffic destroy grass or artificial turf.
What happens during a soundcheck and why is it important?
Soundcheck is a pre-show rehearsal (typically 30-60 minutes) where artists, sound engineers, and crew test microphones, instruments, monitor mixes, and audio levels. A quality soundcheck ensures optimal performance quality and prevents technical issues during the actual show. Soundcheck timing is outlined in advance agreements.
What are VIP packages and how do they differ from general admission?
VIP packages include benefits like early venue access, dedicated seating or pit access, meet-and-greets with artists, exclusive merchandise, or soundcheck attendance. General Admission provides standing room in general areas. VIP pricing is substantially higher and represents premium revenue for venues and promoters.
What is the green room and what does "green room hospitality" mean?
The green room is the backstage area where artists rest and prepare before performing (often a team locker room or private suite in stadiums). Green room hospitality refers to catering, beverages, climate control, privacy, and amenities outlined in artist riders. Quality green room experiences keep artists happy and can influence future bookings.
What's included in an artist rider and how detailed can it be?
Artist riders typically include technical requirements (stage dimensions, power specs, lighting, sound system), hospitality requests (catering preferences, room temperature, specific beverages), security/access protocols, and guest passes. Riders can be extremely detailed—famous stories include specific snack brands or colors. All rider requests are negotiable.
What is a mobile stage and when is it used for stadium concerts?
A mobile stage is a semi-trailer that drives into place and unfolds into a full covered stage. Mobile stages provide flexibility for stadiums without permanent concert infrastructure, can be repositioned for multiple shows, offer weather protection, and reduce load-in/load-out time. Stage size depends on production scope and artist requirements.
Why is credential management important at stadium concerts?
Credentials (passes) control access to restricted areas (backstage, pit, production area) and ensure only authorized personnel enter sensitive zones. Proper credential management prevents security breaches, protects artist safety, manages crowd flow, and maintains operational control. Large events may issue hundreds of credentials across multiple access levels.
What does "load-in window" mean and why does timing matter?
Load-in window refers to the time period when trucks, equipment, and stage can be brought into the venue and set up. For stadiums with other events, load-in windows are tightly restricted. Missing a window can delay the entire event; extended load-in requires additional venue rental fees. Advance planning confirms available windows.
How does front-of-house (FOH) setup work at stadium concerts?
Front-of-house is the location where sound and lighting consoles are positioned, typically middle or back of the audience area. FOH operators control real-time audio levels, effects, lighting cues, and overall show presentation. FOH positioning affects sightlines and requires careful advance planning in stadium layouts.
What is a setlist and can it change on event day?
A setlist is the planned sequence of songs an artist will perform. Artists often prepare multiple setlist versions allowing flexibility based on crowd response, time constraints, or special requests. Tour managers coordinate setlist logistics; venues typically don't control setlist decisions.
What does "merch" mean and who profits from merchandise sales?
Merchandise (merch) includes artist-branded items: t-shirts, posters, vinyl, hats, hoodies, accessories. Merchandise sales revenue is typically split between the artist and venue based on negotiated agreements, often 80/20 or 70/30 split favoring the artist. Merch sales represent significant revenue for touring artists.
Can a stadium concert have multiple openers and what's their role?
Yes, multi-act bills often feature multiple opening acts (openers or support bands) before the headliner. Openers are strategically selected to complement the headliner and warm up the crowd with increasing energy. Opener selection affects overall concert pacing and audience satisfaction.
What is "will call" and how does it affect stadium operations?
Will call is the box office location where patrons pick up pre-purchased tickets. Managing will call requires adequate staffing, security protocols, and organized systems to efficiently process attendees. Large stadium concerts with thousands of will call tickets require careful coordination.
What does "doors" mean and why is door timing important?
"Doors" refers to when the venue opens to general audience entry. Door timing is critical to crowd management, parking coordination, concession pacing, and overall event flow. Early doors allow gradual audience arrival; late doors compress arrival and can overwhelm parking and entry systems.
What's the difference between pit access and general admission?
The pit is the space between stage and barricade, typically reserved for photographers, credentialed media, and security. Pit access is restricted and not sold as general admission. General admission includes standing room in designated audience areas, usually on first-come, first-served basis within those zones.
How important is billing accuracy in concert marketing?
Very important. Artists view billing size and positioning as status indicators and marketing investments. Billing disputes can damage artist relationships and affect future bookings. Contracts should specify exact billing requirements (font size, positioning, visibility) to prevent conflicts.
Why should event professionals work with professional talent buyers like Degy?
Professional talent buyers provide expertise in artist valuation, access to touring artists and routing opportunities, contract and rider negotiation, risk mitigation, day-of-show coordination, and problem-solving. Working with professionals typically saves money through better pricing and prevents costly mistakes that informal booking attempts often create.