How does an artist get paid for a show?

Through one of a few deal shapes: a flat guarantee (a fixed fee), a guarantee versus a percentage of net box office (whichever is greater), a straight door split, or a guarantee plus a backend share over the venue's costs. The money is reconciled at the end of the night in a settlement.

What is the nut on a show deal?

The promoter's pre-agreed show expenses – venue rent, production, marketing, staffing – that come out of the box office before any backend split is calculated. A padded nut quietly shrinks the artist's share, which is why it should be itemized and agreed in writing in advance.

What does net box office mean?

Gross box office receipts minus taxes, facility fees and ticketing fees. It's a different (and bigger) deduction from the nut – and deals often apply the percentage to one or the other, so the contract has to say which.

How live show deals work

A live show pays through one of a few deal shapes – a guarantee, a guarantee versus a percentage, a door split, or a guarantee plus a backend – and the money is settled at the end of the night. Once you know the structures and the deductions (the nut, the fees), reading any show offer gets simple.

The deal shapes

There are four common ways a show pays:

Flat guarantee – a fixed fee, paid whether 20 or 200 people show up. Easy to budget around.
Guarantee versus a percentage – the artist earns the greater of the guarantee or a percentage of net box office. On a strong night the percentage wins. This is the deal worth understanding in detail: guarantee vs backend.
Door split – a percentage of ticket sales with no guarantee. Common at club level (80/20 in the artist’s favor is typical, sometimes 50/50). Pay rises and falls with the crowd.
Guarantee plus backend – a guarantee, plus a share (often around 85%) of the box office above the venue’s costs.

The deductions that decide the number

Every percentage sits on top of deductions, and they matter more than the headline split. The nut is the promoter’s agreed show costs – rent, production, marketing, staff – recouped before any backend. Separately, net box office strips taxes, facility fees and ticketing fees off the gross. A generous-looking 90/10 split over a padded nut can pay less than a leaner deal. We break this down in settlement and the nut.

Run the numbers before you confirm

The fastest way to see what an offer actually pays – after the agent’s cut, the costs and your commission – is to put it through the free show commission calculator. It models a guarantee against a backend and shows what everyone takes home.

How the money gets paid

At the end of the night, the promoter and the artist’s tour manager settle the show – going through ticket counts and expenses and paying out what’s owed. The single best protection is getting the deal, the nut and the settlement method in writing in advance; almost every settlement dispute traces back to vague or verbal terms.

One show is not a tour

Stringing shows into a profitable tour is a different problem – routing, crew, transport, and whether the whole run clears its costs. That’s where the real management work is: tour budgeting, booking and routing, and the people costs that add up fast.

Common questions

How does an artist get paid for a show?: Through one of a few deal shapes: a flat guarantee (a fixed fee), a guarantee versus a percentage of net box office (whichever is greater), a straight door split, or a guarantee plus a backend share over the venue's costs. The money is reconciled at the end of the night in a settlement.
What is the nut on a show deal?: The promoter's pre-agreed show expenses – venue rent, production, marketing, staffing – that come out of the box office before any backend split is calculated. A padded nut quietly shrinks the artist's share, which is why it should be itemized and agreed in writing in advance.
What does net box office mean?: Gross box office receipts minus taxes, facility fees and ticketing fees. It's a different (and bigger) deduction from the nut – and deals often apply the percentage to one or the other, so the contract has to say which.