Guarantee vs Door Deal vs Versus Deal for Musicians
A guarantee pays the contracted minimum. A door deal pays a percentage of a defined ticket base. A versus deal pays the greater of the guarantee or percentage result. Choose by demand evidence, downside, upside, reporting access, permitted deductions, deposit, cancellation, and payment certainty. Never accept 'a percentage of the door' without written fee, expense, comp, refund, and settlement definitions.
Lead visual
Rights live in lanes
01
Composition
writers, publishers, PROs
02
Master
artist, label, recording owner
03
License
use, territory, term, fee
Live · Touring
Rights clearance map
Decision
Know who owns what before the song, cover, sample, or claim goes public.
Evidence
Writers, publishers, master owners, licenses, notices, registrations, and takedown proof.
Risk
A missing clearance or ownership record can block monetization or create a dispute after traction starts.
Good outcome
A defensible rights trail before money, platforms, or third parties are involved.
Which live deal fits the show's evidence and risk?
Velveteen deal chooser
Match downside, upside, and records
Guarantee
Use when
The route needs minimum certainty or the artist should not carry ticket risk.
Avoid when
Important obligations, deductions, cancellation, deposit, or payment timing remain unwritten.
Door
Use when
Demand evidence and transparent ticket control support shared ticket risk and upside.
Avoid when
The base, percentage, permitted expenses, comps, reports, or audit access are vague.
Versus
Use when
A floor is required while strong ticket performance can produce a larger fee.
Avoid when
Either side expects the guarantee plus percentage without that wording in the deal.
Flat split
Use when
Multiple artists deliberately divide a defined pool under one written calculation.
Avoid when
Set order, ticket responsibility, expenses, shortfall, payment, and replacement acts are unresolved.
Stop
Use when
The promoter will not define records, pay, cancellation, or deductions in writing.
Avoid when
A small wording gap can be clarified and signed before commitments are made.
What must the percentage calculation define?
Door-deal contract map
Nine definitions before the show is announced
Base
Gross or net ticket base, currency, ticket types/prices, bundles, upgrades, and controlled channels.
Establishes the exact money to which the percentage can apply.
Attendance
Capacity, paid, comps, holds, guest list, promoter/artist tickets, scans, no-shows, and walk-ups.
Separates people in the room from tickets that produced deal revenue.
Adjustments
Refunds, chargebacks, cancellations, taxes, facility/service/processing fees, and rounding.
Prevents post-show changes from entering the base without agreed treatment.
Expenses
Allowed categories, estimates, caps, tax, allocation, receipts, approval, and excluded overhead.
Stops an open-ended cost line from absorbing the artist percentage.
Percentage
Rate, calculation order, tiers, breakpoints, support splits, and guarantee comparison.
Makes the artist fee reproducible from the same source report.
Records
Ticketing/box-office views, audit access, sales updates, settlement format, and record retention.
Replaces a verbal attendance total with inspectable deal evidence.
Payments
Deposit, advance, balance, tax form, invoice, payer/payee, method, timing, currency, and reference.
Connects the calculated fee to cash actually received.
Failure
Cancellation, postponement, force majeure, curfew, underperformance, breach, and refund obligations.
Allocates risk before a missed or changed performance creates conflict.
Rights
Merchandise, recording, streaming, photography, name/likeness, marketing, and future use.
Keeps the live fee from silently buying unrelated commercial rights.
How does a constructed versus deal settle?
| Amount | Contract question | |
|---|---|---|
| Ticket gross | $5,000 | Which ticket report, types, currency, and channels create this total? |
| Refunds and exclusions | -$500 | Does the signed deal exclude these exact amounts before expenses? |
| Permitted expenses | -$1,000 | Are categories, caps, allocation, and source records satisfied? |
| Illustrative share | $2,800 | 80% of $3,500; this percentage is example math only |
| Guarantee comparison | $2,800 wins | Greater than the constructed $1,500 floor, not added to it |
| Balance | $2,300 | Winning fee less only the $500 already received |
Do not settle from attendance alone
Scans, paid tickets, complimentary entries, refunded orders, gross receipts, payout balances, and promoter expenses answer different questions. Use the signed formula and final source records, mark disputed lines, and preserve the payment reference.
Which sources support fair live deal terms?
Frequently asked questions
What is a guarantee in a live music deal?+
A guarantee is the minimum artist fee stated in the performance agreement, subject to its conditions, cancellation terms, deposit, invoicing, tax, currency, and payment timing. Confirm whether hospitality, travel, production, support, merchandise, recording, or other obligations sit outside or inside that amount. A verbal fee is not a complete guarantee contract.
What is a door deal for musicians?+
A door deal applies an agreed percentage to a defined ticket calculation. The contract must state ticket types and prices, capacity, paid versus complimentary entries, refunds and chargebacks, taxes and fees, permitted expenses and receipts, promoter or artist ticket allocations, reporting access, settlement timing, deposit or advances, and the party controlling ticket data.
What does guarantee versus percentage mean?+
A versus deal compares the written guarantee with the agreed percentage result and pays the greater amount. It is not guarantee plus percentage unless the contract explicitly says so. Reconstruct both calculations from final source records, apply the contract's deductions exactly once, then subtract only deposits or advances already paid from the winning artist fee.
Which show expenses can a promoter deduct?+
Only expenses the signed deal permits, using its caps, categories, tax treatment, and evidence requirements. Request estimates before the show and receipts or source records at settlement. Do not accept a generic house-expense line, newly added marketing cost, undisclosed support payment, or internal overhead merely because the show has ended.
Is a door deal better than a guarantee?+
Neither is universally better. A guarantee protects minimum income; a transparent door or versus deal can share upside where ticket evidence and promoter reporting are strong. Compare the conservative calculation, cash timing, deposit, downside, deductions, audit access, cancellation, relationship, room capacity, and route role. Price uncertainty instead of assuming a percentage means more money.
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