Search for a live-music contract and most of what you find is written from the musician's seat - the Danish Musicians' Union's standard contract and advice built to secure the band its fee. That's fair, but it leaves you, the organizer, without a checklist for your own side of the table.
A written agreement protects you both. It makes the evening predictable, keeps quotes comparable and removes the misunderstandings that arise when something was only said over the phone. Below is what the agreement should cover, point by point, and why each one matters to you as the booker.
Why a written agreement pays off for the organizer
An agreement in writing isn't about distrust. It's about both sides remembering the same thing when the day comes. Most disagreements between organizer and band start somewhere an assumption was never said out loud: When is the music ready to play? Who brings the PA? What happens if the singer falls ill the week before? A few lines on email close those questions before they turn into a bad experience.
The agreement also makes quotes comparable. Two bands can offer almost the same price, but one includes three sets and its own sound system while the other plays only two sets and expects you to rent a PA. Get both in writing and you see the real difference - not just the figure at the bottom.
And it doesn't have to be lengthy. For a single musician during the reception, a couple of sentences on email will do; for a large party with a stage, tech and many guests, it makes sense to write each point out. The more moving parts the evening has, the more places an unclear agreement can end up costing you money or a sour moment in the middle of the party.
Checklist: what the agreement should contain
You don't need a lawyer's contract. An email both parties have confirmed works fine, as long as it covers the points below. Use the list as a starting point and cut whatever isn't relevant to your particular event.
| Item | What the agreement should state |
|---|---|
| Fee | The total amount, and whether transport, tech and any VAT are included or added on top |
| Playing time | Number of sets and length, e.g. three 45-minute sets, and when in the evening the music plays |
| Attendance | Time for get-in and soundcheck, and when the band needs to be ready to play |
| Tech and rider | Who provides sound, lights, stage and power - and what you supply on site |
| Transport | Whether travel is built into the fee or settled separately |
| Payment | Invoice, due date and when the amount must be paid at the latest |
| Cancellation | Terms if either side cancels, and what applies in case of force majeure |
| Day-of contact | Name and phone number of someone responsible from the band for the event itself |
A confirmed email with these points is enough for the vast majority of bookings. The bigger the event, the more it pays to have each point written out.
The fee: make sure you know what the amount covers
The fee is the biggest line, and the one where most misunderstandings hide. What matters isn't only the figure, but what it includes. Is transport covered? Does the band bring its own sound and lights in the price, or do you rent that separately? Is VAT added on top? Get it written out so you know whether a quote is dearer or cheaper than it looks.
Ask for the fee to be itemized if anything is unclear. One line for the performance itself, one for travel and one for tech makes it easy to see what you're paying for - and easy to adjust if, say, you already have a PA on site and don't need the band's.
If you ask several bands for a bid, ask them to price the same thing: the same playing time, the same date, with tech and travel stated separately. Then you compare real numbers, not two different evenings that happen to land on the same amount.
Playing time and attendance are not the same thing
Two figures belong in the agreement, and they're often confused. Playing time is the performance itself - how long the music actually sounds. The standard for a party band is three 45-minute sets across the evening, with breaks in between where background music usually plays from the PA. Variants like two 60- or 70-minute sets are common too.
Attendance is something else, and broader. It covers the band's whole presence: get-in, soundcheck, the playing time itself and the breaks. The Danish Musicians' Union's tariff assumes up to four hours of total attendance including soundcheck. So write down both when the music plays and when the band needs to be on site - that way both sides know what the day demands, and you avoid booking a performance that in practice fills far more of the calendar than the two hours of music.
Agree the breaks too. A party band usually takes 15 to 30 minutes between sets, with background music from the PA. If you want a DJ for the breaks, or music already during dinner, that's an extra service that needs to be in the agreement and usually costs a supplement.
Get-in, soundcheck and tech: agree who provides what
Get-in is the band's arrival and setup before the guests come. The soundcheck follows. Both need to happen before the doors open, so agree a specific time - not just that the band shows up in good time. If the venue has an earlier booking or a dinner that must be cleared first, this is where it gets coordinated.
The rider is the band's technical requirements: sound system, stage, power and space. Most party and cover bands bring complete sound and lighting production themselves, along with their own backline - that is, instruments and amplifiers. In return, you as the organizer provide enough space and stage, power to the band's rider, and access to get-in and soundcheck at the agreed time. For larger bands, big rooms or an outdoor town festival, a bigger PA and a separate sound engineer may be needed, which you arrange and pay for. Put in writing who brings the sound system - it's the assumption that most often goes wrong.
Payment, VAT and the invoice
Payment usually happens by invoice. A common model is for the amount to fall due the week before the event, but agree a specific due date so there's no doubt. Always ask for an invoice with your name on it as documentation of the expense.
VAT is the point most organizers get wrong. A musician's artistic performance is exempt from VAT under section 13(1)(7) of the Danish VAT Act (momsloven) - so no VAT is added on top of the fee for playing. If the band runs as a business, they invoice with a CVR number, but the artistic service is still VAT-free. Other services aren't exempt: if you hire a sound engineer, a consultant or team-building on the side, those items are VAT-liable. With the fee and any add-ons itemized on the invoice, you see at once what's what.
Cancellation and force majeure: agree it before you sign
Nobody likes talking about cancellation, which is exactly why it belongs in the agreement. Then both sides know what applies if something falls through - and you're spared a negotiation on top of an already unwelcome situation. The terms vary from band to band and agency to agency, so ask about theirs before you sign.
A typical example from the industry is that a cancellation more than 60 days before the event costs 50 percent of the fee, while a cancellation less than 60 days before costs the full amount. Force majeure - circumstances neither of you controls - is usually resolved case by case. Agree it both ways: what happens if you cancel, and what the band does if they have to pull out, for instance whether they find a replacement or refund you. An agreement that only protects one party isn't one you're well served by.