Booking live music has its own language. A band writes about backline and monitoring, the agreement mentions the fee and cancellation terms, and suddenly KODA and Gramex show up. Here are the terms explained in plain language, so you know what's meant when you read a rider or a quote.
The glossary is split into three: tech and stage, agreement and money, and rights and rules. Look up what you need, or read it through before you book for the first time.
Backline is the band's own instruments and amplifiers, for example drums, guitar amps and keyboards. The band usually brings this itself, so it's rarely something the organiser needs to source.
The PA system is the sound system itself: the loudspeakers and the mixer that send the music out into the room. Most party and cover bands bring their own, sized for the venue.
For large or outdoor events a bigger system may be needed, and then it's usually the organiser who provides it.
A monitor, in Danish medhør, is the speaker on stage that points back towards the musicians so they can hear themselves and each other while they play. Good monitoring is a precondition for a band to play tightly together.
Get-in is the time when the band needs access to the venue to carry equipment in and set up. It falls before the guests arrive and is agreed in advance, so the setup is finished in good time.
The soundcheck, in Danish lydprøve, is when the sound is adjusted before the performance begins. The PA and monitoring are set so the balance suits the room. It must be finished before the guests arrive.
A rider is the document a band sends with the practical requirements for a performance. A technical rider covers sound, stage, power and lighting, while a hospitality rider covers catering, a changing area and access.
The rider works as a shared checklist between band and organiser, so both sides know what needs to be in place before the day.
FOH stands for front of house and is the position out in the room from where the sound is controlled during the performance. For larger events a dedicated sound engineer mans FOH and mixes the sound live.
At smaller parties the band often handles the sound itself from the stage, so a separate FOH engineer isn't needed.
A performance package is an all-in quote where a band describes what's included in the price, for example line-up, playing time, own PA and lighting, and transport. It makes bids easier to compare, because you can see what each fee covers.
The fee, in Danish honorar, is the payment a musician or band receives for performing. It covers the performance itself and is usually agreed as a single amount for the evening.
Transport, extra playing time and tech may come on top, depending on the agreement, so always ask what the fee covers.
The Danish Musicians' Union minimum tariff is 3,150 kr per musician, in force from 1 April 2026. It's a floor per professional musician for an engagement, not a total band price and not a ceiling.
The tariff covers up to four hours of total attendance including the soundcheck, and holiday pay is included, while transport and catering are agreed separately.
Cancellation terms describe what happens if a booking is cancelled. The terms vary from band to band; a typical example is 50 percent of the fee for cancellation more than 60 days before and 100 percent for cancellation less than 60 days before.
Force majeure, meaning circumstances beyond either party's control, is usually handled case by case. Get the terms written into the agreement.
B-income is a Danish tax treatment for paying a fee for short engagements, typically one to three days of work. Labour-market contribution and tax are still paid on the amount.
Bands and musicians run as a business invoice instead with a company registration (CVR) number. The musician's own tax status decides what's correct in each case.
A musician's artistic performance is exempt from VAT under section 13(1)(7) of the Danish VAT Act. No VAT is added on top of the fee for the performance itself.
Non-artistic services such as a sound engineer or consultancy work are VAT-liable, on the other hand. Always ask for an invoice with the buyer's name as documentation.
A deposit is an amount paid up front as security for an agreement. For booking live music, a fixed deposit isn't a widespread norm.
Many bookings settle after the job by invoice, and some agencies hold the amount and pay out only after the performance. Agree the payment method and due date concretely in each agreement.
KODA collects payment for the public performance of music on behalf of composers, songwriters and music publishers, that is, the people who wrote the music. When a band plays copyright-protected music at an event, it's the organiser who pays KODA.
The band's fee doesn't cover that payment. KODA is a separate cost that the organiser is responsible for.
Gramex covers rights in recorded, released music played publicly, for example background music, a DJ or playlists over the PA. The payment goes to the performing artists and the record labels.
Live musicians on stage, by contrast, fall under KODA. In practice KODA often collects on Gramex's behalf, so in many cases the organiser only needs to go to one place.
After an event with live music, the organiser must report to KODA so the composers receive their share. The report must be made no later than 10 days after the event.
It's always the organiser who is responsible for the licence and the report, never the musician.
Public performance is when music is played in a setting that isn't purely private, and it triggers a duty to pay for music rights.
A genuinely private party in the home is treated more leniently, while a company party is normally regarded as commercial and requires a KODA licence. It's always the organiser who is responsible.
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