Share the risk, share the reward.

technique — attributed to Laurie Kirby

Sustainable festival economics require three parties at the table — artist, promoter, audience — each accepting some of the downside and entitled to some of the upside. Fixed guarantees with all the risk on the promoter break in bad weather years. Audience-only pricing breaks the artist relationship. Real partnerships balance all three, with the artist taking a back-end share, the promoter holding a defensible margin, and the audience paying a price that reflects the value rather than the desperation.

For promoters and bookers structuring deals for a multi-year festival run.

economics, deals, sustainability, artist-relations