Artist Deal Calculator
Enter the ticket price, show costs and the deal on offer to see what the artist gets, what the promoter keeps and where a versus deal flips from the guarantee to the percentage.
Your show
Enter the capacity, the ticket price and how many tickets you expect to sell. The starting values are an example 800-capacity show.
Show costs
The promoter's costs for one show, not counting the artist fee. Change an amount, rename a line, add a line or remove one.
The deal
Choose the deal on offer. The comparison table shows all four deals with the same numbers.
What the artist gets and what the promoter keeps
Versus deal:
All four deals with the same numbers
| Deal | Artist gets | Promoter result | Promoter break-even tickets |
|---|
If the show sells half, three quarters or all of its tickets (versus deal)
| Sold | Tickets | Net box office | Artist gets | Promoter result |
|---|
The promoter result counts ticket income, the artist payment and the show costs you entered. It leaves out bar and merchandise income, sponsorship, refunds, the artist's own costs and tax on the artist fee, so it is not profit.
A flat guarantee pays the artist a fixed fee, a door deal pays a percentage of the ticket money, a versus deal pays whichever of the two is higher, and a guarantee plus bonus pays the fee plus a share of what is left after costs and an agreed promoter profit. At an 800-capacity show with 600 tickets sold at $35, $8,500 of show costs and a $5,000 guarantee versus 70% after costs, the artist gets $6,944 and the promoter has $2,976 left after these costs. The versus deal flips from the guarantee to the percentage at 510 tickets.
How the four artist deals work
Every deal starts from the same number: net box office. That is gross ticket sales minus the taxes and fees agreed in the contract, such as sales tax or VAT, card fees, music licensing and a per-ticket facility fee. The examples below use the calculator's starting values: 600 tickets at $35, so $21,000 gross. Take off 8% ($1,680) and a $1.50 facility fee on each ticket ($900), and net box office is $18,420. Show costs are $8,500 and the guarantee is $5,000.
Flat guarantee
The artist gets a fixed fee whatever sells. Here the artist gets $5,000 and the promoter has $18,420 − $5,000 − $8,500 = $4,920 left after these costs. The promoter needs 440 tickets to cover the fee and the costs.
Door deal
The artist gets a percentage of the ticket money and no fixed fee. At 70% of net box office after show costs, the artist gets 70% of $9,920 = $6,944 and the promoter keeps $2,976. The promoter breaks even at 277 tickets, but keeps only 30% of every ticket after that.
Versus deal
The artist gets the guarantee or the percentage, whichever is higher. At 600 tickets the percentage ($6,944) beats the guarantee, so the artist gets $6,944. At 400 tickets the guarantee applies and the artist still gets $5,000.
Guarantee plus bonus
Often called a plus deal or a backend deal. The artist gets the guarantee, then a share of what is left after show costs, the guarantee and an agreed promoter profit. With a 15% promoter profit, that profit is 15% of $13,500 = $2,025. What is left is $18,420 − $8,500 − $5,000 − $2,025 = $2,895, and the artist's 85% of it is $2,461. The artist gets $7,461 and the promoter keeps $2,459.
What is a split point in a versus deal?
The split point is the attendance at which the percentage becomes worth more than the guarantee. Below it, the artist gets the guarantee. Above it, the artist gets the percentage. In the example, 70% of net after costs reaches $5,000 when net box office is $5,000 ÷ 0.7 + $8,500 = $15,643. At $30.70 net per ticket that is 509.5, so the deal flips at 510 tickets, 64% of capacity. If the split point is above capacity, the percentage is only on paper and the offer is really a flat guarantee.
Typical deal percentages
These ranges are common practice that agents and promoters often quote, not rules. They are directional starting points and change with the market, the act's draw and the venue.
| Deal | Common terms (directional) | Who carries the risk |
|---|---|---|
| Flat guarantee | A fixed fee, often for support acts, festivals and private shows | The promoter carries all of it. The artist is paid even if the room is empty. |
| Door deal | Often 50–80% of net box office, sometimes after agreed house costs | The artist carries most of it. A quiet night pays the artist little. |
| Versus deal | A guarantee versus 70–90% of net after show costs | The promoter carries the downside. The artist shares the upside above the split point. |
| Guarantee plus bonus | A bonus of 80–90% after costs and a promoter profit of 10–20% of costs (85/15 is widely used) | The promoter carries the downside and keeps a fixed profit before the bonus is shared. |
Who takes the risk in each deal
The promoter pays first and gets paid last. Venue deposits, artist deposits, travel, production and marketing are committed before the first ticket sells, and the promoter gets whatever is left after everyone else is paid. A guarantee moves the risk of a quiet night from the artist to the promoter. A percentage shares the upside of a busy night with the artist.
Look at the 50% row in the calculator before you sign. In the example, a half-full room leaves the promoter short by $1,220 under the versus deal, because the $5,000 guarantee is still due.
What counts as show costs, and why artists check them at settlement
Show costs are the promoter's costs of putting on the show, agreed in the offer: venue hire, production, backline, security and staff, marketing, insurance, catering and the artist's hospitality rider. In a versus or plus deal, every cost the promoter adds reduces the pool the artist's percentage is paid on. At 70%, each extra $100 of costs above the split point takes $70 from the artist. That is why the artist's tour manager asks for receipts on the night, and why many offers cap each cost line.
Settlement night basics
- Agree the numbers before doors open. Confirm the ticket price, the deductions and the capped costs with the tour manager.
- Count tickets from the ticketing report. Show paid tickets, comps and any unsold holds so both sides agree the count.
- Bring receipts for every cost line. A cost without a receipt is often taken off the settlement.
- Correct mistakes with a new line. Add an adjustment rather than changing a figure both sides already signed.
- Get a signature. Both sides sign the settlement sheet.
If your brand uses Ticket Fairy Event Management, the Event Operations hub keeps offers to performers and drafts settlements from ticket sales, the budget and the deal. A correction to a settlement is added as a new reversing line, never an edit. On Ticket Fairy, buyers pay the service fee by default, so you keep the full face value of each ticket. See pricing.
800-capacity show, versus deal, 600 tickets at $35
Deductions 8% of gross, facility fee $1.50 per ticket. Show costs: venue hire $3,000, production $2,500, marketing $1,500, security and staff $1,200, insurance and other $300. Total $8,500. Guarantee $5,000 versus 70% of net box office after show costs.
- Gross box office: 600 × $35 = $21,000. Net per ticket: $35 × 0.92 − $1.50 = $30.70. Net box office: $18,420.
- After show costs: $18,420 − $8,500 = $9,920. The artist's 70% is $6,944, which beats the $5,000 guarantee, so the artist gets $6,944.
- Promoter: $18,420 − $6,944 − $8,500 = $2,976 left after these costs.
- Split point: 510 tickets. Promoter break-even: ($5,000 + $8,500) ÷ $30.70 = 439.7, so 440 tickets, 55% of capacity.
- At 50% sold (400 tickets) the promoter is short by $1,220. At 100% sold (800 tickets) the artist gets $11,242 and the promoter has $4,818 left after these costs.
- The same show as a flat guarantee leaves the promoter $4,920. As a door deal, $2,976. As a guarantee plus bonus, $2,459.
How the answer changes from a club show to a stadium and a 40-date tour
At a 150-capacity club with $15 tickets, 110 sold, 5% deductions, $500 of costs and a 70% door deal after costs, the artist gets $747 and the promoter keeps $320. The promoter breaks even at 36 tickets. At a 60,000-capacity stadium with $120 tickets, 52,000 sold, 10% deductions, a $4 facility fee, $3,200,000 of costs and a $1,500,000 guarantee versus 85% after costs, the artist gets $1,876,800 and the promoter has $331,200 left. Break-even is 45,193 tickets, 75% of capacity, so the same deal shape is much tighter at scale.
On a tour, each show is settled on its own. Forty dates that all sell 600 tickets pay the artist $277,760 under the example versus deal. Forty dates that range evenly from 400 to 800 tickets pay the artist $291,211, and the promoter is short on 4 dates. The guarantee protects the artist on quiet nights while busy nights go to the percentage, so an average night times forty understates what the artist is paid.
Common artist deal mistakes
- Reading "70%" without the base. 70% of net box office and 70% of net after costs are very different deals. In the example, 70% before costs would pay the artist $12,894 and leave the promoter short.
- Counting booking fees as box office. Fees the buyer pays on top of the face price are usually not part of gross. Agree what is in gross in writing.
- Adding costs at settlement. Every cost should be in the offer, with a cap. New lines on the night cause disputes.
- Offering a guarantee you cannot cover at 50% sold. Check the 50% row. If a half-full room leaves you short by more than you can afford, lower the guarantee or change the deal.
- Treating a tour as one average show. Each date is settled on its own, so a versus deal pays more across mixed nights than the average suggests.
Frequently asked questions
What is a versus deal in music?
A versus deal pays the artist a guaranteed fee or a percentage of the ticket money, whichever is higher. For example, $5,000 versus 70% of net box office after show costs. If 600 tickets leave $9,920 after costs, 70% is $6,944, so the artist gets $6,944. If sales are lower and 70% comes to less than $5,000, the artist gets the $5,000 guarantee.
What is a split point in a concert deal?
The split point is the number of tickets at which the artist's percentage becomes worth more than the guarantee. Below it the artist gets the guarantee, above it the artist gets the percentage. For a $5,000 guarantee versus 70% after $8,500 of costs, with $30.70 net per ticket, the split point is 510 tickets. If the split point is above capacity, the percentage never applies.
What is a door deal for a band?
A door deal pays the artist a percentage of the ticket money with no fixed fee. Common terms are 50 to 80% of net box office, sometimes after agreed house costs, but these are directional ranges, not rules. The artist carries most of the risk: a quiet night pays little, a full room pays well.
How do guarantee plus backend deals work?
The artist gets the guarantee, then a share of what is left after show costs, the guarantee and an agreed promoter profit. With $8,500 of costs, a $5,000 guarantee and a 15% promoter profit, the profit is $2,025. If net box office is $18,420, $2,895 is left, and an 85% bonus gives the artist $2,461 on top of the guarantee.
What is net box office?
Net box office is gross ticket sales minus the taxes and fees agreed in the contract, such as sales tax or VAT, card fees, music licensing and a per-ticket facility fee. Artist percentages are paid on net box office, or on net box office after show costs, so check which one your offer uses.
What happens at settlement after a concert?
At settlement the promoter and the artist's tour manager agree the ticket count, gross and net box office and each show cost, then work out the artist's payment from the deal. The promoter shows receipts for costs, mistakes are corrected with a new adjustment line, and both sides sign the settlement sheet.
Reviewed and updated September 2026 by the Ticket Fairy events data team. Benchmarks in this tool are directional — for real-time analytics against your own event history, use Ticket Fairy Intelligence.