Getting Paid
The joke may take ten years to build; the payment should not take ten months to understand.
Know the payment path
Before travel, know who pays you, how, when, and what paperwork is required. A promoter, venue, agency, college, casino, or corporation may all use different systems.
Do not wait until after the show to learn that vendor onboarding takes thirty days.
Never leave for a gig without knowing who owes you what.
Settlements
Settlement is where the show's financial promises become actual numbers.
Settle from documents
Use ticket counts, gross sales, agreed deductions, fees, merch totals, and the contract formula. Do not rely on a verbal summary when reports exist.
Ask questions while the numbers are in front of everyone.
Settlement should feel boring because the deal was already clear.
Payment Terms
Payment terms specify amount, method, timing, paperwork, and consequences of delay.
Use dates or objective triggers
'Promptly' is vague. 'Within 15 days of invoice' or 'before performance' is easier to administer.
Know when the clock begins.
Payment terms are incomplete without a due date.
Deposits
A deposit turns a promise into a financial commitment and helps protect dates from casual cancellation.
Set an amount that matters
The appropriate deposit varies by market, buyer, fee size, and risk. It should be large enough that both parties treat the date seriously.
Private and self-produced events often need clearer deposit policies than established clubs.
Deposits work because expectations are written before emotions enter the cancellation.
No Payment
When promised payment does not arrive, move from reminder to documented collection steps.
Confirm the facts
Invoice, contract, settlement, due date, tax paperwork, payment method, and buyer contact should all be verified.
Sometimes the problem is administrative; sometimes it is breach.
Keep money disputes factual and documented.
