Show Settlement Checklist: Deposits, Guarantees, Expenses, and Final Payout

A show settlement checklist confirms four things before you sign: the deposit already paid, whether the guarantee or the percentage applies, which expenses were actually pre-approved, and the balance still owed. Settlement is the financial reconciliation that happens after a show, where the tour manager or artist manager and the promoter's representative sit down, go through the numbers together, and agree what the artist is owed (Daysheets). The checklist and worked example below walk through that math so you can check it independently at the table, not after the promoter has already left.

Who this is for

This is for artist managers and self-managed artists settling shows directly with a promoter or venue at the club, small-theatre, and mid-sized-venue level — the range where you or your tour manager sit across the table from a promoter representative on the night, rather than routing settlement through a booking agency or a festival's own production accounting. The deal structures below (flat guarantee, door split, and guarantee-versus-percentage) are the common small-to-mid-venue arrangements; larger festival and tour settlements often add withholding tax treaties, per-diems, and merchandising company splits that sit outside this checklist. If the show hasn't been advanced yet, start with the pre-show advancing checklist — settlement is the step that closes out what advancing set up.

The four numbers a settlement sheet has to reconcile

Deposit. The signed agreement should state the amount, due date, and how the deposit is credited. At settlement, check the deposit already received against the contract before calculating the balance. Do not assume a standard percentage or payment schedule: the Musicians' Union notes that guaranteed fees may be paid in advance, on the night, or within another agreed timescale.

Guarantee versus percentage. A flat guarantee pays the agreed fixed fee. A percentage deal pays the artist the contract's stated share of the defined box office figure. A "versus" deal compares a guarantee with a percentage calculation and pays whichever the agreement says is greater. The formula is deal-specific: Live Nation identifies the guarantee, the artist's percentage, and the promoter's permitted recoverable expenses as core negotiated terms, while the Musicians' Union's profit-sharing contract shows a different structure based on a written share of gross admission receipts.

Expenses. If the deal permits deductions, the agreement should define which expense categories are recoverable and any caps or supporting records required. At settlement, compare each deduction with those written terms and the available invoice or receipt. A gross-receipts percentage deal may work differently: the Musicians' Union specimen, for example, requires the promoter to give the artist reasonable access to box-office records needed to verify remuneration and places the promoter's arrangements at the promoter's own expense.

Final payout. Apply the exact sequence written in the contract: establish the agreed revenue base, subtract only permitted deductions if the formula calls for them, apply the stated percentage or comparison, then credit the deposit as the agreement requires. The result is the balance due. "Gross," "net," "percentage," and "split point" are not interchangeable, so preserve the contract's wording rather than substituting a generic formula.

The worked example (fictional)

This example is fictional. The venue, promoter, numbers, and artist are invented for illustration only and do not describe any MNGR customer, show, or real settlement.

The Half Note is a 300-capacity club. The deal memo sets a $1,000 guarantee versus 30% of net box office receipts, whichever is greater, with promoter expenses capped at $900 and pre-approved by category.

The percentage figure ($1,242) exceeds the guarantee ($1,000), so the versus clause pays the percentage. The manager's job at the table is to rebuild this exact chain independently — net receipts, then approved expenses, then the guarantee-versus-percentage comparison, then the deposit credit — before signing anything the promoter hands over.

The checklist, by window

Copy the settlement checklist CSV and work it in four windows: before the show, day of show, at settlement, and within 48 hours after.

• Before the show. Reread the deal memo and log the guarantee-versus-percentage formula, the deposit already paid, and which expense categories are actually pre-approved with what cap. Confirm with the promoter, in writing, how ticket count and gross revenue will be reported.
• Day of show. Collect the current ticket count and comp list before doors. Photograph and file any receipts for artist-side reimbursable expenses. Reconfirm the agreed formula, deposit credit, currency, records access, and payment method before doors open. A percentage-based balance cannot be finalized until the settlement inputs are known.
• At settlement. Review the promoter's sheet against the deal memo line by line. Check every deducted expense against the pre-approved list and its cap. Recalculate the guarantee-versus-percentage figure independently before signing. Confirm the deposit already paid is credited against the total, and confirm the balance payment method and timing before you sign.
• Within 48 hours. Confirm the balance actually landed. Log actual gross, actual expenses, and actual net against the show record. Flag and chase, in writing, anything still outstanding.

Every line in the CSV has an owner, an approver where a sign-off genuinely matters, a due point, and a definition of done — the piece of evidence that proves the item is actually finished, not just attempted.

Where settlements break down

• The deposit gets forgotten at the table. The promoter presents a settlement sheet for the full fee, and nobody subtracts the deposit already paid. Bring your own deposit record to settlement; don't rely on the promoter's memory of it.
• A deduction does not match the written deal. A line such as "misc production" appears without the category, cap, or supporting record the contract requires. Mark the discrepancy, request the source record, and resolve or document it rather than silently accepting or deleting it.
• The percentage math isn't checked independently. Rebuild the calculation from the ticketing or box-office records and the exact contract formula instead of accepting a total without its inputs.
• The settlement process is left until after the show. The final percentage-based balance must wait for final inputs, but the formula, currency, records access, deposit credit, payment method, and settlement representative can all be confirmed earlier.
• Settlement is signed and then nobody reconciles it. The sheet gets filed and the actual numbers never get checked against the deal memo. Reconcile within 48 hours while the details are still fresh, and log anything still outstanding.

How MNGR supports this workflow, and where it stops

Each show record in MNGR stores the fee and currency, deposit amount and received state, and a fee status that can be marked settled. Income and expenses can be linked to the show, and the show budget view compares its projected fee with actual gross, actual expenses, and actual net. In the artist-managers workspace, shows, contacts, tasks, and finance remain visible within the same artist's current work.

MNGR does not currently provide a dedicated settlement queue, calculate a guarantee-versus-percentage formula, apply expense caps automatically, or issue payment. You still do that math from the contract and promoter records — using the checklist above — and log the verified income, expenses, deposit state, and fee status. For tracking income and expenses beyond a single show, see how to track music income and expenses by release, show, and revenue source.

This checklist is an operational planning aid, not legal, tax, or accounting advice. Percentage formulas, withholding, and expense treatment vary by contract and jurisdiction; follow the signed deal memo and a qualified local adviser for anything beyond the operational steps above.

Sources: Musicians' Union, "Recommended Minimum Rates for Live Musicians"; Musicians' Union, "L10 Contract for Profit-Sharing Engagements"; Live Nation, "The Truth About Ticket Prices"; Daysheets, "Settlement: How Post-Show Financials Work on Tour". Reviewed and current as of July 2026.

Sources

1. Musicians' Union — Recommended Minimum Rates for Live Musicians
2. Musicians' Union — L10 Contract for Profit-Sharing Engagements
3. Live Nation — The Truth About Ticket Prices
4. Daysheets — Settlement: How Post-Show Financials Work on Tour