Glossary › Rider
Rider
The attachment to a performance contract listing what the artist needs from the venue.
A rider is the part of the performance contract that lists the artist's requirements. There are usually two:
- Tech rider: stage size, power, PA, monitors, backline, lighting, crew and schedule needs, often with the stage plot and input list attached.
- Hospitality rider: dressing rooms, food, drinks, towels, meals or a buyout, and sometimes hotel or transport.
Bigger productions also have a production rider covering rigging, power distribution, trucking, staging and crew calls.
Example
A club receives a two-page tech rider: "Stage minimum 16' x 12', two monitor mixes, 16 inputs, one 20A circuit stage left." The house engineer replies with what they can and can't provide, and the gaps get solved in the advance.
Tips
Keep riders realistic for the size of room you're playing, date every version, and send them with the advance rather than assuming the agent did.