A live show connects five players. Talent flows one direction; money flows back the other way. Tap a role to see its job — and how it gets paid.
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The big idea: the artist supplies the show, but the fan's ticket is where all the money starts. It travels back up the chain — and how it gets split is the whole game.
How artists get paid
The Deal
Three ways to structure what the artist takes home. Drag the turnout slider and watch each deal pay out differently — the one that pays the artist most lights up.
Tickets sold tonight380 / 500 (76% full)
Best for artist
Flat Guarantee
The artist gets a fixed fee, no matter how many tickets sell. Safe and predictable — but the upside is capped.
Artist takes home
$0
Promoter keeps$0
Best for artist
Door Deal
The artist takes a percentage (70%) of what's left after show costs. Big upside on a sellout — but they share the risk if it's slow.
Artist takes home
$0
Promoter keeps$0
Best for artist
Versus Deal
The guarantee versus 80% of the net — whichever is greater. A floor on a bad night, big upside on a good one. Agents love it.
Artist takes home
$0
Promoter keeps$0
The tension: the versus deal shifts the risk onto the promoter — protected floor for the artist, plus most of the upside. That's exactly what the agent will push for tonight, and what the promoter will resist.
Costs, breakeven, settlement
The Math
Every promoter asks one question first: how many tickets do we need just to not lose money? That's breakeven. Then on settlement night, you total it all up.
Breakeven
—Tickets to break even
—% of the house
Sold: 380Result: —
break even
Slide the turnout on “The Deal” to move this — they share the same show.
Settlement sheet · tonight
Ticket scaling
“Scaling the house” means charging different prices for different seats so you earn more without adding capacity. Set three tiers:
Potential gross at a sellout$0
Settlement night is when the promoter and tour manager sit down after the show, count the box office, subtract every expense, and pay the artist what the deal says. No spreadsheet, no payout.
Tour logistics
The Road
One great show is an event. Forty of them in a row is a tour — and that takes routing, advancing, production, and a crew.
Routing — don't zig-zag the map
A good route keeps cities close together night-to-night. A bad one burns days and fuel backtracking across the country. Flip between them:
0Total miles
$0Est. travel cost
0Days on a bus
Same six cities, same six shows — only the order changed. (Distances simplified for the demo.)
Advancing the show
“Advancing” = confirming every detail with the venue days ahead, so nothing's a surprise at load-in. Check them off:
0 of 6 advanced
Production & the road crew
The people who turn an empty room into a show. Tap a role:
Tap any crew role to see what they do.
Routing is money. The “Denver in June, Tampa in December” question from Hour 1 is really a routing question — you book a city when you're already near it and the venue's open, not whenever you feel like it.
Teaching at its best · Ch. 15
The Simulation
Now you run it. Split into teams — one plays the promoter, one plays the agent. Negotiate a deal for a mock club show, play out the night, and settle the math.
You are the…
Promoter
You're risking your own money to put on the show. You win if the night profits.
Push for a flat guarantee so your costs are known.
Keep the guarantee low — every dollar is your risk.
Watch your breakeven. Can this room actually sell enough?
VS
You are the…
Agent
You protect the artist and get them the best possible deal.
Push for a versus deal — floor plus upside.
Argue the artist will sell the room out.
Get the highest guarantee you can as the safety net.
Run of the exercise
Agree on the show: venue capacity, ticket price, and show costs (use the numbers from The Math).
Negotiate the deal type and guarantee. Both sides must sign off.
Reveal the turnout (your teacher draws it). Plug it into The Deal.
Settle: fill out the settlement sheet and pay the artist.
Debrief the math: who won? Would the other deal have changed it?
The whole point: there's no “right” deal — only the deal that fits the risk. The promoter and agent are both trying to win the same dollars, and the contract decides who carries the gamble.
The Fan Funnel Challenge
Music Production & Management · Interactive Exercise
The Fan Funnel Challenge
You manage a rising artist. Turn strangers into superfans — then see if you've earned enough verified superfans to fill the Spotify “Reserved” seats, without faking the fandom.
Every fan starts as a stranger. Your job as a manager is to move people down the fan funnel — and the choices you make about how you grow matter as much as the numbers.
The Setup
Your artist's single drops in six weeks. The tour venue is offering 500 “Reserved” seats — tickets set aside for verified superfans before the general on-sale. Across four decisions, build your campaign. Each choice grows your funnel but also moves your Trust meter, which tracks how real and loyal your fanbase actually is.
1
Discovery — get noticed with short-form video.
2
Casual → Fan — convert listeners with DSP tools.
3
Fan → Superfan — deepen the bond by owning your audience.
4
Activate — fill the Reserved seats. Smart marketing, or pay-to-prove?
Round 1
Campaign debrief
0Verified superfans
0 / 500Reserved seats filled
0Final trust
One-minute paper
Before you go — answer in a sentence or two. (You can copy or print your responses to turn in.)
How a Show Becomes a Tour — Interactive Lecture
Hour 2 · Interactive Lecture · Summer Springboard
How a Show Becomes a Tour
Click, drag, and run the numbers. Every section sets up tonight's simulation: a promoter and an agent settling a mock club show.
Who's who
The Live Food Chain
A live show connects five players. Talent flows one direction; money flows back the other way. Tap a role to see its job — and how it gets paid.
→
→
→
→
The big idea: the artist supplies the show, but the fan's ticket is where all the money starts. It travels back up the chain — and how it gets split is the whole game.
How artists get paid
The Deal
Three ways to structure what the artist takes home. Drag the turnout slider and watch each deal pay out differently — the one that pays the artist most lights up.
Tickets sold tonight380 / 500 (76% full)
Best for artist
Flat Guarantee
The artist gets a fixed fee, no matter how many tickets sell. Safe and predictable — but the upside is capped.
Artist takes home
$0
Promoter keeps$0
Best for artist
Door Deal
The artist takes a percentage (70%) of what's left after show costs. Big upside on a sellout — but they share the risk if it's slow.
Artist takes home
$0
Promoter keeps$0
Best for artist
Versus Deal
The guarantee versus 80% of the net — whichever is greater. A floor on a bad night, big upside on a good one. Agents love it.
Artist takes home
$0
Promoter keeps$0
The tension: the versus deal shifts the risk onto the promoter — protected floor for the artist, plus most of the upside. That's exactly what the agent will push for tonight, and what the promoter will resist.
Costs, breakeven, settlement
The Math
Every promoter asks one question first: how many tickets do we need just to not lose money? That's breakeven. Then on settlement night, you total it all up.
Breakeven
—Tickets to break even
—% of the house
Sold: 380Result: —
break even
Slide the turnout on “The Deal” to move this — they share the same show.
Settlement sheet · tonight
Ticket scaling
“Scaling the house” means charging different prices for different seats so you earn more without adding capacity. Set three tiers:
Potential gross at a sellout$0
Settlement night is when the promoter and tour manager sit down after the show, count the box office, subtract every expense, and pay the artist what the deal says. No spreadsheet, no payout.
Tour logistics
The Road
One great show is an event. Forty of them in a row is a tour — and that takes routing, advancing, production, and a crew.
Routing — don't zig-zag the map
A good route keeps cities close together night-to-night. A bad one burns days and fuel backtracking across the country. Flip between them:
0Total miles
$0Est. travel cost
0Days on a bus
Same six cities, same six shows — only the order changed. (Distances simplified for the demo.)
Advancing the show
“Advancing” = confirming every detail with the venue days ahead, so nothing's a surprise at load-in. Check them off:
0 of 6 advanced
Production & the road crew
The people who turn an empty room into a show. Tap a role:
Tap any crew role to see what they do.
Routing is money. The “Denver in June, Tampa in December” question from Hour 1 is really a routing question — you book a city when you're already near it and the venue's open, not whenever you feel like it.
Teaching at its best · Ch. 15
The Simulation
Now you run it. Split into teams — one plays the promoter, one plays the agent. Negotiate a deal for a mock club show, play out the night, and settle the math.
You are the…
Promoter
You're risking your own money to put on the show. You win if the night profits.
Push for a flat guarantee so your costs are known.
Keep the guarantee low — every dollar is your risk.
Watch your breakeven. Can this room actually sell enough?
VS
You are the…
Agent
You protect the artist and get them the best possible deal.
Push for a versus deal — floor plus upside.
Argue the artist will sell the room out.
Get the highest guarantee you can as the safety net.
Run of the exercise
Agree on the show: venue capacity, ticket price, and show costs (use the numbers from The Math).
Negotiate the deal type and guarantee. Both sides must sign off.
Reveal the turnout (your teacher draws it). Plug it into The Deal.
Settle: fill out the settlement sheet and pay the artist.
Debrief the math: who won? Would the other deal have changed it?
The whole point: there's no “right” deal — only the deal that fits the risk. The promoter and agent are both trying to win the same dollars, and the contract decides who carries the gamble.
