Gross is the headline number and the least useful one for working out what an artist gets paid. It is tickets sold times price, with nothing taken off.
What is in it
- Every paid ticket at its face value
- Advance sales and walk-up together
- The service fee, when it sits inside the advertised price
What is not in it
Bar takings, cloakroom, merchandise and sponsorship stay outside the box office unless the contract says otherwise.
Why the word matters
Percentage deals in Europe are almost always calculated on net. American paper and some festival contracts use gross with a capped expense allowance instead. The two produce different money from the same show, so read which word the contract uses before agreeing a percentage.
A rough guide for the Netherlands and Germany: gross to net drops 15 to 25 percent once VAT and ticketing fees come off. See Net receipts.