A rider is attached to the performance contract and travels with the offer. Promoters read it before they agree a fee, because most of what it asks for costs money.
The two parts
- The technical rider: what the show needs on stage and at the mix position. Backline, inputs, monitors, lights, stage size, crew, and who supplies what.
- The hospitality rider: dressing room, food, drink, towels, parking and hotel rooms, with the times each is needed.
Length follows the show. A DJ's technical rider fits on one page. A band with a crew of six runs to several, with a stage plot and an input list attached.
Writing one that works
Ask for what the show needs, not for what would be pleasant. A rider full of unenforced requests teaches promoters to skim, and the one line that mattered gets skipped with the rest. Mark what is essential and say plainly what can be waived.
Keeping it current
Riders go out of date faster than anything else an artist sends. Date every version, put the date in the filename, and send a link rather than an attachment. See Technical rider.