A radius clause is a contractual deal point that ensures an artist does not perform within a certain number of miles surrounding your venue, within a certain time frame before and after the event. Radius clauses protect the buyer so that multiple shows do not compete for ticket sales or attendees by having multiple shows in one area too close together.
There is not a “one size fits all” set amount of miles and days. Some radius clauses are bigger than others. Larger festivals have very large radius clauses in order to maintain some exclusivity to their line up.
“Closed shows” are events that do not have public tickets for sale, such as a college campus show only available to students, or a corporate event only available to staff or clients.
The benefit of a closed show is you don’t have to worry quite as much about radius clauses or restrictions. However, even though these events are closed, they can still maintain radius clauses in order to not lose their audience to a neighboring event, and a closed show can still be blocked by other entities’ radius clauses as well.
When determining a radius clause, look at nearby cities/markets that you know would pull audience members from your community, or markets that you know your community might head to for events. Choose the farthest one, and that will help you determine how many miles your radius clause mileage should be. This map tool can help you see what cities a radius would restrict.
For closed events, we recommend having a smaller radius clause, such as “Artist shall not perform within 30 miles, 30 days either side of event date unless negotiated with Buyer.” Even this small radius protects you a little bit, and the Artist team would have to bring any opportunities within that radius to your team before confirming a neighboring, potentially competing show.
For open/ticketed events, very common radius clauses are “Artist shall not perform within 100 or 120 miles, 60 days either side of event date.”
Radius clauses vary by location, type of event, open vs closed nature of the event, and also just building preferences. If you need recommendations, let us know! We’d be happy to help you determine a proper radius clause while we help you plan all the details of your event.
Jolene Chevalier
Founder & Talent Buyer | How To Concerts
Jolene has been a middle buyer for over a decade, helping colleges and others with their concerts, comedians, and speakers. (And, yes, she is named after the Dolly Parton song.) She would love to talk with you about helping to book, plan, and prepare for your event.
Jolene Chevalier
Founder & Talent Buyer | How To Concerts
Jolene has been a middle buyer for over a decade, helping colleges and others with their concerts, comedians, and speakers. (And, yes, she is named after the Dolly Parton song.) She would love to talk with you about helping to book, plan, and prepare for your event.
