What to Include in a UK Gig Contract: 8 ClausesWhat each clause is for, and the specific thing that goes wrong when it is missing
TL;DR: the eight clauses, and what each one prevents
A UK gig agreement needs eight things in writing: who and where, the fee and its timing, the deposit, set times, cancellation on both sides, force majeure, the technical split, and how a dispute gets handled. Everything else is detail.
An email covers all eight for a pub gig. Every clause below carries wording you can copy, and the contract generator produces the lot in about two minutes.
- 8 clausesis the whole of it, for any gig size
- 50%the standard UK deposit on weddings and corporate
- £10,000the small claims limit, fees from £35
- 2 minutesto produce a signed agreement from the generator
Clause wording is a template to adapt, not legal advice. Small claims limits from gov.uk; fee floor from the Musicians Union.
Most gig disputes start the same way: "we agreed on WhatsApp." The agreement covered the date and the fee. It did not cover what happens when one side cancels, who provides the PA, or how the deposit works.
I have seen far more gigs go sideways from a missing term than from a bad performance. None of the eight clauses below are legal exotica. Each one exists because something specific goes wrong without it, and each one is a sentence or two long.
This is written for both sides. An act protecting a fee and a venue protecting an event need exactly the same document.
If you only have two minutes
Four things do most of the work here, and none of them require reading the rest of the page first.
1. The eight clauses
Every UK gig contract needs these eight clauses. Click any to jump straight to the wording.
Clause 1: who, where and when
Legal names of both parties, the venue address including postcode, and the date with the day of the week spelled out. Obvious, and still the most common thing missing. For an act that means the trading name or the band leader signing on behalf of the group; for the booker it means the venue company or the event organiser, not the person who happened to send the message.
Put the timings in here too, not just the performance start: load-in, soundcheck and doors are three different times and every one of them has caused an argument. If the venue changes after signing, that needs a written amendment rather than a text, because insurance, travel and capacity all move with it.
This agreement is between [Artist/Band Name] ("the Artist") and [Venue/Booker Name] ("the Client") for a live music performance on [Day], [Date] at [Venue Name], [Full Address including Postcode]. Load-in: [Time]. Soundcheck: [Time]. Performance: [Start] to [End].Clause 2: the fee, and when it is paid
The number and the timing, because "paid on the night" and "paid within 30 days" are very different agreements and both get called "the fee". State the total in pounds, whether it includes VAT, and how it is being paid.
Most grassroots acts sit below the £90,000 VAT registration threshold, so the fee is usually stated exclusive of VAT with a line saying so. Say whether the fee is a guarantee or a door split. On the UK pub and club circuit a guarantee is the norm, and a door split without a floor is a fee you cannot plan around. Check what the room should be paying in the GX Index before you agree it.
The current threshold and when registration bites are on gov.uk.
The Client agrees to pay the Artist a total fee of £[Amount] (exclusive of VAT), by bank transfer to the account details provided. The fee is a guarantee and is not contingent on attendance.Clause 3: deposit and balance
For weddings and corporate work a deposit of around 50 per cent on confirmation is normal, with the balance due 7 to 14 days before the event. Some acts take a smaller booking fee of £50 to £150 instead and the full amount closer to the date. Either structure is fine as long as the document says which one you are using.
Four things need to be in it: the deposit amount and its due date, the balance amount and its due date, the refund conditions (which point at the cancellation clause), and what happens if the balance is late.
If a deposit does go wrong, deposit disputes in UK live music covers what actually gets money back.
A non-refundable deposit of £[Amount], being 50% of the total fee, is due within 7 days of signing. The remaining balance of £[Amount] is due no later than 14 days before the event date. Refunds of the deposit are governed by the cancellation terms below.Clause 4: set times and length
"A two-hour gig" is ambiguous: it can mean two hours of playing or two hours including the break. Two 45-minute sets with a 30-minute interval is the UK default, and it is worth writing out even when both sides think it is obvious.
Include an overtime rate. If the room is full at 23:00 and the booker wants another twenty minutes, the number should already exist rather than being negotiated by a bar. £50 to £100 per 15-minute block is the usual range, and the act is never obliged to take it.
The Artist shall perform 2 sets of 45 minutes each with a 30-minute interval. Set 1: 20:00 to 20:45. Set 2: 21:15 to 22:00. Overtime beyond the agreed finish is charged at £75 per 15-minute block, payable on the night. The Artist is not obligated to extend.What each clause is actually preventing
None of these are hypothetical. Every row below is a dispute that happens regularly on the UK circuit, and the clause that would have ended it in one line.
| # | Clause | What goes wrong without it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parties, venue, date | Nobody can prove what was agreed, or with whom |
| 2 | Fee and payment timing | Paid late, or "we thought that included the second set" |
| 3 | Deposit and balance | Event cancelled, deposit argued over |
| 4 | Set times and length | An unpaid third set |
| 5 | Cancellation, both sides | One side walks away at no cost |
| 6 | Technical requirements | No PA on arrival, or a sound limiter nobody mentioned |
| 7 | Recording and promotion | Footage used in ways neither side expected |
| 8 | Dispute resolution | A small disagreement becomes a lost booking |
Each clause, and the specific thing that goes wrong without it
Clause 5: cancellation, on both sides
The single most important clause, and the one most often written to protect only the venue. It needs to say what happens if the act pulls out and what happens if the booker does, with the same seriousness applied to each.
Tiered by notice is the standard approach, because the damage of a cancellation depends almost entirely on how much warning there was. An act cancelled on 14 days notice has probably already turned down other work for that date.
Both directions have their own playbook: when a venue cancels on you, and when the act cancels on you. The ISM contract guidance takes the same tiered approach for its members.
In the event of cancellation by the Client: more than 60 days before the event, full deposit refund; 30 to 60 days, 50% of the deposit retained; 14 to 30 days, full deposit retained; fewer than 14 days, the full fee is payable. In the event of cancellation by the Artist: the Artist shall refund all monies received and use reasonable endeavours to provide a suitable replacement act.The notice tiers most UK contracts use
These are conventions rather than law, so move the thresholds to suit the booking. Wedding contracts usually run 90, 60 and 30 days instead, because the lead time is longer and the act has held the date for most of a year.
| Notice given | If the booker cancels | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 60+ days | Full deposit refunded, no penalty | The date is still sellable to someone else |
| 30 to 60 days | 50% of the deposit retained | Re-booking is possible but harder |
| 14 to 30 days | Full deposit retained | The act has likely turned work away |
| Under 14 days | Full fee payable | The date is gone and cannot be replaced |
Standard UK cancellation tiers, by notice given. Adjust the thresholds for weddings and long-lead bookings.
Clause 6: force majeure, and what does not count
Force majeure covers what is genuinely outside either side's control. A clause that just says "force majeure" and stops is worth very little, so list the triggers: severe weather that makes travel impossible, government restriction or closure by authorities, serious illness or injury with medical evidence, and bereavement of an immediate family member.
It should also say what happens next. Written notice within 48 hours, then a full refund or a reschedule within six months. And it is worth being blunt about the exclusions, because both of these get claimed: a better offer is not force majeure, and the drummer quitting is not either.
Neither party shall be liable for failure to perform where such failure results from circumstances beyond reasonable control, including severe weather, government restriction, venue closure by authorities, or serious illness supported by medical evidence. The affected party must give written notice within 48 hours. Both parties shall then negotiate in good faith to reschedule within 6 months or arrange a full refund.Clause 7: the technical split
Who brings what. This is the clause that turns into a shouting match in a car park at 18:30, and it takes one paragraph to prevent. Say who provides the PA and to what size, whether there is house backline, what power is available and where, and how much floor space the act actually gets.
Rough sizing for a PA: about 2kW covers a room up to 200 people, and 4kW or more is where larger rooms start. This is also where a contract and a rider differ. The contract is the binding agreement; the rider is the attachment listing technical and hospitality detail. Both get signed, and the contract wins if the two disagree.
Our venue directory lists capacity, backline and whether there is a house PA for thousands of UK rooms, which settles this before anyone quotes.
The Client shall provide a performance area of minimum 4m x 3m on a solid, level surface, 4 x 13A power sockets within 5 metres of the stage, and adequate weather protection if the performance area is outdoors. The Artist shall provide their own PA, backline and microphones unless otherwise agreed in writing. The technical rider is attached as Appendix A.Clause 8: conduct, and how a dispute gets resolved
Two short things. Conduct: both sides behave professionally, and either can stop the performance if the other creates a safety risk. Dispute resolution: name the jurisdiction, which is England and Wales for most UK gigs, and put a mediation step before anyone talks about court.
Naming who you talk to first ends most disputes on its own, because it gives an annoyed person a defined next step instead of a solicitor. If it does go further, the small claims track handles amounts up to £10,000 with fees starting around £35, which is the realistic route for a disputed gig fee.
Our venue directory lists capacity, backline and whether there is a house PA for thousands of UK rooms, which settles this before anyone quotes.
Any dispute arising under this agreement shall be governed by the laws of England and Wales. The parties agree to attempt resolution through good-faith mediation before issuing legal proceedings. Claims up to £10,000 may be brought via the Small Claims Court.The whole thing as one email
For a pub or club booking this is the entire job. Copy it, fill the brackets, send it, and keep the reply. It states all eight clauses in the order they come up.
Hi [name],
Confirming [act name] for [venue], [full address inc. postcode] on [day], [date].
Fee: £[amount], paid by bank transfer on [date]. [Deposit of £[amount] due [date], balance £[amount] due [date].]
Sets: 2 x 45 minutes, 30-minute break. Load-in [time], soundcheck [time], on stage [time], finished by [time]. Overtime £[amount] per 15 minutes if we run on, by agreement on the night.
Cancellation: more than 60 days notice, deposit refunded in full; 30-60 days, half the deposit retained; 14-30 days, deposit retained; under 14 days, full fee payable. Same terms apply if we cancel, and we will find you a replacement act.
Force majeure: severe weather, government restriction, venue closure or documented serious illness. Written notice within 48 hours, then a refund or a reschedule within 6 months.
Technical: [we bring / you provide] PA and backline. We need [n] x 13A sockets and a performance area of about [size].
If anything goes wrong on the night, [name] is the person to speak to first.
Reply "confirmed" and we are booked.
[your name], [phone]The eight, as a checklist
If you read nothing else on this page, run down this list before you agree to a booking. Anything you cannot answer is the clause that will cost you.
- Who, where and when: legal names, full address, load-in, soundcheck, on-stage.
- The fee, and the date it lands.
- Deposit amount, balance amount, both due dates.
- Sets, lengths, break, and the overtime rate.
- Cancellation terms, written for both sides.
- Force majeure, with the triggers named.
- Who brings the PA, backline, power and space.
- Named contact for a dispute, and the jurisdiction.
2. How formal does it need to be?
For a pub gig, an email is enough
A written record of the eight points, acknowledged by both sides, is what matters. Not a signature block, not a PDF. Under the Electronic Communications Act 2000 an email exchange is binding in the UK, so the question was never legality. It is completeness. Section 8 of the Electronic Communications Act 2000 is the provision that does it.
For weddings and corporate, use a real agreement
Higher fees, longer lead times and more people who can change their mind. The formality is worth it at that level, and clients at that level expect it. The contract generator produces one free in about two minutes, which is less time than arguing about it later. Role guides for each side: for artists and for venues.
WhatsApp is a record, but a bad one
It counts as evidence and it is legally binding. The problem is that the terms end up spread across three weeks of messages, mixed in with everything else, and nobody can produce the agreement as a single thing when it matters. If the booking started on WhatsApp, finish it with one email that states all eight points.
Which format for which booking
The right answer depends on the fee and the lead time, not on how formal anyone feels like being.
3. The same clauses protect both sides
For the act
It is the difference between being paid and being told the fee was "for the whole night" after you have played two sets. It is also the difference between a cancellation costing you a Saturday and costing you nothing.
For the venue
It is the difference between an act arriving with the right gear and an act arriving expecting a PA nobody agreed to provide. It is also the thing that stops a band walking at 22:30 when you thought you had them until closing. If you book regularly, the gig directory shows who is already playing rooms like yours.
Making one, in two minutes
The whole exercise, in order. It is the cheapest insurance available on a gig.
- Open the contract generator.
- Fill in the parties, the venue, the date and the timings.
- Set the fee, the deposit and the balance date.
- Pick your cancellation tiers, and check both sides are covered.
- Add the technical split: PA, backline, power, space.
- Send it. Keep the confirmation reply with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Annual refresh commitment
This guide was published on 13 May 2026 and is refreshed every May. contract norms and consumer rules change, so annual verification matters. We re-verify every reference, recommendation, and data point once a year. Next scheduled refresh: May 2027. If any claim is outdated before then, email support@gigxchange.app and we will update it within 24 hours.
