Door Split

In-Depth Explanation

What is a Door Split?

In the live music industry, a door split (often simply called a "split") is a type of performance contract where the artist's payment is directly tied to the number of tickets sold at the door (or in advance). Instead of receiving a flat fee upfront, the artist and the venue agree to split the revenue generated from ticket sales according to a pre-determined percentage.

Door splits are the most common form of payment for independent, emerging, and mid-tier artists playing small to medium-sized clubs and independent venues.

How a Door Split Works

A standard door split agreement usually involves a few key components:

1. Gross Ticket Sales: The total amount of money generated from selling tickets (e.g., 100 tickets sold at $15 each = $1,500 Gross).
2. Venue Expenses (Nut): The hard costs the venue incurs to open the doors and put on the show. This typically includes the sound engineer's fee, a door person, security, and sometimes a small marketing budget. For a small club, this "nut" might be $150 to $300.
3. Net Revenue: The money left over after the venue's expenses have been deducted from the gross ticket sales.
4. The Split Percentage: The agreed-upon ratio for dividing the net revenue between the artist and the venue.

The Most Common Splits

• 70/30 or 80/20 in favor of the artist: This is the industry standard for original music venues. The artist takes 70-80% of the net revenue, and the venue takes 20-30% (plus their bar sales).
• 100% to the artist (after expenses): Some extremely artist-friendly venues will give 100% of the door money to the band once the sound engineer is paid, relying entirely on alcohol sales to make a profit.
• Versus Deals (Guarantee vs. Split): As artists grow, they negotiate "Versus" deals. The venue offers a guaranteed $500 versus 80% of the door, whichever is higher. If 80% of the door equals $800, the artist takes the $800. If 80% of the door only equals $200, the artist still gets their $500 guarantee.

An Example Door Split Calculation

Let's look at the math for a typical Friday night gig at a 200-capacity club:

• Ticket Price: $15
• Tickets Sold: 120
• Gross Revenue: $1,800 (120 x $15)
• Venue Expenses (Sound guy, door girl): $250
• Net Revenue: $1,550 ($1,800 - $250)
• The Split: 80% to Artist / 20% to Venue
• Artist Payout: $1,240 ($1,550 x 0.80)
• Venue Payout: $310 ($1,550 x 0.20) + All bar sales

You can use our Tour Revenue Calculator to model these exact scenarios when planning your next run of shows.

Why Venues Use Door Splits

For independent venues, booking unknown or mid-tier bands is a massive financial risk. If a venue pays a band a $1,000 flat Guarantee and nobody shows up, the venue loses $1,000, plus the cost of staffing the room, and they sell zero alcohol.

A door split mitigates this risk. It ensures the venue doesn't lose money on a bad night, and it legally aligns the financial incentives of both parties: both the band and the venue are highly motivated to promote the show and pack the room, because they only make money if people buy tickets.

Navigating Multi-Band Bills

Door splits become complicated when there are three or four local bands on the bill. How do you divide the artist's 80% share among three different bands who draw different amounts of people?

1. Equal Split: The bands simply divide the total artist payout equally (e.g., three bands split $600 into $200 each). This is easy but often breeds resentment if one band brings 50 people and the others bring 5.
2. The "Draw" System: The venue asks every person at the door "Which band are you here to see?" They tally the answers on a sheet of paper. At the end of the night, the artist pool of money is divided proportionally based on exactly how many fans each band brought in.
3. Headliner Takes All: The touring headliner takes the entire 80% split, and they pay the local opening acts a small, flat fee out of pocket (e.g., $50 for gas money).

When negotiating a show, always get the split terms in writing via email before agreeing to play, and clearly establish how the money will be divided amongst the bands on the bill.