Backstage Fine Print: No Brown M&Ms!
When hiring a band, the promoter (or “buyer”) pays a talent fee, and pays expenses related to travel and accommodations. But another part of the deal requiring money and manpower is the Rider.
Riders address two elements of an engagement: technical details and hospitality requirements.
Riders can appear excessive or overwhelming, but anyone who travels often or works in a technical industry understands that small things can make a big difference.
Technically speaking, the challenge is simple: produce a consistent and high-quality presentation each night, despite having to work in different venues, in different cities, with different people, and with different equipment.
Tour Managers and Production Managers work to overcome these variables through advance planning and detailed Riders.
Technical Riders address everything that happens on-stage and behind the scenes. It’s as much logistical as it is electrical. Terms like backline, call time and downstage rigging, cross paths with items related to transportation, security and insurance policies.
Most bands travel with 7 to 12 crew members, each with a specific role: lighting design, front of house sound, guitar tech, drum tech, monitor man, backstage coordinator, production manager, and tour manager.
While buyers speak directly with only a few of these individuals, each crew member’s role is critical to the success of a show – therefore, each of their needs must be met as fully as possible.
Concerts are truly a team effort, and it’s exciting to see a barren room turned into the center of an audience’s universe during the height of a great show. It’s equally amazing to see it all taken apart and packed into the back of a semi tractor trailer, as the band and the crew leave the venue at the end of the night, heading down the highway to their next show.
The Hospitality Rider addresses the many creature comforts artists require, which are very important to keeping the musicians and their crew happy while at your show. It’s in this document that you’ll discover the band’s favorite food, learn which beverage they prefer, and agree to provide other “necessities” the bands requires to survive life on the road.
And this is where the brown M&Ms come into play.
The rock band Van Halen’s notorious “no brown M&Ms” clause in its 1982 rider became a running joke within the industry, and beyond.
Click here to check out the famous rider, and hear David Lee Roth explain how and why in this video:
Good News! Riders are often written to nth degree, designed to cover large venues and big budget shows. But riders can be scaled back – and knowing which areas can be adjusted takes experience and understanding.
Tour managers don’t enjoy reviewing every page of a rider with inexperienced buyers who don’t know what’s essential and what’s not. That’s where Cord Management’s experience and expertise can help out.
Lastly, it’s important to note that some road crews communicate outside typical corporate standards, due to time zone differences, personality differences, or just the fact that they’re “with the band” and it’s a whole different world they’re living in.
Companies like Cord Management understand these two worlds and bridge the gap between them. Next month, we’ll look at various members of the band’s staff who you may deal with after signing a performance contract with a booking agent – beginning with the top dog in most musician’s management offices – the artist’s Personal Manager.
Some Bands still put “Quirky” things in Riders today just to make sure “Promoters” read and understand whats in the Rider. I think Z had “1 Gallon Glass of Kettle Vodka & 1 Ice cube, 8 straws” in one but I may be mistaken on that LOL