Gigs & business
Door split
A door split pays a DJ a share of ticket income rather than a fixed fee. The share is usually taken after the promoter’s costs, which is the term that decides whether the deal is generous or worthless.
In practice
Ask what comes out before your share and ask to see the door count. A split with undefined costs is not a number.
Get three things in writing before you agree: what the ticket price is, what costs are deducted before the split, and whether there is a guarantee underneath it. A guarantee against a split — you get the higher of a fixed fee or your percentage — is the version worth having, and promoters offer it more often than DJs ask. If the night is genuinely yours to promote, a split is fair; if you are being booked onto someone else’s night, a fee is.
After costs
The phrase that decides it
Guarantee
The version worth asking for
In writing
Where the terms belong
Where these come from: How door deals are commonly structured — booking convention, not legal or financial advice. For what we can measure, see the fixed-fee alternative.
Why it matters
It moves the risk from the promoter to you. On a night that sells, a split can beat a fee comfortably; on a night that does not, you have travelled and played for a share of very little. Whether that trade is fair depends entirely on who controls the promotion — and it is usually not the DJ.
The phrase that matters is "after costs". A fifty per cent split of the door sounds equal until the venue hire, the sound, the security and the promoter’s own fee come out first, at which point half of what is left can be a small fraction of what came in.
Frequently asked
Is a door split better than a fee?+
On a night you are promoting yourself, often. On somebody else’s night, rarely — you carry the risk for promotion you do not control.
What is a guarantee against a split?+
A fixed minimum with the percentage on top if it earns more. It is the fairest common structure and promoters agree to it more often than DJs think to ask.
Should I ask to see the door count?+
Yes, and it is a normal request rather than an accusation. A promoter running a straight deal will have the number and will show you.
Related terms
Booking fee
A booking fee is the agreed amount a DJ is paid to play, independent of how the night performs. It is sometimes called a guarantee, because that is exactly what distinguishes it from a share of the door.
Deposit
A deposit is part of the fee paid before the event, typically on signature or a set number of days ahead. It converts an intention into a commitment, and it is usually non-refundable if the promoter cancels.
Promoter
A promoter books the acts, hires the room, sells the tickets and carries the financial risk of a night. They decide who plays, in what order, and for how long.
Booking agent
A booking agent sells your live dates: they take offers, negotiate fees and terms, advance shows and chase payment, for a commission on the fee — commonly around ten to fifteen per cent of it.
Explore: DJ invoice template · Booking fee · Promoter · All DJ terms