Gigs & business
Radius clause
A radius clause restricts a DJ from playing within a given distance of a booking for a period either side of it. Festivals use them heavily; a typical shape is a set number of miles and a window of weeks.
In practice
Check the radius and the window against your diary before you sign, not after the next offer arrives.
Read both numbers together — a hundred miles for four weeks either side is a different proposition from twenty miles for one, and the window is where the real cost usually sits. Ask whether the restriction covers announced shows only or all appearances, and whether a different alias or a b2b counts, because those are the ambiguities that produce arguments. If a radius would block a residency you already hold, say so at the offer: carve-outs are common and are almost never volunteered.
2 numbers
Distance and window
The window
Where the real cost sits
Carve-out
What to ask for
Where these come from: How radius clauses are typically structured in festival contracts — convention, not legal advice. For what we can measure, see the booking a radius most often blocks.
Why it matters
The reason is competition for an audience. A festival paying for an exclusive draw does not want the same act playing a club twenty minutes away a fortnight earlier, because the people who would have bought a ticket have already seen the set.
The cost falls on the artist, and it compounds. Accepting a wide radius with a long window can take a whole city out of your calendar for months, which is fine for one large fee and expensive if you have three such bookings and they overlap. That is a diary problem you can only see in advance.
Frequently asked
Are radius clauses enforceable?+
That depends on the contract and the jurisdiction, and it is a question for whoever advises you rather than for a glossary. What is reliably true is that breaching one damages a relationship even where nobody sues.
Can a radius clause be negotiated?+
Often, particularly a carve-out for an existing residency or a booking already confirmed. Raise it at the offer, because after signature you are asking for a favour rather than agreeing a term.
Does a radius clause cover other aliases?+
It depends on the wording, and vague wording is where the disputes happen. Ask for it to be explicit either way before it matters.
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.
Residency
A residency is a regular booking at one venue — weekly, monthly or seasonal — where the same DJ plays often enough that the room, the sound system and the crowd become familiar.
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.
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.
Explore: DJ contract template · Residency · Booking agent · All DJ terms