Set craft
Rider
A rider is the document setting out what a DJ needs to perform — the technical rider lists equipment and setup, the hospitality rider covers travel, accommodation and the practical side.
In practice
List only what would stop the set — a rider naming two essentials gets read, one naming twenty gets skimmed.
Write the technical rider as a specific setup: the players and the mixer by name, how many, and anything non-standard you are bringing that needs a channel or a power socket. Add what you do not need, because "no CD players required" saves somebody a hire. Send it when the booking is confirmed, not the week of the show, and ask what the house setup already is first — most clubs are standard and most riders are therefore unnecessary. Keep the hospitality half to what genuinely affects whether you arrive and can play.
Two essentials
What gets read
At confirmation
When to send it
Ask first
Most clubs are standard
Where these come from: Booking convention, not catalog figures. For what we can measure, see the standard setup to name.
Why it matters
The technical half is the one that prevents a problem. Saying you need three players rather than two, or a mixer with a send-return, or your own interface connected to a spare channel, is only useful if it arrives before the equipment is hired.
And the shorter it is, the more of it happens. A rider listing everything a DJ might conceivably want gets skimmed; one listing the two things that would actually stop the set gets read, and gets those two things.
Frequently asked
Do DJs need a tech rider?+
Only if your setup is not the standard club one. If you play from USB on house players, the rider is unnecessary and asking what the venue has is more useful.
What goes in a DJ tech rider?+
Players and mixer by name and number, anything you are bringing that needs a channel or power, and what you do not need. Kept to one page.
What is the difference between a tech rider and a hospitality rider?+
The tech rider is what you need to play — equipment and setup. The hospitality rider is what you need to be there: travel, accommodation, timings.
Related terms
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.
EPK
An EPK is an electronic press kit — a single page or file holding a DJ's bio, photos, mixes, links and contact details, sent to promoters and press instead of a scattered set of messages.
Soundcheck
A soundcheck is the time before doors to test your setup through the venue system — levels, monitoring, connections — so that nothing is discovered for the first time in front of a room.
Green room
The green room is the space set aside for artists at a venue — somewhere to wait, store equipment, and be away from the floor before and after a set.
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