Gigs & business
Stage manager
A stage manager runs one stage: the running order, the changeovers, who is on it and when they get off. On the day, their word about timing is final regardless of what a contract says.
In practice
The stage manager owns the clock on the day. End when they ask and you will be the act they protect next time.
Find them before your set and tell them you are there — that alone puts you ahead of most of the running order. Agree how they will signal the end so you are not guessing: most will show you a five-minute and a one-minute call. Then plan an ending you can actually reach on cue rather than a track with a four-minute outro. If a stage is running late and your slot is cut, that is not personal and arguing about it in front of a crowd is the one response guaranteed to cost you.
The clock
What they own
5 and 1
The calls to agree
Reachable
What your ending must be
Where these come from: Festival stage-management practice, not a catalog figure. For what we can measure, see why the clock is not negotiable.
Why it matters
They are the reason a festival stage runs to the minute, and the reason your set can be shortened without anyone consulting you. A stage that is running ten minutes late has to find those minutes somewhere, and the last act before a curfew is where they usually come from.
Working with them rather than around them is straightforwardly in your interest. A DJ who is ready early, ends when asked and does not argue about two minutes is a DJ a stage manager will go out of their way for the next time something needs to give.
Frequently asked
Can a stage manager cut my set short?+
Yes, and they will if the stage is running late against a curfew. It is a schedule decision rather than a judgement on your set.
How will I know when to finish?+
Agree the signal beforehand — most stage managers give a five-minute and a one-minute call. Guessing is how a set ends mid-record.
Who has final say on the day?+
The stage manager, on timing. Contracts describe intentions; a stage running against a curfew is a fact everyone in the building has to work with.
Related terms
Curfew
A curfew is the time by which amplified sound must stop, set by the venue’s licence or a local authority. It is not negotiable on the night, and overrunning it can cost the venue its ability to open at all.
Set time
Set time is the length of the slot a DJ is booked for — the number that decides everything else about the set, from how many records fit to how fast the energy can move.
Artist liaison
An artist liaison looks after performers on the day: meeting you, getting you accredited, showing you where the stage is, handling the rider, and making sure you are in the right place at the right time.
Handover
A handover is the moment one DJ stops and the next starts — the logistics of it, not the mix. Sticks come out, headphones swap, someone finds a channel, and the room hears whatever happens while that goes on.
Explore: Planning a festival set · Set time · Curfew · All DJ terms