DJ booking in Switzerland: fees, advancing and what the contract has to cover
How an artist booking actually runs - from first offer to the driver at the airport - and where bookings usually break.
The offer: what an agent needs from you
Date, city, venue, capacity, ticket price, set time and length, other names on the line-up, and the fee. Missing capacity or ticket price is the fastest way to a slow answer: agents price a slot against the room, not against your enthusiasm.
Fees for international club and festival acts in Switzerland span a wide range, and the same artist costs more on a Saturday in a 3,000-capacity room than on a Thursday in a 400-capacity club. Add travel, accommodation, ground transport, hospitality and - depending on the deal - withholding tax and social charges.
Advancing is where the show is won
Advancing means resolving every practical detail in writing before travel: technical rider against the actual stage spec, flights and arrival times, ground transport, hotel, dressing room, guest list, curfew, set times, recording permissions. Do it four weeks out, confirm it again three days out.
A booking that arrives at the venue with an unresolved console question becomes a stage-management problem in front of a paying audience.
Backstage and artist care
Drivers who know the route, dressing rooms that are ready, hospitality that matches the rider, and one named person who owns the artist from arrival to departure. It is not luxury - it is what makes an artist come back and say yes to your next date.
Line-up curation: the part that sells tickets
A line-up is a sales instrument. Headliner for reach, second name for credibility, local acts for the room and for the early hours. We have booked over 300 artists and build line-ups around capacity, ticket price and the audience an event actually has - not around the names we would personally like to see.
How much does it cost to book a DJ in Switzerland?
Fees vary enormously by artist, date, room size and market. Beyond the fee, budget for travel, accommodation, ground transport, hospitality and, depending on the deal structure, withholding tax and social charges.
What is advancing in artist booking?
Advancing is the process of confirming all practical details of a booking in writing before the artist travels: technical rider against the real stage spec, travel and arrival times, ground transport, hotel, dressing room, set times, curfew and permissions.
What makes a line-up sell tickets?
Fit between the names and the room. A headliner for reach, a second name for credibility, and local acts that carry the early hours - built around capacity and ticket price rather than personal taste.