APRA AMCOS is a music rights organisation representing over 100,000 members who are songwriters, composers and music publishers.
The individual or group providing the live performance. An Act or Artist may be a band, a group, or a solo performer such as a DJ, solo musician, comedian, poet etc. The live toolkit uses the terms Act and Artist to encompass a diverse range of performers.
An amplifier (or an amp) is a device consisting of an amplifier combined with a loudspeaker and used to increase the volume of the sound produced by electric guitars and other musical instruments."
The aspect ratio of an image describes the proportional relationship between its width and its height. It's usually shown as two numbers separated by a colon, for example 16:9.
An asset can be defined broadly as a useful or valuable thing or person. It can also refer to an item of property owned by a person or company, regarded as having value and available to meet debts, commitments, or legacies. In design terms an asset is a resource that can be used to help market or promote a musician (e.g. video clip, tour poster design).
Backline is the electronic audio amplification equipment and speaker enclosures that are placed behind the band or the rhythm section on stage, including amplifiers and speaker cabinets for guitars, bass guitars and keyboards. Such equipment is often provided by the venue but at times a band will need to source some backline themselves depending on their needs.
a device used to prevent the spreading of sound or light in a particular direction.
A booking agent is responsible for booking shows for bands. They might operate as a agency with a number of staff or work independently. Booking Agents coordinate all broad areas of artist bookings to make sure that tours and shows run smoothly. Examples of their responsibilities include negotiating contracts for performance, organising logistics and supporting various aspects of a tour.
A feature of Instagram, a boomerang takes a burst of photos and stitches them together into a high-quality mini video that plays forward and backward.
Bump-in or Load-in is bringing all gear needed for a live performance into the venue.
Bump-out or Load-out is removing all gear needed for a live performance from the venue following a performance/event.
CMYK refers to the four inks used in some colour printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key.
A process, record or series of actions captured over time and demonstrating how things might or could work in similar scenarios (e.g. how a particular venue has previously set up their sound system to suit the needs of a small-scale venue).
A changeover is the swap from one performer to another. It involves one act leaving the stage after their set with with all of their gear quickly and efficiently, while the following act loads up their own gear before their set.
City of Sydney are the local government authority for central Sydney and surrounds. They cover 26 square kilometres extending from Sydney Harbour at Rushcutters Bay, to Glebe and Annandale in the west, from Sydney Park and Rosebery in the south to Centennial Park and Paddington in the east. In most parts of the local area, the City is the main consent authority for new development under $50 million. They provide essential local services such as a network of libraries, street cleansing, maintaining roads, assessing development applications, collecting waste and recycling, maintaining our parks, playgrounds and gardens, our sports venues and community centres. Website: https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/
A condenser microphone uses a capacitor to convert the compression and rarefaction of sound waves into electrical energy. Condenser microphones require power (voltage) in order to operate. They are preferred in recording studio settings due to higher precision in capturing sound.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines cultural diversity as relating to “a person’s country of birth, their ancestry, the country of birth of their parents, what languages they speak, whether they are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, and their religious affiliation.”
A DI box or unit (direct input) is an electronic device used with sound systems at venues to connect a high-output impedance, line level, unbalanced output signal to a low-impedance, microphone level, balanced input, usually via an XLR connector and XLR cable.
Dots per inch (DPI, or dpi) is a measure of printing, video or image scanner dot density, in particular the number of individual dots that can be placed in a line within the span of 1 inch (2.54 cm).
A decibel (dB) is a unit of measurement used when calculating the loudness of a sound.
Dictionary defines discrimination as the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.
The Australian Human Rights Commission defines as follows -
"Discrimination can be against the law if it is based on a person’s:
Discrimination on these grounds is against the law in a number of areas of public life, including: employment, education, getting or using services or renting or buying a house or unit. Some limited exceptions and exemptions apply.
Employers have a legal responsibility to take all reasonable steps to prevent discrimination on these grounds. Employers can also be liable for the discriminatory acts of their employees. This is called ‘vicarious liability’."
A door split is the financial arrangement between a band and a promoter or venue. In this type of agreement, the performers do not get a set fee for performing. Instead, they get a percentage of ticket sales or the venue cover charge.
Microphones that convert sound into an electrical signal by means of electromagnetism. When sound waves hit the microphone, the membrane moves to the rhythm of the sound waves, and the coil on its back moves along with it. The relative movement of the coil within its (stationary) magnetic gap induces a small signal voltage in this coil. There’s your microphone, a device that converts sound into an electrical signal. Moving coil microphones are often preferred for use on stage, because they are quite sturdy and do not require external power.
An electronic press kit (EPK) is a professional music resume that promoters, journalists and music supervisors use to understand who you are as an artist, what you bring to the table, and ultimately why they should care about you. It can be presented using a variety of free sharing platforms (such as Dropbox). As a minimum, an EPK should contain links to your music, media release/bio, hi-resolution photographs, contact information, links to social media and website, testimonials/quotes and short footage of past live performance.
An electronic tag that assigns a geographical location to a photograph, video, or a post on a social media website. You can use geotags to show people the address/location of an event.
Hashtags are like keywords or phrases which can be used to organise messages on a social network. This then facilitates the searching and grouping of messages with given hashtags. Hashtags are preceded by the hashtag sign (#) and can be a word or a short phrase (i.e. #Hashtag or #ThisIsAHashtag).
An input list is a list of the number of outputs the band or performers have for their instruments, equipment and vocals and the number of audio mixer inputs needed.
LGBTIQA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, asexual and many other terms (such as non-binary and pansexual).
A large diaphragm microphone — or capsule membrane — is one inch or more in diameter. Large diaphragm microphones pick up more lows and low mids, but a little less of the highs. They are known to be great in capturing full-bodied instruments.
A line-check is the process of making sure that all of the microphones, cables, and direct boxes on stage are working before the soundcheck or the gig starts.
Occupational safety and health (OSH), also commonly referred to as occupational health and safety (OHS), occupational health, or workplace health and safety (WHS), is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at work.
A public address system (PA system) is an electronic sound system comprising microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and other related equipment.
Parking permits are issued to eligible residents or businesses for the parking area where they live/are situated. Permits exempt the holder from time limits and parking meter fees in most nearby parking spaces where the signage includes the words 'permit holders excepted'.
A patron is a person who is a customer, client, or paying guest, especially a regular one, of a store, hotel, or the like.
According to AMIN a performance agreement (or booking agreement) "allows a venue to state the rules under which a band is to perform a gig and the rules under which both parties must act. These rules may include, but are not limited to, promotion, ticketing, production, payment, hospitality riders."
A performer is a person who entertains an audience. This could include, but is not limited to, an actor, actress, artist, entertainer, musician, band or more.
The polar pattern of a microphone is the sensitivity to sound relative to the direction or angle from which the sound arrives, or easier worded how well the microphone “hears“ sound from different directions. The most common types of directionality are: Omnidirectional, Cardioid and Supercardioid.
A music promoter is someone who publicises and promotes music performances or specific acts. At any one time a music promoter might book or represent acts, book events and tours and promote their booked artist events.
An RCD, or residual current device, is a life-saving device which is designed to prevent you from getting a fatal electric shock if you touch something live, such as a bare wire. It can also provide some protection against electrical fires.
(image) resolution is the detail an image holds. The term applies to raster digital images, film images, and other types of images. Higher resolution means more image detail.
In the context of graphic design, 'Revision' refers to the action of altering design projects to suit the specifications and feedback of the client.
A set of requests or requirements that an act sets as criteria for performance, in addition to any performance fee. Types of riders include a hospitality rider (onsite food and beverages for the performers) travel rider (can include flights, taxis, accomodation provided to the performer) or a technical rider (ie equipment the venue must provide onstage for the act to deliver their performance).
The term safe space, in relation to music venues, refers to places created for individuals who feel unsafe to escape from an the situation that is making them unsafe. A safe space policy refers to steps taken by a venue to ensure that patrons, performers and staff can expect a safe environment and experience within that venue. It also outlines courses of action that can be taken if an unsafe situation does arise.
The times that each individual act is scheduled to play at an event. Set times are usually dictated by the opening time of the venue as well as the noise curfew/closing time.
Small diaphragm means that the microphone's capsule is ½ inch (12.7 mm) or less. Small diaphragm microphones pick up less lows and low mids, but add a lot to the top end. These are also known as pencil microphones. They’re better for capturing brighter instruments.
A technician who coordinates and manages acoustics for a musical performance.
Simply put, a sound pressure level or SPL is a measurement indicating the loudness of a sound, displayed as decibels (dB). SPL can be calculated using a logarithmic scale (as an equation). The scale represents the level (loudness) of a particular sound as pressure in relation to the pressure of a reference sound.
Playing part of a song or the artist's entire planned performance to check and set sound levels onstage, and allow sound engineer/production to check and set front of house levels for the venue. Not all venues have time to allow for a soundcheck, but at the least performers should get a Line Check (link) to test equipment.
A sponsored post, also known as a promoted post, is a post to any community-driven notification-oriented website (such as a social media platform) which is explicitly sponsored as an advertisement by a particular company in order to draw a large amount of popularity through user promotion and moderation to the most active or most viewed page on the website.
The people employed by a particular organisation. This could include bar staff, glass collectors, sound engineer, security staff, door staff, cellar person, kitchen personnel and more.
Onstage, performer-facing loudspeakers which form part of the larger stage monitor system. Stage monitors (also called foldback wedges or floor monitors) are used by performers to hear what the other performers onstage are playing so that they can seamlessly play along.
A stage plot is a graphic representation that shows a band’s setup when they perform live, their stage placement, what gear they use and a few other useful bits of information.
Tags or mentions allow social media users to engage an individual, business or any entity with a social profile when they mention them in a post or comment. The Twitter equivalents of tagging other users is by inserting a relevant hashtag or tweeting at them, depending on the objective.
In the context of an electronic press kit, a testimonial can be a personalised recommendation from a venue, reviewer, fellow artist or anyone who has worked with you before.
Sound levels refer to the decibel levels of noise that your venue emits. Below is a list of typical venue sound levels in different situations:
A worksheet s a document containing all of the information regarding a gig or live performance - such as bump-in times, backline, venue contact information.
'ring out' is a term used by sound engineers to remove troublesome frequencies from the stage monitors so that there is no feedback in them when performers are onstage
'A tech spec (technical specification) is a document that outlines all the necessary technical information of a facility including venue sound system, audio and lighting equipment and stage dimensions. Tech specs can also refer to equipment used on stage by performers.
Using a graphic equaliser to tidy up and eradicate certain frequencies in a venue P.A system to create the ideal listening environment for an audience.