The Live Events Dictionary / Money and settlement

Gross box office is a ticket-revenue total before the deductions defined for a particular report or deal. Net box office is the amount remaining after specified deductions. The words are not a universal formula: two reports can use “gross” for different combinations of ticket value, fees, taxes and refunds.

Before applying a percentage, name the exact base. A ticketing payout, a net-box-office subtotal and the balance owed to an artist can all be different amounts.

Four figures to keep separate

• Customer payments: what buyers paid, potentially including fees and tax.

• Contract-defined gross: the revenue components that the agreement treats as gross.

• Contract-defined net: that gross after the expressly permitted deductions.

• Cash paid or still due: actual transfers after prior payments, timing and other applicable adjustments.

Eventbrite’s payout guidance shows how fees and other adjustments affect the amount transferred to an organizer. That platform payout should not be assumed to equal an artist’s contractual settlement base.

A fictional revenue bridge

Assume a fictional agreement defines ticket gross as $20,000 after refunded ticket value has already been removed. The agreement permits $1,200 in tax and $800 in named fees to be deducted to reach its net-box-office base.

• Defined ticket gross: $20,000.

• Agreed tax deduction: $1,200.

• Agreed fee deduction: $800.

• Defined net box office: $18,000.

If the artist receives 80% of that base under this simplified deal, the calculated fee is $14,400. If a $4,000 deposit has already been paid and no other adjustments apply, the balance is $10,400. Net box office, artist fee and balance due are therefore three separate numbers.

This is an arithmetic illustration, not a recommended contract or a rule that those deductions are always allowed.

Reconcile the source reports

• Use the same event, performance date, currency and reporting cutoff.

• Identify refunded, complimentary, discounted and unpaid tickets separately.

• Check whether buyer fees and taxes are included in each displayed total.

• Trace each settlement deduction to its agreed basis and supporting record.

• Keep prior deposits visible so they are not deducted twice.

Do not call net box office profit

Event costs may still be payable outside that subtotal. Likewise, a strong gross does not prove that the artist or promoter made money. Follow the agreed deal calculation, then separately review the full event economics.

For the complete closeout process, use How Tour Settlements Work and the settlement template. Compare guarantees and percentage deals.

References

Eventbrite: Understanding your event payout; TryBooking: Event reporting overview. The revenue bridge is fictional and depends on its stated assumptions.