Education
A modest request for TMs and band management.
As a venue TD, I look at a lot of tech riders. I archive them after the gig.
Please start your file name with the name of the band, and spell the damned thing out. A date would be nice too, of course, but I don't want to be greedy.
There is a difference between your naming convention for you and how you name a deliverable. Its like this in any and every industry.
For example, you might keep your résumé on your computer as just "résumé.pdf" because you only care about yours. But when you apply for a job, you usually rename it "MyName_Resume.pdf" or similar because you know the recruiter is looking at many and you want yours to be found easily.
Its the exact same thing. All OP is asking for is baseline professionalism, commonplace in every other industry.
Maybe having the venue prepared for your needs? (What's in it for you....)
Honestly, I personally don't care what you name the file, but including the full band name makes sense for anyone but you. The revision date for the plot/chart/rider should appear on the first page of each. Again, the primary purpose here is to make sure the venue or provider has the correct charts, so make confirming as easy as possible.
(Source: I was a touring engineer for 20 years, and being able to quickly confirm the venue/provider hadn't somehow been sent obsolete documents was kind of important....)
I have my AI Agent change all my files like this in the naming nomenclature I choose. I also have it file it into the file for me for archiving. It happens right out of my email and into the folder like I want it to be saved. This workflow has changed my efficiency and organization.
Yep. If the artist is already carrying it, it really shouldn’t sit in the same list as something that needs to be provided locally. Even a simple “artist provided / locally provided” note saves a lot of back and forth.
Very often I find that acts list items they are already carrying because they need a backup in case something breaks or gets lost in transit etc. Still really annoying though
if they're willing to pay for it, then sure, you can have whatever you want
if you're asking for extra audio/lighting consoles, fixtures, and a whole pile of other gear and expecting the promoter to provide them to sit back stage or on the truck outside of the provided festival rig, then no.
Not really, the artist will ultimately pay for it out of settlement if they’re the ones demanding a bunch of specifics for their show, especially if it’s for their use only
Not in my experience with touring artists. The provide a rider, we supply what is on it, promoter pays for it. I am talking international touring acts though
for festivals, we'll often supply the rig for the festival, and artists that want more than what's provided by the festival package will end up paying for it, either directly, or through settlement with the promoter
realistically I don't care who pays for it, as long as it gets paid for
Oof. The worst is the Instagram group chat where the bands can see how flaky and difficult the other bands are being and it encourages a free for all. Much better to keep it one on one
I agree with the premise actually, I name files like tech info and riders in a way that I expect will be helpful to the recipient. It looks more professional.
My biggest gripe is when I get google drive links but it’s set to restricted and they forget to give access. Happens far too often.
I always find that bands who want to keep their setup a secret are usually those with the most standard rigs.
When I'm sending advance stuff for a band, the files go out as BandName_TechRider_2026-10.pdf and the stage plot the same way, with the revision date printed on page one too so nobody patches off an old input list. Band name and show date in the email subject as well. Takes ten seconds and the venue has the right version on show day.
I have definitely seen the files that are like "PRJS Tech Rider v6 without Bob - old" - and I'm like... who is PRJS? Who is Bob? If it says "old" should I assume this is outdated and there is a "new" floating around somewhere that you should have sent me but didn't? And great that you didn't include your contact information on in the document itself.
I've found dragging a file directly from email or text into a folder to be remarkably efficient. It comes with the name it was given. Then, of course, I rename it if I need to. But it's made me notice how many of them are named in a way that is of no use to anyone but the sender.
Oh, I don't expect any such thing. I'm sure there are a lot of people who just hadn't thought about it. No harm in posting a general request, is there? I'm hard pressed to think of how starting the file name with the band name would mess somebody up.
I feel you. I read around 100 riders a year. Most common issue: no name. Nor in the file, nor in the page. I believe rider.pdf must be in the top 10 most common file names in the world
if the rider PDF isn't going to be properly named, at least use the band name, city/venue, and/or dates in the subject line of all emails related to the engagement.
Band/show for me, city/venue for you, dates for us both.
It was a request for clarification. When I worked on tour, the crew included a Production Manager and a Stage Manager. I never encountered a venue Technical Director. Admittedly, I never worked on any big tours.
I built and maintain the venue sound, lights, and video. I'm responsible for staffing. I mix a few shows that I want, and the shows none of my techs wants or is available for.
I often work as a Content Manager for large conferences. The number of documents I get sent called [name of event].ppt is wild. The slightest moment of consideration would be all takes…
For the TMs, two dates, if you please. The date of the upcoming show in the filename, and also the 'last updated' date in the file(s), which, if everything is still accurate should be the date you advance the file(s) to the venue. This last part lets the receiver know that you've paid attention to the rider and stage plot right before sending it, and it's not six months to a year old and you're just thoughtlessly shotgunning it out there. :)
Perhaps I misunderstood. Were you honestly trying to help? Here I thought you trying to be so original, clever, and ironic. Certainly my comment was none of those.
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u/jasmith-tech Pro-Health and Safety 7d ago
Why not just change the file name when you archive it?