Three deals. Same venue, same ticket price, same 500 tickets, and they pay very differently.

Take an artist with an offer in front of them: a 500-capacity room in Bristol, support slot confirmed, and a promoter's deal memo.

The fee line reads: "£2,000 guarantee vs 80% net box office." In the same week the same artist might also be offered a flat £2,000, and a "guarantee plus overage." Three structures, one room.

Which one pays best depends entirely on how the night goes, and the adviser has to be able to read all three before the artist signs.