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Headliner

How to book entertainment for a festival, from headliner to local support

Support Browse verified acts · lock the slot
Openers Confirm the night · 0% platform commission · artists keep 100%
The short answer

To book entertainment for a festival, set the budget first, build the lineup from headliner down to local support by draw and fit, book months ahead, and lock each act with the payment protected. On iKonX the artist earns 100 percent of the price they set and iKonX takes 0 percent platform commission. The buyer pays a flat 10 percent on top, and browsing and downloading the app is free.

Shane Brown · Founder, iKonX
The bill
Slat 01 · the gap

Booking a festival lineup is a budgeting and logistics problem disguised as a talent problem. Spend the whole budget on one big name and the rest of the lineup falls flat. Spread it too thin and nothing draws. And because festivals book months ahead, the acts you want are gone if you start late, leaving you paying premium fees for whoever is still available.

The deal side scales the risk. Every act is a separate negotiation, a separate deposit, and a separate cancellation risk, and one headliner dropping out can sink ticket sales. Handling all of that over scattered emails and unprotected transfers turns a lineup into a liability the moment one act ghosts.

So the question is not just who to book. It is how to build a lineup that fits the budget, lock it early, and protect every deal so one cancellation does not take down the festival.

Slat 02 · the lineup

The fix is to plan the lineup by budget and draw, then lock each act early with the payment protected. Decide what share of the budget goes to the headliner versus support, fill the rest with mid-tier and local acts that actually draw your audience, and start months ahead so the artists you want are still open.

Locking each deal in one protected flow is what keeps a multi-act lineup from becoming a multi-act risk. iKonX is on the iKonX roadmap for events as a place to discover and book acts directly, from headliner to local support, with the deposit and payment held until each set is honored. On iKonX the artist earns 100 percent of the price they set and iKonX takes 0 percent platform commission. The buyer pays a flat 10 percent on top, and browsing and downloading the app is free. Booking direct also stretches the budget further, because the fee reaches the artist instead of an agent markup, letting you book a deeper lineup for the same spend.

Lineup status

Slots open · the bill is filling

100%
of the fee goes to the act · iKonX takes 0% platform commission
Available
0
gatekeepers between you and the act you want to book
Available
10%
flat fee the buyer pays on top · no broker cut, no surprises
Active
See iKonX in action

The whole network lives in one app.

iKonX puts every side of the music business in your pocket. Artists set their own price and keep 100% of it · iKonX takes 0% platform commission. Browse, message, and book straight from the app.

The iKonX app on an iPhone showing the artist discovery screen · where music meets business with 0% platform commission
Run of show

How to book entertainment for a festival, step by step

  1. 01Date locked
    Set the night and the room. Everything on the bill hangs off this one fixed point.
  2. 02Stages set
    Decide the stages and the zones. Map where each act plays before you book a single name.
  3. 03Acts confirmed
    Browse verified artists, agree the fee directly, and lock each slot. The act keeps 100% of the price they set.
  4. 04Run of show
    Order the bill headliner to opener, set the set-times, and share the night with the whole lineup.
  5. 05Doors
    Confirm and pay through iKonX, then open the doors on a lineup you built act by act.
  1. Set the entertainment budget first. Decide the total and how it splits between headliner, mid-tier, and local support before you contact a single act. The budget builds the lineup, not the other way around.
  2. Book the headliner early. The anchor act drives ticket sales and books months out. Lock it first, then build support around the date and draw.
  3. Fill with acts that draw your audience. Mid-tier and strong local acts who pull your crowd matter more than a long list of names. Draw, not headcount, sells tickets.
  4. Lock each deal with terms. Put set time, deposit, cancellation, and a backup plan in writing for every act. One protected deal at a time keeps the lineup from unraveling.
  5. Protect the payment on every act. Hold deposits until each set is honored, so a single cancellation does not cost you the fee and the slot.
The stage map
Main stage
Your headliner act · the top of the bill
Second stage
Support acts · the build-up sets
Opener slot
Local openers · the night's first names
Curated lineup vs gatekept booking

How festivals lock a lineup: the honest comparison

How you book the lineupProtection per actThe cost
Direct on iKonX (roadmap)Terms and payment held per actEach artist keeps 100% of the fee · 0% platform commission · you pay a flat 10% on top
Through agents for each actContracted, with a markupRoughly 10% to 20% agent commission per act, stacking up
Email + transfers per actNoneNo fee but no protection if an act cancels
Full-service talent buyerHandled for youA buyer fee on the whole lineup budget

Agent commission ranges (roughly 10% to 20% of the performance fee, applied per act) are directional industry figures and vary by deal. Festival lead-time guidance (booking headliners and key acts months ahead) reflects standard event-planning practice. iKonX event booking tools are on the iKonX roadmap. The only fixed claim is the iKonX fee model: each artist keeps 100% of the price they set, iKonX takes 0% platform commission, and the buyer pays a flat 10% on top. iKonX is free to download and explore.

FAQ

Booking festival entertainment FAQ

How far in advance should I book festival entertainment?

Book the headliner and key acts several months ahead, since the strongest acts fill their calendars early and late booking means premium fees for whoever is left. Support and local acts can lock in after the anchor act sets the date.

How should I split the entertainment budget across a lineup?

Set the total first, then decide what share goes to the headliner versus mid-tier and local support. A balanced split with acts that genuinely draw your audience sells more tickets than spending everything on one name.

Is it cheaper to book festival acts directly?

Yes, booking direct removes the per-act agent markup of roughly 10 to 20 percent, which stretches the budget across a deeper lineup. Direct booking with the payment protected is on the iKonX roadmap for events.

How do I protect against an act canceling?

Put cancellation terms and a backup plan in writing for every act, and lock each deal where the deposit is held until the set is honored. Per-act protection keeps one cancellation from unraveling the lineup.

What matters more, big names or acts that draw?

Acts that actually draw your audience matter more than a long list of names. The headliner anchors ticket sales, but the support lineup should be built on real draw and fit, not follower count.

Does each act pay iKonX a commission?

No. Each artist keeps 100 percent of the price they set and iKonX takes 0 percent platform commission. You pay a flat 10 percent on top, and the app is free to download and explore.

Connected sides of the network

Explore the connected sides of the network

Read the full guide How To Plan A Festival Lineup How To Book Multiple Artists For A Music Festival How Far In Advance Should I Book Talent For A Festival How To Book Artists For An Event How To Get Booked For Shows As An Artist The iKonX music ecosystem

Build the night, act by act.

Build the lineup by budget and draw, and lock every act protected. Book festival talent on iKonX.

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The Festival Lineup Planner

A run-of-show grid, a stage-and-set-time worksheet, and a multi-act budget template for building a festival or showcase lineup end to end.

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