UK Performer Contract Template (Free Download) | 2025 Guide

Everything DJs, bands, and entertainers need to protect their business—with a free template you can use today.

We heard this story from a DJ at a networking event last year, and it’s stuck with us ever since.

He’d landed what should have been the biggest booking of his year. A corporate Christmas party for 400 guests at a swanky hotel in Manchester. £1,800 for four hours of work. He’d confirmed everything by email, shaken hands with the event manager, and blocked out the date in his diary three months in advance.

Two weeks before the gig, his phone rang. They’d “decided to go in a different direction”—apparently the CEO’s nephew had started DJing and wanted to “get some experience.” No apology. No offer of compensation. Just a casual assumption that he’d understand.

He didn’t have a signed contract. He had emails, yes, but nothing that clearly set out what would happen if they cancelled. He spent the next month chasing invoices for the deposit he thought he was owed, eventually giving up when it became clear he’d spend more on legal fees than he’d ever recover.

It’s a story we’ve heard variations of dozens of times. And it’s exactly why proper contracts matter.

Why every UK performer needs a written contract

Let’s address the elephant in the room: asking clients to sign a contract feels awkward. We get it. When a lovely couple books you for their wedding, the last thing you want to do is shove a pile of legal paperwork in their faces. It can feel like you’re implying they might be dishonest, or that you don’t trust them.

Here’s the thing: professional clients expect contracts. They’re reassured by them. A proper booking agreement tells them you’re a legitimate business who takes their event seriously—not some bloke who might disappear with their deposit.

Under English law, a contract requires offer, acceptance, consideration, and intention to create legal relations. Verbal agreements technically count, but proving what was actually agreed in court is nearly impossible. When the Blue v Ashley case went to court, the judge specifically cited the absence of written documentation as the critical reason no binding agreement existed.

The limitation period for breach of contract claims is six years under the Limitation Act 1980. That means a disgruntled client could come after you years after an event. Do you remember what you verbally agreed at a gig in 2019? Neither do we. Written contracts solve this problem.

The Consumer Rights Act 2015: what it means for wedding and private event performers

Here’s something many performers don’t realise: when you book a wedding, birthday party, or any private event, you’re a “trader” contracting with a “consumer” under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. This triggers legal obligations that don’t apply to corporate gigs.

The Act automatically implies certain standards into your contracts:

• You must perform services with reasonable care and skill
• Any information you provide about your services (on your website, in emails, during consultations) becomes a binding contract term
• If you breach these standards, clients can demand repeat performance—or, if that’s impossible because the wedding has passed, a price reduction of up to 100%

More critically, Part 2 of the Act subjects all your contract terms to a fairness test. A term is “unfair” if it creates a significant imbalance to the consumer’s detriment. The Consumer Rights Act’s grey list specifically flags:

• Retaining deposits when clients cancel without offering equivalent remedies if you cancel
• Requiring “disproportionately high” sums for cancellation
• Allowing you to cancel without reasonable notice whilst penalising clients for doing the same

Corporate events work differently. When contracting with businesses, you’re in B2B territory where the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 applies instead—offering more flexibility but still requiring limitation clauses to pass a “reasonableness test.”

How to structure deposits that courts will actually enforce

UK law doesn’t prescribe a specific deposit percentage. However, the Competition and Markets Authority has made clear that deposits should be “just to reserve” and represent “no more than a small percentage of the total price.” Simply labelling a deposit “non-refundable” doesn’t automatically make retention lawful if challenged.

Industry standard deposits range from 25% to 50%, with 50% being most common for wedding and event entertainment. If a client cancels and you want to retain their deposit, courts will consider:

• Whether the deposit reflects actual costs you’ve incurred
• Whether you’ve attempted to mitigate losses by rebooking the date
• Whether your cancellation charges are proportionate to the notice given

The safest approach is a sliding scale that increases as the event approaches. This reflects the genuine difficulty of rebooking closer dates and stands up to legal scrutiny.

What about the 14-day cooling-off period?

Most performer contracts are signed remotely (by email or through booking platforms), which normally triggers the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. These regulations give consumers a 14-day cooling-off period during which they can cancel for any reason.

However, Regulation 28(1)(h) provides a crucial exemption for “services related to leisure activities” where the contract specifies a particular date. Entertainment bookings for specific dates fall within this exemption. You don’t need to offer cooling-off rights.

But—and this is important—you must still provide comprehensive pre-contract information including your identity, total price, payment arrangements, and cancellation terms. Failure to provide required information could extend cancellation rights by up to 12 months.

Essential clauses for your performer contract

Based on industry best practice and the experiences shared by performers across the UK, here are the clauses we consider non-negotiable:

1. The parties and their details

This sounds basic, but you’d be surprised how often it’s done poorly. Include:

• Full legal names (not just “Dave” and “Emma”)
• Addresses
• Contact numbers
• Who’s authorised to make decisions on the day

For weddings, always clarify which partner is the primary contact and whether there’s a wedding planner or coordinator with decision-making authority.

2. Event details

Be specific:

• Date (including year—you’d be amazed how often this causes problems)
• Venue name and full address
• Performance times (e.g., “20:00 to 00:00” not “evening”)
• Set-up and access times (e.g., “Access from 17:00 for equipment load-in”)
• Event type (wedding reception, corporate awards dinner, etc.)

3. Fee and payment structure

Here’s what works well across the industry:

Element	Standard Terms
Deposit	50%
Balance due	14 days before event
Late payment	Statutory interest (Bank of England base rate + 8%)
Administration fee	£50 for chasing late payments

For corporate clients, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 entitles you to statutory interest on overdue payments, plus fixed compensation (£40 for debts under £1,000). Include this explicitly.

4. Cancellation policy

A tiered structure reflecting genuine loss:

Notice Period	Client Liability
90+ days before event	Deposit only (50%)
30-90 days before event	75% of total fee
Under 30 days	100% of total fee

Critical requirement: your policy must work both ways. If clients forfeit deposits for cancelling, you should offer equivalent remedies if you cancel—typically a full refund plus genuine assistance finding a replacement. One-sided clauses risk being deemed unfair under the Consumer Rights Act.

5. Scope of services

This is where we hear about the most disputes. Be explicit about:

• Exactly what you’ll provide (sets, duration, equipment)
• What you won’t provide (and what the client must arrange)
• What happens if circumstances change on the day

For DJs, include clauses about music requests. Something like: “The Performer will endeavour to accommodate reasonable music requests submitted by [deadline]. The Performer reserves artistic discretion over the final playlist to maintain atmosphere and flow.”

For bands, cover dep (substitute musician) policies, sound check requirements, and what happens if the venue’s power supply is inadequate.

6. Technical and venue requirements

List exactly what you need from the venue:

• Power supply specifications (13-amp sockets on dedicated circuits)
• Minimum performance space dimensions
• Sound check access time
• Parking and load-in arrangements
• Changing facilities (if applicable)

Include a clause stating that failure to provide these requirements may result in modified or cancelled performance with no fee reduction.

7. Post-COVID force majeure provisions

This clause wasn’t in most performer contracts before 2020. It absolutely should be now.

Here’s the thing: force majeure is not a default legal doctrine under English law. It only exists if your contract includes an express clause. When PPLive Sports International went to court over a COVID-related dispute, they couldn’t rely on force majeure because their clause listed specific events (strikes, riots, acts of God) but didn’t mention pandemics.

Your force majeure clause should explicitly include:

• Epidemic, pandemic, or outbreak of communicable disease
• Government action, lockdown, quarantine, or restriction
• Natural disaster, fire, flood, storm
• Venue closure by authority intervention
• Death of a reigning monarch or period of national mourning
• War, terrorism, civil commotion

Specify that affected parties must provide immediate notice, document circumstances, and that the consequence is suspension or rescheduling rather than automatic termination.

8. Liability limitations

You cannot exclude liability for death or personal injury from negligence—this is absolute under UK law. You also cannot contract out of Consumer Rights Act implied terms when working with private clients.

What you can do:

• Cap total liability at the fee paid under the contract
• Exclude consequential and indirect losses
• Require clients to confirm the venue holds appropriate public liability insurance

Most UK venues now require performers to carry minimum £2 million public liability insurance. Annual policies for mobile entertainers start from around £128 covering up to 100 events.

9. Dispute resolution

Include a clause requiring good faith negotiation before any legal action. Since May 2024, small claims disputes up to £10,000 require compulsory mediation through HMCTS’s free Small Claims Mediation Service anyway.

The mediation service has settled over 50% of cases that previously opted into voluntary mediation—a compelling success rate that means most disputes never reach a courtroom.

How to present contracts without killing the vibe

Many performers dread the contract conversation. The key is reframing what it represents.

Here’s an approach that works well:

“I’ll email over the booking confirmation and contract for you to review. It covers everything we’ve discussed—dates, times, what I’ll provide, and the payment schedule. It protects both of us and means there won’t be any surprises on your special day.”

Send contracts immediately after verbal confirmation, alongside the deposit invoice. Don’t wait until close to the event—this creates unnecessary pressure and suggests you’re trying to lock them in.

If clients hesitate, try something like: “Every professional vendor you book—the venue, photographer, caterer—will ask you to sign something similar. It’s standard practice and protects everyone.”

In our experience talking to performers across the UK, legitimate clients rarely refuse to sign. The ones who push back tend to be the ones you want to avoid anyway.

Digital signatures are completely legal

Some performers still think they need wet ink signatures. You don’t.

The Law Commission confirmed in 2019 that electronic signatures are fully valid under English law. The Electronic Communications Act 2000 and UK eIDAS Regulation govern e-signatures, and for performer contracts, even a simple typed name with an “I Accept” button is legally sufficient.

What matters is the audit trail: evidence of who signed, when, and from where. Whatever system you use, ensure it provides this documentation.

How long should you keep contracts?

Under UK GDPR’s storage limitation principle, you need to justify your retention period. For performer contracts, the answer is straightforward: minimum six years after event completion, matching the limitation period for breach of contract claims.

HMRC also requires six years’ retention of accounting and VAT records, so this covers all bases.

Special considerations for different performer types

For DJs: music licensing and equipment failure

Your contract should clarify who’s responsible for PPL PRS licensing. For licensed venues (pubs, hotels, dedicated wedding venues), the venue almost always holds TheMusicLicence. For events at unlicensed private venues like marquees at private residences, the event organiser may need to obtain licensing.

Include an equipment failure clause committing you to backup equipment (spare laptop, USB drives, essential cables) whilst limiting liability to a pro-rata refund if performance genuinely cannot continue despite best efforts.

For bands: deps and technical riders

Using substitute musicians is standard UK practice. Your contract should state:

“On occasion it may be necessary to use alternative musicians. We will make every effort to supply a suitable replacement of equal standard. A substitute does not constitute grounds for cancellation and there will be no reduction to the fee.”

Specify:

• Total performance time and number of sets
• Break duration and who provides interval music
• Learning fees for specific song requests (typically £50-100 per song, 6+ weeks notice required)
• Minimum stage dimensions and power requirements

For outdoor events:

“For outdoor events, suitable dry cover must be provided. If the staging area is waterlogged or unsafe, the Band reserves the right to cease performance to protect instruments and equipment. The full fee remains due.”

What happens when things go wrong?

Despite best efforts, disputes happen. Here’s how the UK legal system handles them:

The small claims track covers disputes up to £10,000 in England and Wales—encompassing most performer contract disputes. Court fees range from £35 (claims up to £300) to £455 (claims of £5,000-£10,000).

Since May 2024, parties must attend a free one-hour mediation appointment before any court hearing. The service is telephone-based and genuinely effective.

Non-attendance has consequences: claims may be struck out, and judges consider it when awarding costs. Settlement agreements reached in mediation are legally binding.

Download your free performer contract template

We’ve put together a comprehensive contract template that incorporates everything discussed in this guide. It’s designed specifically for UK performers and covers:

• All essential clauses for legal protection
• Consumer Rights Act compliance for private bookings
• Post-COVID force majeure provisions
• Separate sections for DJs, bands, and general entertainers

Feel free to adapt it for your specific needs. If you’re unsure about any modifications, consider running significant changes past a solicitor—especially for high-value bookings.

Streamline your contract management

Creating contracts is one thing. Managing them across dozens of bookings, chasing signatures, tracking payments, and storing everything securely is another challenge entirely.

This is exactly why we built Raviga. Our platform handles the entire booking lifecycle—from initial enquiry through to post-event follow-up. Contracts are generated automatically from your booking details, sent with fully tracked digital signatures, and stored securely with complete audit trails.

No more chasing signatures. No more wondering whether a contract was signed. No more digging through email chains to find what was agreed.

See how Raviga can simplify your performer business →