Thread: Performer/Promoter ESCROW - Would It Work?

I've been pondering on an idea for some time which I would now like to open up to the floor for debate.

ESCROW is a system which is used extensively by other industries whereby payments are securely held by a third party until a transaction is complete. For example, someone buying a property would ESCROW their funds and the person selling the property would then receive the money once the contracts had been exchanged. This is advantageous because the seller knows that the required funds are guaranteed as they are held by a third party and the buyer knows that they are entering into a clearly defined contract whereby they are made fully aware of the obligations that are expected of them in order to receive the said payment.

Given that we often hear stories about non-payment in the world of burlesque and cabaret, do you think that there would be a call for a performer-based ESCROW service - a BurlESCROW, if you will?

On the plus side, it would mean that performers would get paid promptly and efficiently after shows, but on the downside, many promoters need the revenue from the shows to pay the performers in the first place.

Do you think this type of thing would be workable?

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Maybe but as you said I think smaller shows that are waiting for ticket sails could suffer. For me its normally London shows that pay you later than you expect in the north its payed on the night for the most part. I have taken a leaf out of Diana Dors book and if its a promoter I don't know I asked to be payed on the night before the show.
Its working so far.
Diva x

The only way I (as a promoter) could agree to use escrow is if I had enough money in my personal bank account to do so.

I receive the budget for my show from the venue, in cash, on the night. Seeing as I guarantee to pay my performers in cash on the night (and I'm happy to contract to this if they require), I think I'd find escrow more complicated to orchestrate than the arrangements I currently use.

Furthermore, my instinct is that if a promoter's put off booking someone because the performer has requested use of the escrow service, the promoter's likely to be able to find someone else for the job that will work to alternative arrangements. In other words, I don't think unscrupulous promoters will be caught out by this net...

It's a shame because I welcome any attempt to weed out the nasty promoters/hirers. I'm just not sure that this is the perfect solution.

Originally Posted by Beatrix Von Bourbon

The only way I (as a promoter) could agree to use escrow is if I had enough money in my personal bank account to do so.

I receive the budget for my show from the venue, in cash, on the night. .

Dito. I'm really greatfull to be in this position.

My bank account swings pretty wildly from month to month and so to have the financial backing is brilliant.

If i dip into my acount i dip into my account as i don't want to see people out of pocket, even if it ment loosing out i'd still honour what i think are the basic terms.

I think promoters ahould honour there agreements and try and do the best they can for the entertainment.

trying to skimp or scam is just not acceptable, Even without saying any names two people were complaining about a promoter and i was able to guess instantly who the guilty culprit was becasue they are gaining a poor reputation. Bad apples eventually throw themselves from the cart.

would there be a charge for this service .?
if so who would be paying it ?

i agree with Bea i think it would put bookers off

i'd be interested to hear more promoters opinions.

I haven't had any problems with burlesque nights not paying me..
it's usually on the night or within the week.

although i did recently have to wait nearly 2 months but that was the only one .

x x x

ace for performers - lets face it - sooner or later as a performer you get a non payer (sad but true!) but as a small event organiser i totally agree with Beatrix and heather - at our show it is literally the door cash that goes straight into envelopes for the performers - there is no other way i could run a night.

good idea in theory though!!!

I will happilly pay any performer that as agreed to perform for me up front or if they prefer on the nite its a matter of trust, i totally trust any act i pay to turn up and i never been let down yet.

I think it's a great idea in principle, but by and large I think the promoters who had the cash flow to be able to do this probably are professional enough to pay people anyway, while those who work from door money to envelope, as it were, couldn't make use of the service.

I've had a few promoters or bookers who took an incredibly long time to pay me - in one case, over two months - but only a handful of those. Mostly people have been very good at paying on time.

It's always worth agreeing terms with the booker in advance. Make it clear if you expect to be paid on the night/within a fortnight/whatever. Ask if there are likely to be delays.

Unfortunately like most promoters I have to rely on my takings to pay the performers on the night, although I understand how from a performer's point of view that could be seen as a bit risky. Luckily though I've only ever had one occasion when takings didn't cover the fees and I had problems paying-I've only just managed to finish saving up the cash from my weekly burlesque classes to pay them off now. So it would definitely be better to have the money upfront though, for both promoter and performer peace of mind. I think it's a good idea in that way, but practically I think it won't work, and people will always find a way round things.