Hospitality Rider
The contract section specifying backstage accommodations, food, beverages, and amenities for artists and crew.
Definition
The hospitality rider details everything from dressing room requirements to dietary restrictions. It typically includes room specifications, catering for performers and crew, transportation, and accommodation standards.
While famous for unusual requests, most hospitality riders are practical necessities for touring professionals working long hours away from home.
Why It Matters
Touring is physically demanding. Proper hospitality keeps artists and crew healthy, rested, and able to perform at their best night after night.
Unfulfilled riders create friction, affect morale, and can indicate venues that cut corners elsewhere too.
Examples in Practice
A typical mid-level rider: private dressing room with mirror and seating, dinner for 8 crew members (2 vegetarian options), case of water, coffee with cream/sugar, fruit and protein snacks.
Van Halen's famous "no brown M&Ms" clause was actually a clever way to verify venues read the entire rider carefully—if brown M&Ms appeared, other safety-critical details might also be ignored.