Definition
Net-Back
The amount that reaches the artist, promoter or venue after fees, taxes, deductions and pass-through costs are removed from the gross transaction value.
- Status
- Definition in force
- Method version
- 1.0
- Reviewed
- 2026-08-22
In the Live Index framework
Gross ticket value is the number most often quoted and the least informative. Net-back is what the party actually receives, and the gap between the two is where the segment economics of ticketing, promotion and venue operation are decided.
Net-back is computed differently at each point in the chain. For an artist it is the settlement figure after the promoter's costs and the deal terms are applied. For a promoter it is the remainder after the guarantee, production and venue costs. For a venue it is rent plus retained facility charges plus ancillary revenue. The same show produces three different net-back figures, and conflating them is a common analytical error.
The Live Index Tour Builder implements the artist and promoter calculations explicitly, which is the clearest available demonstration of how the deductions accumulate.