Tech Rider and Requirements on Your Band or DJ Website: What to List for the Venue So There Are No Surprises on Event Day

Most problems on event day don't come from the music. They come from power that keeps tripping, a stage that's too small, an outlet thirty metres away, or a venue manager who never saw your requirements before that evening. And when it happens, the venue isn't the one who gets blamed. You are.

A tech rider published clearly on your website solves this before it starts. Instead of emailing a PDF in the final week, the venue and the client have it from the start, read it calmly and tell you early what they can't provide. This article shows you exactly what to list, how to structure it, and why the way you publish it matters as much as what you write.

Tech rider vs. hospitality rider: what each is and why you publish both

They're two different documents, even if people mix them up.

The tech rider describes what you need in order to sound good: electrical power, circuits, stage space, equipment access, setup time. If these are missing, the event stops.

The hospitality rider describes working conditions for the team: food, water, somewhere to change, lodging if it's far, parking. These don't stop the event, but they're the difference between a rested crew and an exhausted one at three in the morning.

On your site you can put both as a single page with two clear sections, plus a downloadable PDF. The point isn't to look demanding, it's to remove questions. A client who sees everything in black and white trusts you more than one who gets last-minute requirements dropped on them.

Electrical power: the number-one source of surprises

This is where most events fall apart, so write it first and write it concrete.

Put on your site:

• The total amps / kilowatts you need (speakers, lights, DJ booth, fog).
• How many separate circuits you ask for and why (sound on one, lights on another, so nothing dies when the fog machine kicks in).
• Whether you need proper grounding and stable voltage, not an extension cord dragged from the kitchen.
• What happens outdoors or under a marquee: who provides the generator and at what rating.

Say explicitly that outlets need to be near the stage. It sounds trivial, but the difference between an outlet five metres away and one thirty metres away means cables, time and risk. When the venue reads this early, it can prepare a dedicated panel instead of improvising on the night.

Space, access and setup time

A sound and lighting system doesn't fit just anywhere and isn't carried up stairs without someone knowing in advance.

Publish:

• The minimum floor area you need for the stage or DJ zone, in metres.
• Clearance height, if you use lighting trusses or totems.
• How the gear reaches its spot: is there a ramp, a lift, stairs, a narrow door? Can a vehicle get close for unloading?
• How long you need for setup and soundcheck before guests arrive, and how long teardown takes at the end.

Add a line about coordinating with the other suppliers: photographer, catering, band plus DJ at the same time. If the venue knows you arrive two hours early and leave after the room empties, it plans the schedule differently than if it assumed you show up ten minutes before the first dance.

Sound, noise limits and the cut-off time

Many venues have noise rules, close neighbours, or a time after which the music must come down. Better to learn that from a form than at midnight, when someone comes to stop you.

On your site, ask the client and venue to confirm:

• Whether there's a cut-off time for high volume or for music in general.
• Whether there are restrictions for outdoor events (many local authorities have them).
• Whether the venue already has a PA system you're expected to use, or you bring your own.

Add your side too: what noise level is normal for that kind of event and that you can adapt the volume by zone. That shows you're not there just to blast, but to fit the sound to the place. It's the kind of detail that reassures a client stressed about neighbours or venue management.

How to publish the rider so it actually gets used

A document nobody can find helps nobody. The format matters as much as the content.

Practical recommendations:

• A dedicated page, easy to find from the menu ("Technical requirements" or "For the venue"), not buried in a PDF sent by email.
• Text readable right on the page, plus a downloadable PDF the venue can print.
• Separate versions if you offer both band and DJ — the requirements differ a lot, and one mixed rider confuses everyone.
• A small form or a WhatsApp button through which the venue confirms it can provide what you ask.

At MPO Web Studio we build exactly this kind of site for music acts: we make you a free pre-built demo with the technical requirements page already structured, you see it before you pay anything, and everything about delivery happens remotely. If you'd like to see how your own tech rider would look put together, message us on WhatsApp and we'll set it up on a real demo.