Festivals18 September 2026

Artist Approval and Broadcast Clearance at Festivals

The single most common reason a festival stream does not include the act everyone came for is that nobody asked in time.

The chain of permissions

The promoter books the artist. That contract says what the promoter can do with the performance. The promoter then engages a production company, and what the production company is allowed to broadcast is limited by the first agreement, not the second.

So a promoter who says "yes, stream everything" may be speaking with authority or may not have checked. Worth asking which.

What artists typically restrict

No broadcast at all. Common for acts with a label release strategy or an exclusive elsewhere.

Screens but no stream. IMAG in the venue is fine, transmission outside it is not. Very common and easy to accommodate if you know in advance.

Limited songs. Two or three tracks broadcast, then the stream cuts away. Standard for larger acts.

No recording. Live only, nothing archived. This has practical implications for your iso records, not just the stream.

Approval of the cut. Rare at festivals, common on the touring side.

What goes on screen when you cannot broadcast

You need a plan for the gap. A holding card with the festival branding and the running order works. A presenter link works better. Cutting to a second stage works best of all if you have one.

What does not work is going to black, because your audience assumes the stream has failed and does not come back.

Settle it before the site plan

Camera positions, screen positions and crew numbers all depend on what you are covering. Finding out three days out that the headliner is screens-only changes the plan and possibly the price.

Ask the promoter for the position on every act at the point you are quoting. If they do not know, that is useful information too.

More on festivals and touring.