When several managers or labels act for performers on one bill, each performer has an actual approver for selection and release. Ask for that name in writing before the show, and agree how long the review takes. Photographs of a performer should not be released or credited until their approver has said yes.
On a bill with several acts, "the artist's team" is not one person. A headline act might have a personal manager, a label contact and a publicist. A support act might have none of those and answer for themselves. The promoter wants to publish, and each of them may expect a say.
This guide is part of our work on concert and live-music photography.
Why one question avoids many problems
The most useful question is simple: for this performer, who decides which photographs are chosen and who releases them? Ask it before the show, for every performer, and write down the answer.
Without it, the likely failure is quiet. A promoter posts an image that one representative has not seen, and another representative complains. Or an image is credited to the wrong act. Both are avoidable.
Two separate decisions
Selection and release are not the same thing. One person may choose which frames best represent the artist, while another must clear them for publication. The artist might have a view on both.
| Decision | Who might hold it | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| Selection of images | Artist, manager or publicist | Name and contact |
| Release for publication | Label, manager or artist | Name and the uses covered |
| Credit and caption wording | Publicist or promoter | Agreed wording |
This is an illustration. Each performer's team fills in the real names. Our guide to permission to photograph and permission to publish explains why the decisions differ.
Build a short approval register
A small table does more than a long email thread. List each performer, the approver, the uses covered and the review window. The image-use and approval register is designed for this.
Update it when someone changes. If a label takes over a decision from a manager, record the date and keep the earlier approval on file.
When people disagree
Sometimes two representatives give different answers. The right response is to pause the images in question, not to choose one. Tell the promoter, who raises it with the performer's team. We keep the images safely until the answer is clear.
Our guide to selecting event photographs when several people have approval rights explains how to structure review so that conflicts appear early.
Law, contract and policy
Several layers may apply here. Rights over a performance and an image, the terms between promoter and artist, the venue's rules and the promoter's own policy are different things. We do not give legal advice, and we do not claim to know which applies to your show. Ask your own adviser about the contracts, then give us the instructions to follow. Keep those instructions in a record, as described in keeping records of agreed image-use restrictions.
A hypothetical example
Imagine a promoter with a headline act, two support acts and a local opener. The headline act has a manager and a label, and the label controls social media use. One support act is represented by an agency. The opener speaks for itself.
The register lists a name against each, with the headline act's label approving social use and the manager approving press. Images arrive grouped by performer. The agency's approval comes back with two exclusions, which are noted and honoured. The promoter publishes only what is marked approved.
Credits and captions
Misattribution is a real risk when many acts appear. Ask each team for the exact name, spelling and credit format. The event photograph caption worksheet helps you collect them.
What we confirm in writing
We confirm the date, venue, crew assigned, deliverables and quotation in writing, along with the approval route you have given us. Ask us whether images can be delivered grouped by performer. We confirm what is possible for your date, and we release nothing outside the route you agree.
Questions to prepare
- Does each performer have a named approver?
- Which uses need which approver?
- Who holds images awaiting approval?
- What happens if the approver cannot be reached in time?
Checklist
- List every performer on the bill.
- Name the approver for each, with contact details.
- Record which uses each approver covers: press, social, sponsor, archive.
- Agree how long review should take.
- Decide who holds images that are awaiting approval.
- Keep approvals in a register, not scattered across chats.
Send us the performer list with each approver's name and the use you plan for the images, and we will propose a review route. We confirm the scope, crew assigned and deliverables in writing.
Set up our approval routeCommon questions
Who can approve photographs of a performer?
Whoever the artist and their contract say can. That may be the artist, a manager, a label or a publicist, and it can differ by use. Ask each performer's team to name the approver and the uses covered, in writing. We do not guess, and we do not accept approval from someone not named.
What if two representatives disagree?
Pause release of the images concerned and ask the promoter to resolve it with the performer's team. We can continue to hold the images safely. A disagreement is a contract question for the parties, and we do not take sides.
Does the promoter's contract settle this?
It may, but not always. Rights between the promoter, the artist and the label are set by their own agreements, which we have not seen. Ask your own legal adviser about those, and share the instructions you want us to follow.
How long should approval take?
Agree a realistic window before the show, tied to your publicity dates. Review is quicker when images are grouped by performer and come with clear captions. We confirm delivery timing in the written quotation, not in advance.
Set up our approval route
Send us the performer list with each approver's name and the use you plan for the images, and we will propose a review route. We confirm the scope, crew assigned and deliverables in writing.
What happens next: You send your event details on WhatsApp. Our team reads the brief, asks what is missing, then confirms in writing whether the date, venue and coverage can be booked, with a quotation. Opening WhatsApp does not send anything, and a message is not a booking until both sides confirm.
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