Piano hire for artist managers and tour production

Make three short lists: essential requirements, preferences, and questions awaiting a decision. An essential requirement might be artist acceptance of a particular model; a preference might concern finish or orientation. Do not downgrade a requirement merely because another piano is available. Equally, avoid describing a preference as mandatory when the artist would happily consider an alternative. The distinction makes an enquiry answerable.

Attach the relevant rider extract, not the entire tour archive. Explain the performance format and what the piano will actually do: solo set, accompaniment, a short guest appearance or rehearsal. If the rider mentions a tuning standard, preparation request or accessory, ask for explicit confirmation of that item. A general hire confirmation should not be read as acceptance of every technical instruction contained in an attachment.

Keep a dated decision log with the chosen model and outstanding questions. When an answer changes, record who approved it and update the working brief. That log is particularly useful when the artist's manager approves the instrument but a different production person attends the show.

Separate access information from access approval. A venue contact can describe a lift or stage, while the responsible operators must confirm the proposed movement and placement. If a temporary stage is involved, pass the current instrument specifications to the staging provider and ask them to assess the complete arrangement. This guide does not certify a floor, a lift, a platform or a route.

Advance both delivery and collection. The route available during daytime load-in may be blocked by merchandise, crowd barriers or another vehicle at load-out. Ask who controls doors and loading access after the show, and whether any building booking expires before collection. Include the person who can resolve an on-site obstruction, rather than relying on an unattended general venue number.

Record changes in the same brief used for the artist advance. If the room, stage or entrance changes, send the revised details for reassessment. An approval for one position is not automatically approval for the other side of the building.

Treat proposed supplier windows as requests until confirmed. Online booking requires at least two days' notice; it does not promise that a late touring change can be accommodated. If your schedule is urgent or depends on a precise handover, explain the constraint in an enquiry. Give the actual date and time rather than “before lunch” or “after the other band”. Avoid committing artist call times around an unconfirmed logistics assumption.

Ask the production team which activities need the same space. Scenic installation, lighting focus, soundcheck and instrument preparation can compete for the stage. Put the conflicts in the advance so the venue can sequence them. A quiet period for optional tuning is a production requirement to coordinate, not an empty gap that can quietly become rehearsal time.

Include collection in the master run sheet even if another person handles it. Identify when the instrument is released, which route remains clear, and who stays until the agreed handover. If overnight hire would better match building access, ask about that option rather than assuming same-night collection is available.

A finish that suits a stage concept does not establish musical suitability. Ask the performer to assess the offered instrument against their own requirements. If they request a particular action, tonal character or preparation, transmit the request without translating it into a guarantee. A hire supplier can respond to a specific question more usefully than to “professional standard required”.

Agree how a proposed change would be approved. The production coordinator should not have to guess whether a different instrument is acceptable while a show is being built. Record whether artist approval is required, which role gives it, and whether the show can proceed with an alternative. Do not state that a substitute is included or available unless the supplier has confirmed that arrangement.

For a run of performances, separate model acceptance from date availability. Acceptance for one date does not reserve the instrument for the next show. List every date, location and any planned movement in the enquiry so the team can assess the actual request rather than a shorthand description of the tour.

Have the performer or musical director communicate preparation requirements before the day. If a preferred pitch or unusual technique matters, ask whether it can be accommodated and approved. Avoid requesting internal adjustments through a stagehand after delivery. The instrument remains hired property, and a creative idea is not permission to alter it or attach equipment to it.

Coordinate the preparation sequence with the audio team. They need to know when the piano will be in its final agreed position and when they can begin their own work. Ask them to keep stands, leads and production equipment out of the moving route until placement is complete. This is scheduling advice, not a microphone technique or a promise about the room's acoustic result.

Include a practical escalation route for a concern raised at soundcheck. Record the issue, notify the hire contact and follow the agreed response instead of attempting a repair. The aim is a clear handoff between artist, production and supplier, with each decision made by the person responsible for it.

Use the live booking or written quote for costs. Do not build a budget from a copied historic rate, or assume that a venue change leaves the amount unchanged. Ask what needs to happen if the performance date, duration, access or location changes. Keep the accepted documents together with the production brief so a replacement tour manager can distinguish confirmed arrangements from an early enquiry.

If an organisation needs a particular invoice reference or approval step, raise that before assuming payment is complete. A purchase order or internal authorisation is not itself proof that the supplier has confirmed the booking. Check the actual booking status and retain the relevant confirmation. Review the current hire terms rather than relying on the rules of another supplier used elsewhere on the tour.

Finish the commercial handover with a list of unresolved items. It is better to state “collection timing awaiting confirmation” than to leave the field blank and let the next person read silence as agreement. The production document should make uncertainty visible without turning every planning preference into a contractual promise.

A multi-venue itinerary needs separate access and placement information for each stop. Do not assume that a hire for one performance permits the touring crew to move the instrument to the next venue. Ask the hire team about the complete itinerary and required specialist transport. The collection lists instruments, not an open-ended permission to transport them yourself.

Plan for schedule changes without promising that they can be absorbed. If a soundcheck runs late, contact the relevant parties and agree what can move. If a second show is added, confirm the hire period and building arrangements. Preserve the distinction between an operational request and an accepted variation so the artist and venue are not working from different expectations.

At the end of the engagement, close the loop with the person handling collection and administration. Record any issue through the agreed channel and retain the final documents. A concise handover is more useful for the next production than a glowing account that omits the access complication or the approval that was still outstanding.

Next, summarise the artist requirements and attach the relevant extracts. Make it clear which requirements have been accepted by the artist and which are questions for the supplier. Include the optional tuning request, the preparation sequence and any unusual use that needs permission. Keep audio equipment and performer engagement in a separate part of your production plan unless they have been expressly included.

Finally, ask for confirmation of the points that control your decision. That might be model and date availability, whether the proposed access can be assessed, and which timing arrangements are possible. Avoid a long list of speculative extras when the essential question is still whether the instrument is available for the show.

Use the brief builder on this page to organise those facts without entering personal contact details. Its output is a working note you can copy into your own enquiry; it does not submit a booking, hold an instrument or certify access. Check the current collection and process pages before converting the advance into a confirmed hire.