For musicians, bands, promoters and venues, the jargon of the rock and roll tour can sometimes be a mystery. Knowing what drum risers, monitor mixes and riders are can be learned from experience but if you’re new to the touring music world it’s handy to have a head start. With that in mind, HI~Arts, the arts development agency for the Highlands & Islands, has developed Gig-speak, an interactive downloadable a to z of most of the commonly used terminology you’re likely to encounter when booking a band or pa system for your venue, or indeed playing gigs yourself. You can download Gig-speak now at www.hi-arts.co.uk/music  

As well as explaining many technical production terms, Gig-speak outlines the roles of agents, managers and promoters, clarifies the difference between catering and hospitality, offers tips on managing a guest list and much more. You can either browse the document in its entirety or use the PDF bookmarks to jump straight to a particular word or phrase for quick reference.

HI~Arts development co-ordinator John Saich has written Gig-speak based on his many years experience of international and UK touring, with additional up to the minute fact checking by electronic music producer Robbie Dunsmore and Rockness, Loopallu and Belladrum promoter Robert Hicks. With many venues now expanding their programmes to include high-spec music productions (and bearing in mind the requirements of traditional folk and rock bands are often quite similar), Gig-speak can help make show day run smoothly for promoters, venue managers and artists alike.