Radius clauses

CH 4 · Business No. 35 Not yet published

Deck 1
Loaded Radius clauses
CH 4 · Business

Video coming soon – follow the channel to catch it first.

Time0:00.0
Remain-0:41.6
BPM122.0
Waveform · click to jump42 s

Space play / pause · ← → jump 5 s · 1–8 hot cues

A radius clause bars a booked act from playing near a festival for weeks or months around it. A 2018 lawsuit exposed Coachella's: no other North American festival from 15 December to 1 May.

It's not your city. It's the contract.

Facts

  • A radius clause is a non-compete in a booking contract: the act may not play within a set distance of the event for a set time before and/or after it. Promoters say it protects their investment – an AEG spokesperson said promoters “take great risk and spend huge sums”.
  • Coachella's clause came out in an antitrust suit filed in Oregon in April 2018 (Soul'd Out Productions v. Anschutz Entertainment Group). For 2018 it barred acts from any other North American festival from 15 December to 1 May and from hard-ticket shows in Southern California, and limited announcements. The first complaint had wrongly said five western states.
  • The plaintiff ran a soul festival in Portland, Oregon, about 890 miles from Coachella in a straight line (computed), and said artists turned it down citing the clause. The court dismissed the antitrust claims; an appeals court revived the interference claims in 2020, and the case settled that autumn.
  • Lollapalooza's clause was reported in 2010 as 300 miles for 180 days before and 90 days after the festival. Illinois' Attorney General reportedly investigated it; the probe apparently ended without action.
  • Exceptions are often negotiated, but small venues lose bookings: a Chicago club booker called Lollapalooza's window “nine months, essentially”, and a promoter told Mixmag in 2019 that artists sign exclusivity deals “six months either side of the date”.

Sources

  1. Soul'd Out Productions v. Anschutz Entertainment Group: Complaint (US District Court, District of Oregon, No. 3:18-cv-00598, filed 9 April 2018) · US District Court, Oregon checked 7 October 2026
  2. CourtListener docket: Soul'd Out Productions, LLC v. Anschutz Entertainment Group, Inc., 3:18-cv-00598 (D. Or.) · CourtListener checked 7 October 2026
  3. Soul'd Out Productions v. Anschutz Entertainment Group: Opinion and Order (D. Or., 14 March 2019) · US District Court, Oregon checked 7 October 2026
  4. Soul'd Out Productions v. Anschutz Entertainment Group, No. 19-35301: Memorandum (US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 12 May 2020) · US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit checked 7 October 2026
  5. Soul'd Out Productions v. Anschutz Entertainment Group: Joint Status Report (D. Or., 6 November 2020) · US District Court, Oregon checked 7 October 2026
  6. Billboard: Coachella's radius clause details exposed in legal fight with Oregon festival (Dave Brooks, 2018) · Billboard checked 7 October 2026
  7. Pitchfork: Coachella's controversial radius clause actually isn't that hard to get around (Marc Hogan, 2018) · Pitchfork checked 7 October 2026
  8. Variety: Coachella sued by Oregon festival over radius clause (2018) · Variety checked 7 October 2026
  9. Digital Music News: Coachella seeks dismissal of 'radius clause' lawsuit; Soul'd Out fires back (Dylan Smith, 2020) · Digital Music News checked 7 October 2026
  10. Rolling Stone: Attorney General investigates Lollapalooza (Steve Knopper, 2010) · Rolling Stone checked 7 October 2026
  11. Los Angeles Times: So maybe Coachella's booking rules aren't so egregious after all (Todd Martens, 2010) · Los Angeles Times checked 7 October 2026
  12. WBEZ: The new Lollapalooza deal – a blown opportunity (Jim DeRogatis, 2012) · WBEZ Chicago checked 7 October 2026
  13. Wikipedia: Radius clause · Wikipedia checked 7 October 2026
  14. Mixmag: Unhealthy scene – how sky-high DJ fees are crippling dance music (Chandler Shortlidge, 2019) · Mixmag checked 7 October 2026
  15. Mixmag: DJ exclusivity deals and domineering promoters are suffocating independent nightlife (Oliver Payne, 2018) · Mixmag checked 7 October 2026
  16. Wikipedia: Empire Polo Club (coordinates, for the computed distance) · Wikipedia checked 7 October 2026
  17. Wikipedia: Portland, Oregon (coordinates, for the computed distance) · Wikipedia checked 7 October 2026

Contract terms vary and are often negotiated. History, not legal advice.

All sound is original: synthesised for the episode, no samples, no licensed tracks. The narrator’s voice is AI-generated. General information. Features differ by software, player and version – check your own manual. Read how facts are checked and corrected.

Cue Sheet – A short weekly email: the week’s episodes and one extra fact.

One email a week. Unsubscribe any time. How we handle your email.

Script

Why your favourite DJ won't play your city. It's the radius clause: no shows nearby, for weeks or months. Promoters pay big for headliners and don't want them diluted nearby. In 2018, a lawsuit exposed Coachella's clause. First claimed: five western states. The real clause: no other festival in North America, 15 December to 1 May. And no ticketed shows in Southern California. The festival suing was in Portland, nearly 900 miles away, and said acts declined over the clause. Settled in 2020. Clubs lose too: one promoter says DJs sign exclusivity “six months either side of the date”. It's not your city. It's the contract.

Follow on Instagram YouTube Facebook TikTok Coming soon

Sources last checked 7 October 2026.