Martyn’s Law checklist for music venues

What to think about

• Ticketed capacity plus staff, security, artists and crew.
• Door queues before shows concentrate people outside the venue.
• Sold-out nights are your figure — not the quiet midweek show.
• Promoter-run nights need clear responsibility and co-ordination records.
• Comms must work over show volume: radios, lighting cues, side-of-stage announcements.

Procedure focus

What evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication tend to hinge on in music venues.

• Show-stop authority and signal agreed with the engineer or tour manager
• House lights up, music down as the universal attention signal
• The door team's plan for the queue still outside
• Runners and radios as the fallback when the PA fails

Common evidence gaps

The process gaps venues in this sector most often need to close — each one fixable, and worth a dated record once it is.

• GapPromoter and venue each assume the other is the responsible person
• GapShow-stop authority assumed to sit with the touring crew, not the venue
• GapLockdown plan forgets the queue still outside the doors
• GapEverything depends on the PA, with no runner or radio fallback for a loud room
• GapAgency door staff change nightly and have never seen the role card