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Definitions

The words this category uses loosely.

Most terms in live entertainment mean whatever the person using them needs them to mean. Curated. Elite. Verified. Hand-picked.

These are the definitions MAGIQ works to, written so that anyone — a buyer, a performer, a journalist, a competitor — can hold us to them.

Every definition here appears in the same form on the pages that use it. If a definition on this site contradicts this page, this page is correct and the other page is a mistake worth reporting.

Verified

MAGIQ's certification. It certifies professionalism, consistency and reliability — never artistry — and it can be revoked.

Verified answers exactly one question: can this performer be hired without worrying? It is issued from observed evidence against published criteria, reviewed annually and immediately after any recorded incident, and it can be withdrawn.

What it is not

Not a badge, not a membership tier, and not a measure of how good a performer is. A standard built on taste cannot be audited, appealed or revoked, which is why this one is built on evidence instead.

Professionalism versus artistry

Artistry is subjective and cannot be certified. Professionalism is objective, evidenced and can be revoked — so that is what MAGIQ measures.

This distinction is what makes any certification in live performance buildable. Whether a performance was extraordinary is a matter of taste, and a standard based on taste can never win an argument with someone who disagrees.

What it is not

Not a claim that artistry does not matter. It is the reason a buyer books at all. It is simply not something a third party can certify honestly.

Observed placement

A placement MAGIQ either attended in person, or ran a structured debrief on within 48 hours against a fixed question set.

Observation in person is the stronger form and is required for a performer's first two placements, for any booking in the top budget band, and for any first engagement with a new buyer.

What it is not

Not a review, not a rating, and not something the performer submits.

Brief

A buyer's description of the problem to be solved: event type, country, budget, guest count, and — the field that matters most — their objective.

The brief, not the performer profile, is the unit of MAGIQ's business. A directory assumes the buyer already knows what they want and can evaluate the options; a brief-first intake assumes the opposite, which is usually true.

Flat placement fee

MAGIQ is paid by the buyer, a flat fee set by the brief and quoted before any shortlist is built — so the fee does not move with which performer is chosen.

A percentage fee means the agency earns more when the buyer picks the more expensive option. That is a live conflict of interest sitting inside every shortlist, and no amount of good intent removes it, because someone still has to write the shortlist knowing what each row pays them.

What it is not

Not a commission, and not a percentage. An agency that quotes one number is not telling the buyer which part of it is the advice.

Trust Record

The structured record of who performed, for whom, in what context, and how it went — the evidence base Verified is issued from.

It holds event type, audience, venue tier, budget band, the buyer's stated objective, the buyer's feedback, any incidents, and repeat bookings.

Decision service

A service the buyer describes a problem to and receives judgment from, as opposed to a directory they search themselves.

The buyer's problem in live entertainment is not discovery — magicians can be found in ninety seconds and have been since 2004. The problem is that a buyer cannot tell them apart, because they lack the expertise to judge the craft.

What it is not

Not a marketplace, not a directory, and not a booking agency that introduces and invoices.

Replacement commitment

If a booked performer cannot appear, MAGIQ sources a replacement of equivalent standard or refunds its fee in full and assists at no charge.

It covers performer non-appearance and performer cancellation. It does not cover force majeure, venue failure, cancellation by the buyer, or dissatisfaction with an act that appeared and performed as briefed.

Why publish this at all?

Because a standard nobody can read is not a standard, and a definition that shifts to suit the sentence it appears in is not a definition.

It also gives away the framework, which is deliberate. A buyer who reads this and concludes they can now evaluate performers themselves was never a MAGIQ buyer — they have the time and expertise the service exists to substitute for. A buyer who reads it and thinks these are the people who wrote this is exactly who we are for.

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