Getting paid for performances on Surreal 💰💰

Introduction

You no longer need to send an invoice to the venue / agent as Surreal will automatically generate an invoice for you on your entertainer profile. We queue payments as soon as we receive the venue funds. 

If your payments are showing as overdue it is because we are yet to receive funds from the venue you performed at. We will automatically distribute supplier payments once the venue has settled their outstanding to Surreal.

Just detailing the payment process and expected timings below to help with your payment query.

• Venues will review and approve performances for invoices as the gigs conclude. 
• Surreal sends a bulk invoice to venues every week for the previous week's entertainment.
• Surreal conducts daily Surreal pay runs Monday to Friday
• Once Surreal receives the funds from the venues, payments are released in the next pay run, typically the same day or the following day, depending on when the funds were received.

How payments work in Surreal: 🌍

We queue your payment as soon as funds land from the venue. There's no delay on our end. If a payment is showing as overdue, it means we're still waiting on the venue to pay us.

One thing worth clarifying up front: when a venue marks a gig as "approved," that means they've approved it for invoicing, not that they've paid. Funds are only released to you once the venue settles their invoice to Surreal.

Before your gig: set up your payment details

Add your payment details under your profile settings. Make sure they're an exact match and double-check them before your upcoming performance. Don't forget to add VAT / GST details so they can be applied to your performances. If these aren't added, you'll need to settle that part outside of Surreal with the venue or agent.

The payment flow

1. You finish your gig. For eligible gigs you can expedite a Fast Track payment as soon as you've finished, more here.
2. The Venue Manager raises your performance for invoicing after it's taken place.
3. The gig appears in your Awaiting Payment tab with a timeline for when to expect payment.
4. We invoice venues weekly for the prior week's gigs.
5. The venue's finance team settles payment to Surreal.
6. We run payments Monday to Friday. Once funds arrive, your payment goes out in the next run, usually the same or next day.

Tracking your payment

You can see real-time status on your Payments screen under the "Payment status" column. This is the same view venues and Surreal see, so it's always up to date. The expected payment date is based on the venue's typical timing, so treat it as a guide, not a guarantee. If any gigs are missing from your profile, ask the venue or agent to add them in.

If a payment is overdue

We can't release payment until funds have been received from the venue. For overdue payments, your first action should be to contact the venue directly, which you can do from your payment timeline. We also follow up with the venue's accounts team weekly and will update you in-platform and by email the moment payment lands.

Accessing a fast track payment on the night of your gig

• Surreal fast track payments is a new feature introduced for entertainers where you can get paid for your gigs the same night you play them
• Rather than wait for the venue to pay Surreal, for then Surreal to pay you, you can choose to be paid on the night of your gig
• Only eligible gigs are available for fast track payments
• See more here

How to view your payments 💰

Viewing details in the Payments tab:

Details displayed are performance date / payment status / venue / set times / amount. Once paid you can view / download your gig invoice and search for payment reference number.

Payment status:

Hover over Payment status text to display more information about each amount: 

• Upcoming: your performance has not taken place yet/future date
• Venue Payment Due: your performance has taken place however not been invoiced by the venue yet
• Venue Payment Overdue: payment has not been made by venue and has exceeded invoice payment terms.
• Payment Cleared: venue invoice payment has been received by Surreal and ready to be distributed
• Paid: Your payment has been transferred by Surreal. Funds should clear your account within 1-2 business days. 
• Awaiting Payment Details: Surreal is unable to process payment as no bank details saved in your entertainer settings. These are required before payment can be made.
• Payment Failed: Surreal has tried to process payment but it failed. Please verify your payment details in order for us to process again.

Example Timeline:

Each payment status will provide you with a payment timeline. If payments are overdue you'll see a link to contact the venue or agent directly to follow up.

View invoice: You can view invoices for amounts that are processing or have been paid. Any adjustment notes will be visible on the invoice and can download this as PDF.