[For Live House Beginners] What does “ticket reservation (torioki)” mean?
There are plenty of terms in the live music scene that are hard to understand.
For band members thinking, “I want to play a show at a live house!” and for people getting excited (and a bit nervous) about going to a live house for the first time to see a band, and even for the regulars who now treat it all as second nature—there was a time when none of it made sense.
This time, we’ll explain a standard live house term: ‘torioki’ (ticket reservation/holding at the door).
What does “torioki” at a live house mean?
At live housesReserve; put on hold; layawayThis kind of system has become widespread.
It literally means, “I’ll save a ticket for you!”
Most venue reservations for live houses are paid afterward (post-payment).
In other words, if you go, you can pay and definitely get in.
In most cases, you won’t be charged a cancellation fee even if you don’t go.
From the band’s perspective, one advantage of taking reservations is that it makes it easier to estimate roughly how many people will attend.
Reservation/hold system
Now that social media is widespread, most bands have band accounts or personal accounts, so it’s possible to make reservations via social media or through their official websites.
Of course, if you know the band, you can contact them directly and make a reservation.
There are advance payments and post-payments for that, but I think post-payment is largely the norm in the indie industry.
Bands are given a reservation list by the venue, on which they write the names of the people who have requested to have tickets held for them.
If you submit that reservation list to the live house, you can enter ticketless by just paying at the reception.
Happy benefits of reserving (items)
As I wrote earlier, I think the biggest advantage of taking reservations is that it makes it easier for the band to estimate attendance.
On the other hand, there are benefits for the customers as well.
First, by reserving in advance, you eliminate the worry of the event being sold out and not being able to enter on the day.
It also depends on the performance or event, but in many cases the price is cheaper if you reserve in advance (hold a ticket) compared to paying on the day.
It’s a system that makes both the customers and the band happy.
When asking to reserve an item
When asking a band to hold tickets for you, there are additional details you need to provide besides just saying, “I’d like to reserve tickets.”
- Name
- number of sheets
I absolutely have to tell (you/them) this.
When you go to a live music venue, they’ll ask, “Which band did you come to see?” Please tell them the band you’re here for and your name to enter.
Lastly
At your first live house, even how to enter and how to enjoy yourself are full of unknowns.
I think there are many things that people who have just started a band don’t understand.
Although the image is gradually changing, many people may still feel a sense of being out of place.
I hope this can be of help to those who are new to live music venues.


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