Festival planning tends to break down at the same point. Someone sees a name on a poster and assumes they now know when that artist plays, what they will play and whether a recording will exist afterwards. Those are three separate questions. The lineup timetable tracklist difference is worth learning once, because each document answers a different question and none of them can stand in for another.
The lineup: who is booked
A lineup lists the artists an organizer has booked for an edition, and that is all it promises. It tells you nothing about the day, the stage, the start time or how long a set runs. Many festivals announce in phases, so an early list may grow. Check the organizer's own site. For example, Ultra Music Festival's official site is where you would look for that event's lineup information, not a reposted graphic.
The timetable: when and where
A timetable (also called the schedule or set times) assigns booked artists to a day, a stage and a time slot. This is the document you can actually plan around: clashes, meeting points, when to eat. It usually comes out separately from the lineup. A name on the lineup doesn't give you a set time, and a fan-made grid built before the organizer publishes is only a guess. If times change, the organizer's current version is the one that counts.
The set list: what a band played
A set list describes the songs performed at a particular show. It belongs to the performance, not the booking. One night's set list doesn't guarantee the next night's, and you can only be sure of it once the show has happened.
The tracklist: what was in the mix
For DJs, the closer equivalent is a tracklist, which usually identifies the tracks in a DJ mix or set. The trap is that a DJ set may be built largely from other producers' records. A track in a DJ's tracklist isn't automatically that DJ's song, and it doesn't mean the original producer was at the festival. Credit goes to the people who made the record.
The official recording: one performance, documented
An official recording documents a specific performance and is released or authorized by the artist, label, broadcaster or organizer. It doesn't necessarily cover the whole event, every stage or even a full set. A fan upload is not official, however good the audio is.
Radio mixes are not festival proof
Broadcast mixes add one more layer. The BBC's Essential Mix programme page is the reference for a radio mix show. A DJ appearing there tells you they recorded a mix for broadcast. It doesn't show that they are booked for any particular festival, and a radio mix isn't a recording of a festival set unless the broadcaster says so.
How to use all five when you plan
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Use the lineup to decide whether an edition is worth the trip.
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Wait for the official timetable before locking in plans with friends. Save a copy, but check it again on the day.
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Treat set lists and tracklists as records of what happened, not previews.
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When you look for a recording, use artist, label, broadcaster or organizer channels, and check exactly which performance it documents.
Put simply: the lineup is who, the timetable is when and where, the set list and tracklist are what, and an official recording documents one specific performance.
