Music Promoter GuidesEight pages for putting on live music in the UK - every kind of night, the rules and the money
Eight guides for promoters
Becoming a music promoter is easier than ever with GigXchange: find the room, book the acts direct with a contract each time, and turn the line-up into a poster in one click. These eight pages cover every kind of night - a gig, a club night, an open mic, a charity gig, a battle of the bands and a small festival - plus how to start out and how the money works.
Act fees on every page are live GX Index benchmarks. See everything a promoter account does on GigXchange for promoters.
The best nights I played as a guitarist were put on by people who got three things right: the room, the line-up and the date. Not the biggest budget. These pages are built around those three, with the act fees read live so the budget you plan from is today’s.
1. Every kind of night
Every promoter guide in one place
Six kinds of night, how to start out, how the money works - and everything a promoter account does.
A gig night
Two or three bands in a room of 50 to 200 is the classic first show. A 3 to 4 piece band at a pub or bar is typically £350 (275 fees) on the live GX Index - the room, sound and promotion come on top. How to put on a gig covers the line-up, the budget, tickets and the night itself.
A club night
A club night lives on the room, the sound and a regular date. Most start monthly in a bar or a small club, with one or two resident DJs and a guest on the poster once the crowd is there. Music between 8am and 11pm on alcohol-licensed premises needs no extra licence for 500 or fewer, but after 11pm the venue’s premises licence must cover it - ask before you book the date. How to start a club night covers DJs, formats and promotion.
An open mic night
The cheapest regular night to run and the best way to build a scene: one host, a PA, a sign-up list and the same night every week, usually midweek in a pub. The GigXchange directory already holds 1,440+ UK open mic listings, which is where performers look for a new night. How to start an open mic night covers the night, the kit and the host.
A charity gig
Be clear with the audience how much goes to the cause, agree any reduced fees with the acts in writing, and follow the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Fundraising Practice. Acts with their own following sell the most tickets, and a raffle with donated prizes often adds as much as the door. How to organise a charity gig has the rules and where the money comes from.
A battle of the bands
Publish the rules before anyone plays: who can enter, equal set times with a fixed changeover, named judges with written criteria, a stated prize and one person who settles disputes. Each band bringing its own crowd is what fills the room, so the entry rules shape the night as much as the music. How to run a battle of the bands sets each one out.
A small festival
Start under 500 people and a temporary events notice can cover it - bigger needs a premises licence from the council and a safety plan. The Purple Guide is the event industry’s safety reference, and HSE sets out the law for events. How to start a music festival covers the site, the licence, safety and the line-up.
2. The promoter’s business
Becoming a promoter
Most promoters start with one small night and grow a following. How to become a music promoter is the starting point, with a guide for each kind of first night.
Deals and break-even
A guarantee, a door split or a versus deal - and break-even is total costs divided by the ticket price. Music promoter deals explains each one on live fees.
3. The guides at a glance
Every guide and its live act fee
Each page budgets the acts from the live GX Index - here is the figure each one starts from.
| Guide | Best for | Live act fee |
|---|---|---|
| Become a music promoter | Your first nights | Pub solo: £250 (370 fees) |
| Put on a gig | Bands in a small room | Pub 3 to 4 piece: £350 (275 fees) |
| Start a club night | DJs and a regular date | Private party solo: £354 (78 fees) |
| Start an open mic night | A weekly scene | Pub solo: £250 (370 fees) |
| Organise a charity gig | Raising money | Pub 3 to 4 piece: £350 (275 fees) |
| Run a battle of the bands | Many bands, one night | Pub 3 to 4 piece: £350 (275 fees) |
| Start a small festival | A one-day event | Party 3 to 4 piece: £869 (534 fees) |
| Promoter deals | The money | Pub 5 piece or more: £525 (223 fees) |
Music promoter guides on GigXchange
The act fees are artist-fee benchmarks only - the room, sound, staff and promotion come on top.
4. The rules, in one paragraph
In England and Wales, live music needs no entertainment licence between 8am and 11pm for 500 or fewer on alcohol-licensed premises (GOV.UK Live Music Act guidance). A one-off event outside a licence needs a temporary events notice, and playing music in public needs TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own licensing law.
5. Why promoters put their nights on GigXchange
The nights that fail rarely fail on the music. They fail on a main act who thought the fee was a guarantee, a support act that never confirmed, a room hire that did not include sound, or a gig nobody heard about until the day.
GigXchange was built to take those risks off the table. Every act is heard before they are booked and contracted when they are, with the fee, set time and kit in writing. The deposit is held until the gig, GX Gig Rescue finds cover if an act drops out, the poster is one click, and the night goes into a national gig directory where people look for something to do - so a promoter can put their energy into the crowd.
Find the room in the venue directory - 2,820+ UK venues - book from 980+ artists, agree the fee and set times in the chat, and every booking makes a contract you both sign. GigXchange takes 0% of the artist's booking fee. The booking fee is 5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately. List the night free in the gig directory alongside 8,570+ upcoming UK gigs.
02 — Questions6 answersAsked and answeredFrequently Asked Questions
Annual refresh commitment
This guide was published on 22 October 2026 and is refreshed every October. We re-verify every reference, recommendation, and data point once a year. Next scheduled refresh: October 2027. If any claim is outdated before then, email support@gigxchange.app and we aim to update it within one working day.
