The UK live music industry uses 3 distinct booking models across 7 platforms. Understanding the difference matters more than comparing features.
Traditional Agency
Alive Network · Bands for Hire
The agency curates a roster of acts, you enquire, they recommend performers on your behalf and handle all logistics. Commission is approximately 20%, built into the quoted price.
Best for: Hands-off bookers, weddings, corporate events.
Curated Marketplace
Encore Musicians
Acts apply to join and Encore vets them. You browse, shortlist and enquire. 20% flat commission. Larger roster than traditional agencies but less hand-holding.
Best for: Bookers who want choice and quality control.
Peer-to-Peer
GIGXCHANGE
All four roles — artist, venue, agent and promoter — connect directly. No gatekeeping. No commission — 5% only for protected payments. Digital contracts, Stripe escrow, two-way reviews. Artists set their own prices. See how it works.
Best for: Direct relationships, lower fees, emerging artists.
Feature Comparison
Side-by-side on the things that matter.
Feature
GigXchange
Encore
Alive Network
Bands for Hire
GigPig
Last Minute
Gigmit
Commission
0–5%
20%
~20% (in price)
~15–20%
Free (venue pays)
Subscription
Freemium
Who sets the price
Artist
Artist (floor set)
Agency
Agency
Artist
Artist
Artist
Digital contracts
Auto-generated
Agency terms
Agency terms
Agency terms
—
—
—
Escrow payments
Stripe
Platform holds
Agency invoices
Agency invoices
Invoicing
Direct (cash)
Direct
Two-way reviews
Yes
One-way
—
—
—
—
—
Artist profiles
Public, indexed
On Encore
Limited
Limited
Yes
Directory
Yes
Free to join
Yes
Vetted
By invitation
By invitation
Yes
No (sub)
Freemium
Booking initiated by
Any role
Booker
Booker
Booker
Venue posts
Booker
Artist applies
Open mic directory
1,100+
—
—
—
—
—
—
Rate benchmarks
GX Index
—
—
—
—
—
—
Genre pages
72 pages
Filters
Filters
Filters
Filters
Filters
Tags
UK-only
Europe-wide
All data verified May 2026 from each platform’s own public pages. Commission rates can change — verify directly. See release notes for the latest GigXchange updates, or read more about us.
Commission Breakdown
What each platform takes from your booking fee.
0–5%
GIGXCHANGE
Artist keeps 92–100%
£1,000 booking → £920–£1,000
20%
Encore Musicians
Artist keeps 80%
£1,000 booking → £800
~20%
Alive Network
Built into quoted price
Booker pays £1,200 → Artist ~£1,000
~15–20%
Bands for Hire
Built into quoted price
Similar to Alive Network, slightly lower
Platform FAQ
Common questions about choosing the right UK live music booking platform.
GigXchange — it takes no commission; the only charge is an optional 5% protected-payment fee (0% if you settle privately). Encore Musicians charges a flat 20%. Alive Network charges approximately 20% built into the quoted price. Bands for Hire charges approximately 15–20% built into the quoted price. The Musicians’ Union publishes recommended minimum rates as a baseline.
Different models. GigXchange is peer-to-peer: direct artist–venue connection, no commission (just an optional 5% protected-payment fee), and artists control their own pricing. Encore is a curated marketplace with a larger roster (~5,000 acts), staff-vetted quality, but 20% commission and the agency controls the customer relationship.
Agencies (Alive Network, Bands for Hire) represent a curated roster and handle the entire booking on your behalf. Marketplaces (Encore Musicians) list acts and facilitate connections between bookers and performers. Peer-to-peer platforms (GigXchange) let all four roles—artists, venues, agents and promoters—connect directly with digital contracts and Stripe escrow.
Depends on your priority. Encore Musicians has the largest vetted roster for weddings. Alive Network has decades of wedding industry experience and hands-off service. GigXchange takes no commission (optional 5% protected-payment fee) and lets you build a direct relationship with the artist. See GX Index data for current UK wedding band rates.
Yes. Encore Musicians charges a flat 20% commission on all bookings, paid by the artist. On a £1,000 booking, the artist receives £800. Compare that to GigXchange, which takes no commission (optional 5% protected-payment fee) — see the rate calculator.
Alive Network is a traditional booking agency. You enquire, they recommend acts from their curated roster, negotiate terms on your behalf, and handle the booking logistics. Commission is approximately 20%, built into the quoted price. You do not deal directly with the artist until after booking.
Yes. Artists set their own fee ranges on GigXchange. There is no price floor or agency markup. The GX Index provides market data from 12,000+ observations so artists can benchmark against real UK rates — alongside Musicians’ Union national gig rates as a minimum floor — but pricing is entirely in the artist’s hands.
No. Bands for Hire is a smaller UK booking agency with a curated roster of function and wedding bands. Encore Musicians is a larger curated marketplace. Both charge approximately 20% commission, but the booking experience differs: Bands for Hire operates as a traditional agency (phone and email), while Encore has an online platform with search and messaging.
GigXchange. No roster gatekeeping, no minimum fee requirement, free to join, no commission (5% only for protected payments), and purpose-built tools for emerging acts including a setlist builder, rate calculator, open mic directory (1,100+ sessions) and contract generator. For context on what grassroots gigs typically pay, see the MU’s national gig rates.
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