Fill Your Stage
215 artists across 40 cities, all in one place. Free to list, free to message, 5 minutes to set up — emergency cover within 48 hours if an act cancels.
For Venues, Pubs & Bars
Fill Your Stage.
Book Direct.
Stop paying agencies 30% to find live music. Browse 228 artists across 40 cities, post gigs in 2 minutes, and book direct — auto-generated digital contracts, Stripe payments released within 7 days, and two-way reviews on every booking.
Why Venues Choose GIGXCHANGE
Everything you need to keep your stage full, in one place
Browse 215 UK Artists
Search 215 artists across 40 cities by genre, location, budget, and capacity in under 2 minutes. Filter solo acts, duos, bands, and DJs to find exactly the right fit for your venue and your crowd.
Post Gigs & Get Applications
Post what you need — date, genre, budget, requirements — and let artists come to you. Review profiles, listen to samples, and pick the best act.
Contracts & Payments Handled
Every booking comes with an auto-generated digital contract. Deposits are held securely via Stripe and released when the gig is complete. No cash, no invoices.
How It Works
From signup to showtime — four simple steps
Onboarding
List Your Venue
Add your capacity, location, venue type, equipment, and the genres you book. Help artists understand what you're looking for.
Discovery
Search or Post
Browse artist profiles with audio, video, and reviews. Or post a gig listing with your requirements and let artists apply directly.
Booking
Book & Sign
Send a booking request, agree terms, and sign a digital contract. Everything is documented — no back-and-forth emails or handshake deals.
Showtime
Host & Pay
The artist turns up, plays the gig, and both sides confirm completion. Funds release automatically via Stripe. Simple, clean, done.
Built for Live Music Venues
Not a generic directory — a proper live music booking platform
Advanced Search Filters
Filter artists by genre, location, budget, capacity, equipment needs, and availability. Find exactly the right act in minutes, not hours.
Gig Posting
Post gig listings with your date, genre, budget, and requirements. Artists apply with their profile — review samples and pick the best fit.
Calendar Management
Manage your entertainment calendar in one place. Sync with Google Calendar or iCal — no double-bookings, no spreadsheets.
Reviews & Ratings
Rate artists after every gig and build your venue's reputation. Two-way reviews mean both sides are accountable and transparent.
Secure Payments
Deposits held securely via Stripe. Funds release automatically when both sides confirm the gig is complete. No cash, no invoicing, no chasing.
Emergency Cover
If an act cancels last-minute, GigXchange auto-notifies matching available artists in your area. Fill the gap fast, without the panic.
Why Direct Booking Beats Agencies
Agencies work for big-budget events. Most venue nights aren't that.
Agencies like Encore Musicians and Alive Network charge 20–35% on top of the artist's fee and focus on weddings and corporate events. If you're booking weekly pub nights, open mic hosts, or small festival stages — you're on your own.
Not sure if you need a music license? Read our UK live music license guide first. Not sure where to start? Our guide on how to find live music for your venue walks through the full 6-step process. GigXchange lets you browse artists directly, post gigs and receive applications, and handle the entire booking with contracts and Stripe payments built in. The platform charges an 8% booking fee — a fraction of what agencies take. You pick the artist, agree the fee, and deal direct.
| GIGXCHANGE | Traditional Agencies | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 8% booking fee | 20–35% on top of artist fee |
| Contact with artist | Direct messaging | Via the agency |
| Artist selection | Browse hundreds, filter by genre | Agency picks for you |
| Contracts | Auto-generated, digital | Manual / varies |
| Payments | Stripe escrow, auto-release | Cash / invoice / varies |
| Cancellation cover | Emergency cover system | Call around yourself |
| Cost to list | Free | N/A — venues don't list |
Venue FAQ
Free to join, free to list your venue, free to browse artists and post gigs. We only charge a small platform fee when a booking is confirmed and paid — so you never pay unless you've found your act. Compare typical UK booking costs in our UK market statistics.
Use our advanced filters to search 228 artists by genre, location, budget, capacity, and availability — usually under 2 minutes from search to shortlist. Every artist has a full profile with photos, audio samples, video clips, and verified reviews — browse the artist directory or see how artists use GigXchange.
Our emergency cover system kicks in within 24 hours. When an artist cancels, GigXchange notifies matching available artists in your area so you can rebook within 48 hours. Deposits are protected through our dispute resolution process — refunds released within 7 days if the gig falls through. Artists see the same protection on their side if a venue cancels.
All of them. Solo artists, duos, trios, full bands, DJs, classical ensembles — if they perform live music, they're here. Jazz, rock, acoustic, electronic, folk, blues, pop, covers, originals — browse profiles by genre or see what's playing in your city via the gig directory.
Payments are handled through Stripe. When a booking is confirmed, a deposit is held securely by the platform. Once both sides mark the gig as complete, funds are released to the artist. No cash on the night, no invoicing — everything is tracked and transparent. Every booking includes an auto-generated agreement from our Booking Contract Generator.
That's between you and the artist. When posting a gig or making a booking, you can specify what equipment your venue provides (PA, mics, monitors, backline). Artists list their own equipment too, so you can match requirements before booking. Not sure on UK live-music licensing first? See our UK live music licence guide.
Yes — we publish free tools and research for UK venues and bookers:
- UK Open Mic Finder — 1,568 weekly open-mic listings across 74 cities, plus 9,447 gigs in the wider directory, list yours free
- UK Gig Rate Calculator — live market percentiles by city, band size and event type
- Venue Outreach Email Templates — 6 customisable pitch templates with auto-fill, logo upload and copy-to-Gmail
- Setlist Builder — see at a glance what an act actually plays before you book them
- Booking Contract Generator — UK-compliant performance agreement, 8 standard clauses, dual e-signatures, instant PDF
- GX Index — the full open UK live-music rate dataset, refreshed nightly
- UK Musician Earnings 2026 — data-backed report on what UK musicians actually earn (CC BY 4.0)
- UK Market Statistics — venues, fees and industry benchmarks