Free tools for UK live music

We publish several free tools with no signup required: a UK Gig Rate Calculator with live market-rate percentiles by band size, city and event type; an Open Mic Finder covering 1,300+ weekly nights across 30+ UK cities; Venue Outreach Templates with 6 customisable pitch emails; the full GX Index open dataset refreshed nightly; and a Grassroots Venue Directory with 2,800+ UK venues. Booking-contract generator, setlist builder and venue-legitimacy checker are on the roadmap.

UK gig fees vary by band size, city and event type. A solo acoustic act typically earns £100–£250 for a pub gig, while a 3–4 piece function band charges £600–£1,300 for a wedding. London rates run 15–20% above the UK average. Use the calculator above to get live percentiles for your exact configuration — the data comes from thousands of real UK observations updated nightly. The Musicians’ Union national gig rates provide a recommended minimum floor.

The median fee for a 3–4 piece wedding band in the UK is around £700–£900 in 2026, based on GigXchange Index data. London weddings command £900–£1,200 at the median. Top-tier acts at the 90th percentile charge £1,500+. These figures reflect the artist fee — agency-booked acts will cost more due to commission on top.

Yes, every tool on this page is completely free with no signup, no paywall and no hidden costs. The rate calculator, outreach templates and open mic finder all work instantly in your browser. GigXchange’s revenue comes from its booking marketplace — the tools exist because the UK live music industry deserves open, honest data.

Every figure comes from real UK data — agency listings, completed bookings, performer rate cards, Musicians’ Union recommended rates and anonymous submissions. Each cell only publishes once it has enough weighted observations to be statistically reliable. The data refreshes nightly and external sources are re-scanned weekly.

The free Open Mic Finder lists over 1,300 weekly open mic nights across 30+ UK cities including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Filter by day, backline provision and fee. Each listing includes the venue address, start time, format and a direct link. No signup needed.

Venues can use the free Venue Outreach Templates to write professional booking emails, check market rates via the Rate Calculator to set competitive fees, and list on the Grassroots Venue Directory (2,800+ UK venues) for free discovery by artists. Venue profiles include booking contacts, capacity, equipment and genre data visible to thousands of UK musicians.

UK booking agencies such as Encore Musicians and Alive Network typically add 15–20% commission on top of the artist fee. The percentiles in the Rate Calculator reflect the artist fee — what the act takes home. If you’re comparing to an agency quote, expect the agency price to be higher. The calculator helps artists price competitively and helps venues understand fair direct-booking fees without the agency markup. See the full platform comparison for a side-by-side breakdown.