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Marketplace Overview: How GigXchange WorksThe end-to-end flow: discovery to contract to payment to review

By Naumaan Zahid Published 2 August 2026 5 min read

Executive summary

GigXchange compresses the entire live music booking lifecycle into one system: discover → negotiate → contract → pay → review. Every booking generates a digital contract; protected payment is held via Stripe and released on completion; reviews are only possible on verified, completed bookings. Five roles share the same rails.

The member-facing version of this page is how it works.

Step by step

1. Discovery — venues and organisers search artist profiles by genre, location, budget and availability; artists browse the gig board and the public gig directory. Public directories and free tools feed new members into this step continuously.
2. Negotiation — parties message in real time; an offer sent in chat carries the date, fee and terms and becomes a structured booking the moment it is accepted. Counter-offers, declines and cancellations are all explicit states, not lost DMs.
3. Contract — every booking generates a digital contract both parties sign. No handshake deals; disputes reference an agreed document.
4. Payment — where the parties choose protected payment, funds are held via Stripe and released when the gig completes (5% platform fee). Private settlement is allowed at 0% — the platform does not force its rails to extract a toll.
5. Completion and review — completed bookings unlock two-way reviews. Because reviews require a real booking, reputation on GigXchange is verified, not self-asserted.

Reliability engineering around the flow

The workflow handles the failure modes that define live music: cancellations and no-shows are explicit booking states with defined consequences, and an emergency-cover flow (Gig Rescue) re-lists a slot and notifies matching artists when an act pulls out. These edge cases are where handshake-deal booking breaks down — and where infrastructure earns its keep.

Why multi-role matters

Most booking platforms model one buyer and one seller. Real live music involves agents booking on behalf of rosters, promoters programming across venues, and organisers booking one-off events. GigXchange models all five roles natively on shared rails — which multiplies the connection surface of the network (every new member can transact with four other role types, not one) and underpins the liquidity argument in Network effects.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a booking on GIGXCHANGE work end to end?

Discovery (search, directories or the gig board) leads to a conversation; an offer is made in chat and becomes a structured booking; both parties sign the generated digital contract; payment is protected via Stripe if the parties choose it; the gig happens; funds release on completion; both sides leave verified reviews.

Which roles does the marketplace serve?

Five: artists, venues, agents, promoters and event organisers. All have equal access — an agent can manage a roster, a promoter can book across venues, an organiser can book a single wedding band — through the same booking, contract and payment rails.

Does GIGXCHANGE handle the money?

Payment processing is built on Stripe. Where the parties choose protected payment, funds are held and released on completion of the gig, for a 5% platform fee. Parties may also settle privately at 0% — the booking, contract and review rails work either way.

Does every GIGXCHANGE booking have a contract?

Yes. Every booking generates a digital contract that both parties sign — the terms, date and fee agreed in the negotiation become an agreed document rather than a thread of messages. Disputes reference the contract.

What happens if an act cancels a gig booked on GIGXCHANGE?

Cancellations are explicit booking states with defined consequences, and the emergency-cover flow (Gig Rescue) re-lists the slot and invites matching available artists — the first to accept is booked. This failure mode is exactly where handshake-deal booking breaks down.

How do reviews work on GIGXCHANGE?

Reviews are two-way and can only be created from verified, completed bookings — an artist reviews the booker and vice versa. Reputation is therefore earned through real transactions and cannot be faked, bought or imported.