GIGXCHANGE is where a UK late bar or nightclub can book DJs and live music direct. 1,061 artists and 77 venues across 80 cities are on the platform, from DJs and saxophonists to party bands. A bar or club posts its date free, checks each act’s recordings where available before enquiring, agrees the fee in the chat and signs a contract on every booking. On the live GX Index a solo act at UK pubs and bars is typically £260 (729 fees) and a 3 to 4 piece band £350 (488 fees). The booking fee is 5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately.

A late bar or nightclub books its DJs and acts for nights that run past 11pm. Agree the fee, timings and equipment in writing: the set times, who brings the decks and sound, and the finish your licence allows.

After dark the stakes are higher than in a daytime pub. Music after 11pm normally needs authorisation through the premises licence or an eligible TEN, the door has to be right, and a club night has to earn back the DJ’s fee at the till or on the door.

On GigXchange the manager can hear the DJ or act before booking, where the profile includes recordings. The fee, the set times and the kit go into a contract both sides sign, and GX Gig Rescue sends an urgent invite to available acts nearby if someone drops out. The live GX Index shows what UK pubs and bars pay, so the budget comes from data.

What does live music cost a UK bar? In the GX Index the median pub and bar fee is £260 (729 fees) for a solo act, £325 (122 fees) for a duo, £350 (488 fees) for a 3 to 4 piece band and £525 (395 fees) for a 5+ piece.

Median UK pub and bar fees in the GX Index - it does not yet split out DJs or nightclubs. Marker: the Musicians’ Union recommended minimum for pubs and clubs (up to 3 hours, per musician, April 2026).

You pay the act’s fee. 5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately.

77 venues are on GigXchange across the UK. Joining is free: list your bar or club, post a gig and message DJs and acts at no cost. 5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately, and every booking comes with a contract you both sign. Where can a bar or nightclub book DJs and live music in the UK? On GigXchange, a venue posts its date free, hears the DJs and acts and books one direct, with live UK pub and bar fees from the GX Index to set the budget.

• Pilgrim Bar
• St Peter's Marlborough
• The Willoughby Arms
• GIG
• The Brook
• Venue38
• The Tranquil Turtle
• The Fulford Arms
• The King Arthur
• St James Park
• Firebug
• Nicholas Chamberlaine School
• The Point Events Venue
• Llangollen Town Hall
• Kettering Rugby Football Club
• The Victoria Birmingham
• Trillians Rock Bar
• The White Lion
• Barnaby's Lounge
• Bird in Hand Pub

Booking in a city? London · Birmingham · Leeds · Glasgow · Sheffield · Manchester · Bradford · Edinburgh · Liverpool · Bristol · Leicester · Cardiff · every city guide · the UK venue directory

Does a bar need a licence for a DJ? In England and Wales a bar licensed to sell alcohol for drinking there needs no entertainment licence for live or recorded music between 8am and 11pm, for an audience of 500 or fewer, while open for those sales and unless a licence review has removed the exemption (GOV.UK Live Music Act guidance). Music after 11pm normally needs authorisation through the premises licence or an eligible TEN, and playing music in public normally needs TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS for the music it represents.

The four things that change when the music runs past 11pm. Each one is a rule a late bar or club meets on every late night, with the official page it comes from.

How a night pays for its music, from a bar’s own DJ to a promoter’s club night. Settle the deal before the date goes on the poster.