Live music for care homes
Live music for your care home
Singalongs, reminiscence sets and seasonal shows - post free, hear the act, sign the contract.
Book entertainers, singers and musicians for care, nursing and retirement homes direct: the licence rules, daytime formats and a contract each time.
Updated 23 October 2026
01 — Live music for care homes
Where Care Homes Book Live Music
GIGXCHANGE is where UK care homes book singers and musicians direct. 982 artists are on the platform, including singers and musicians who play care, nursing and retirement homes, alongside 70 venues across 79 cities. An activities coordinator posts the date free, hears each act first, agrees the set and the fee in the chat and signs a contract each time. The booking fee is 5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately.
Live music is one of the best-loved activities in a UK care home - a singalong on a Tuesday afternoon, a reminiscence set of the songs residents grew up with, a seasonal show at Christmas. Activities coordinators usually find acts by word of mouth, and the same few names get booked again and again.
The hard part is not the budget. It is finding a performer who reads the room - the right songs, the right volume, the patience for residents living with dementia - and knowing they will turn up.
On GigXchange a coordinator hears each act before booking, sees reviews from other venues, and agrees the set, the length and the fee in writing. There is no care-home fee in the GX Index yet, so we do not quote one - the gig rate calculator helps set a budget, and every booking comes with a contract and GX Gig Rescue if an act falls ill.
| 02Book live music in five stepsFrom an empty date to a signed booking | |
| 03Care home feesSet a fair budget before you post | |
| 04Venues that host live musicThe venues in our directory | |
| 05Members across the UKThe acts and rooms near you | |
| 06The licence rulesEach with its official source | |
| 07Formats that workFour ways care homes use live music, from a weekly singalong to a Christmas show. | |
| 08Choosing the right actWhat to check before you book, so the night goes the way you planned. | |
| 09Free tools for your care homeFree with a venue account. | |
| 11QuestionsWhat care homes ask before they book | |
| 12Keep exploringThe other guides and the longer reads |
02 — Book an act
5 stepsBook in five steps
| Step 01Post your gig, freeAdd the date, your budget, the genres you want and your house kit in about two minutes. Acts apply to you - or browse and invite them yourself. | |
| Step 02Hear them before you bookAct profiles carry the audio, video and reviews the act has added, so you can judge them before you ask. | |
| Step 03Agree it in the chatMessage the act directly, settle the fee, sets and kit, and the offer lands in the same thread. | |
| Step 04Sign the contractEvery booking makes a digital performance agreement, signed by both of you, with a full audit trail. | |
| Step 05Pay the act5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately. A protected payment holds the deposit with Stripe and releases it after the gig. | |
| If plans changeIf the act drops outGX Gig Rescue sends an urgent invite to available acts near you. The first to accept is booked. |
03 — Care home fees
The price ladder
What does live music cost a care home? There is no care-home figure in the GX Index yet, and the Musicians’ Union publishes no care-home rate, so we do not quote one - set a budget for your set length with the gig rate calculator and agree the fee with the act.
There is no GX Index figure for care-home bookings yet. We publish one once enough care-home fees exist - until then, never a pub or party figure in its place.
Use the gig rate calculator to set a budget for your set length, see every UK fee table on GX Index rates, and agree the fee with the act in the chat. GigXchange takes 0% of the artist's booking fee.
| Gig rate calculator | |
| GX Index rates |
You pay the act’s fee. 5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately.
| GuideHow far ahead to bookLead times by event type. | |
| ToolRate calculatorA fair fee for your night. | |
| DataGX IndexThe latest figures are unavailable here right now - the full tables. |
04 — On GigXchange
70 venuesVenues that host live music
70 venues are on GigXchange - rooms across the UK, from a weekly singalong to a Christmas show. Joining is free: list your care home, post a gig and message 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 care home book live music in the UK? On GigXchange, a care home posts the date free - a singalong, a reminiscence set or a seasonal show - hears the acts and books one direct, with a contract on every booking.
05 — Members across the UK
Tap a cityActs near your care home
Scroll to zoom (hold Ctrl / two fingers)· tap a layer to switch · click a pin for details, a cluster for its area.
Booking in a city? London · Birmingham · Leeds · Glasgow · Sheffield · Manchester · Bradford · Edinburgh · Liverpool · Bristol · Leicester · Cardiff · every city guide
06 — The licence rules
Checked 20 October 2026What you need
Does a care home need a licence for live music? In England and Wales a care home is a workplace, so amplified live music needs no entertainment licence there between 8am and 11pm for an audience of 500 or fewer, and unamplified music needs none in those hours anywhere (GOV.UK guidance) - ask PPL PRS which music licence tariff applies.
| England and WalesA care home is a workplaceGOV.UK defines a workplace as anywhere made available to any person as a place of work. Amplified live music at a workplace needs no entertainment licence between 8am and 11pm, to an audience of 500 or fewer. | |
| England and WalesUnamplified music, anywhereA singer with an acoustic guitar or a pianist with no PA needs no entertainment licence between 8am and 11pm, in any place. | |
| England and WalesEvents held in privateAn event held in private is not licensable unless guests are charged for the entertainment to make a profit - and raising money for charity counts. Paying the musicians does not change that. | |
| UKAsk about TheMusicLicenceThat is copyright, not the event licence. PPL PRS says music played outside a domestic setting is a public performance, live music included - ask them which tariff fits your home. | |
| England and WalesOne-off events: a TENFor an event outside your licence: fewer than 500 people at all times, including staff, up to 7 days. Give the council at least 10 clear working days' notice (a late TEN: 5). One premises can have up to 15 a year, 21 days in total. |
| Scotland and NILicensing (Scotland) Act 2005Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own licensing law - check with your council. | |
| ToolLicensing checkerTen questions, a plain-English verdict. |
07 — Formats that work
Pick your format
| Singalong setsA solo singer or duo with songs residents know. The NHS lists singing among activities for people living with dementia, saying it is known to improve mood and wellbeing. | |
| Reminiscence musicSongs from the decades your residents grew up in. The NHS lists reminiscence work - sharing memories with photos, objects and music clips - as an activity to try. Ask the act for a set list. | |
| Music and dementiaMusic for Dementia says there are hundreds of pieces of research on how music can help people living with dementia and their carers, particularly with anxiety and quality of life. | |
| Seasonal showsChristmas, Easter and summer fête sets. December dates go first - our lead-time guide says book Christmas by September. |
08 — Choosing the act
Before you book
| Hear the real thingAudio, video and two-way reviews on profiles, where the act has added them - venues review acts and acts review venues. | |
| Ask about a DBS checkThe check a role can have depends on the role. Where a higher-level check does not apply, a basic DBS check costs £20 and anyone 16 or over working in England and Wales can apply. Your home’s own policy decides what you ask for. | |
| Agree a quiet setSet the volume, the set length and whether the act brings a PA - no PA keeps you inside the unamplified rule. Written into the contract. | |
| Ask about coverMany venues ask acts for public liability insurance. Musicians’ Union members are covered to £10 million each with their membership. |
| Musicians' UnionNational gig rates | |
| Care EnglandThe representative body for care providers | |
| National Care ForumThe body for not-for-profit care providers | |
| Music for DementiaThe campaign for music in dementia care |
09 — Free tools
7 toolsFor your care home
| BookingPost a GigArtists apply to you | |
| CoverGX Gig RescueFill a dropout, fast | |
| ComplianceLicensing CheckerMusic licences, decoded | |
| ComplianceCompliance ChecklistEvery duty, one board | |
| ComplianceMartyn's Law ReadinessReady before 2027 | |
| PromotionEvents PosterYour what’s-on, in one click | |
| DiscoveryFind an ArtistRanked acts for your dates |
See it in action
A look inside GigXchange Mainstage — the members app where artists, venues, agents and promoters manage bookings, messaging, events and payments. Scroll: the phone follows you through the app.
- 01 / 04
Your dashboard
The moment you log in, everything that matters is in front of you — what's booked, what you've earned, and what needs you next. No digging through tabs.
- Bookings at a glanceConfirmed, pending and upcoming gigs in one view — so nothing slips through the cracks.
- Earnings, trackedSee deposits held securely and payouts released, with a running total you can trust.
- Live activity feedNew messages, offers and event updates surface the second they happen — you're never the last to know.
- 02 / 04
Explore the scene
Find the right artists, venues and open gigs across the UK from one place — filtered by what actually matters to you: location, genre, date and budget.
- Search that fits youFilter by role, city, genre and availability to surface only the people and gigs worth your time.
- Smart Match suggestionsThe strongest matches rise to the top, so the right connection finds you — not just the loudest.
- Open gigs, liveBrowse gigs that need filling and apply in a tap — no cold outreach, no gatekeepers.
- 03 / 04
Bookings, end to end
Offer, negotiate and confirm a gig in a single thread — every date, fee and deposit agreed in one place and held to.
- One thread, start to finishThe whole deal lives in one conversation — no lost emails, no he-said-she-said.
- Negotiate with clarityCounter-offers, dates and fees are structured and tracked, so both sides always know where they stand.
- Held securelyThe deposit is held safely until the gig is done — performers get paid, bookers get peace of mind.
- 04 / 04
Messaging
Agree the details before you commit. Direct, real-time conversations with venues, artists, agents and promoters — with bookings built right in.
- Talk first, book secondSort the awkward questions — sound, timings, fee — before anything's signed.
- Bookings inside the chatTurn a conversation into a confirmed offer without ever leaving the thread.
- Share availability & filesSend your calendar, riders and posters in-line, so everyone's working from the same page.
- 01 / 04
Your dashboard
The moment you log in, everything that matters is in front of you — what's booked, what you've earned, and what needs you next. No digging through tabs.
- Bookings at a glanceConfirmed, pending and upcoming gigs in one view — so nothing slips through the cracks.
- Earnings, trackedSee deposits held securely and payouts released, with a running total you can trust.
- Live activity feedNew messages, offers and event updates surface the second they happen — you're never the last to know.
- 02 / 04
Explore the scene
Find the right artists, venues and open gigs across the UK from one place — filtered by what actually matters to you: location, genre, date and budget.
- Search that fits youFilter by role, city, genre and availability to surface only the people and gigs worth your time.
- Smart Match suggestionsThe strongest matches rise to the top, so the right connection finds you — not just the loudest.
- Open gigs, liveBrowse gigs that need filling and apply in a tap — no cold outreach, no gatekeepers.
- 03 / 04
Bookings, end to end
Offer, negotiate and confirm a gig in a single thread — every date, fee and deposit agreed in one place and held to.
- One thread, start to finishThe whole deal lives in one conversation — no lost emails, no he-said-she-said.
- Negotiate with clarityCounter-offers, dates and fees are structured and tracked, so both sides always know where they stand.
- Held securelyThe deposit is held safely until the gig is done — performers get paid, bookers get peace of mind.
- 04 / 04
Messaging
Agree the details before you commit. Direct, real-time conversations with venues, artists, agents and promoters — with bookings built right in.
- Talk first, book secondSort the awkward questions — sound, timings, fee — before anything's signed.
- Bookings inside the chatTurn a conversation into a confirmed offer without ever leaving the thread.
- Share availability & filesSend your calendar, riders and posters in-line, so everyone's working from the same page.
11 — Questions9 answersLive music for care homes FAQ
12 — Keep exploring
Go deeper
| Live Music for PubsPub fees and the licence rules. | |
| Live Music for HotelsBar, wedding and corporate fees, and the rules. | |
| Live Music for ClubsClub nights and the certificate rules. | |
| Live Music for Holiday ParksSeason bookings and the rules. | |
| Live Music for BoatsSailings, sets and the rules. | |
| Hire a solo actSingers and players for smaller rooms. | |
| Find an artistRanked acts for your date and budget. | |
| Gig rate calculatorA fair fee for your set length. | |
| How far ahead to bookLead times, Christmas included. | |
| GigXchange for venuesEverything a venue account does. |
| How cancellations work | |
| The booking fee | |
| Gig rate calculator | |
| How far ahead to book |
Book the act direct
Post a gig free, with a contract on every booking.
Live music for your care home
Book entertainers, singers and musicians for care, nursing and retirement homes direct: the licence rules, daytime formats and a contract each time.
Last updated: 23 October 2026
Where Care Homes Book Live Music
GIGXCHANGE is where UK care homes book singers and musicians direct. 982 artists are on the platform, including singers and musicians who play care, nursing and retirement homes, alongside 70 venues across 79 cities. An activities coordinator posts the date free, hears each act first, agrees the set and the fee in the chat and signs a contract each time. The booking fee is 5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately.
Live music is one of the best-loved activities in a UK care home - a singalong on a Tuesday afternoon, a reminiscence set of the songs residents grew up with, a seasonal show at Christmas. Activities coordinators usually find acts by word of mouth, and the same few names get booked again and again.
The hard part is not the budget. It is finding a performer who reads the room - the right songs, the right volume, the patience for residents living with dementia - and knowing they will turn up.
On GigXchange a coordinator hears each act before booking, sees reviews from other venues, and agrees the set, the length and the fee in writing. There is no care-home fee in the GX Index yet, so we do not quote one - the gig rate calculator helps set a budget, and every booking comes with a contract and GX Gig Rescue if an act falls ill.
Book live music in five steps
From an empty date to a signed booking, without an agency. The full walkthrough is the booking journey.
Post your gig, free
Add the date, your budget, the genres you want and your house kit in about two minutes. Acts apply to you - or browse and invite them yourself.
Hear them before you book
Act profiles carry the audio, video and reviews the act has added, so you can judge them before you ask.
Agree it in the chat
Message the act directly, settle the fee, sets and kit, and the offer lands in the same thread.
Sign the contract
Every booking makes a digital performance agreement, signed by both of you, with a full audit trail.
Pay the act
5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately. A protected payment holds the deposit with Stripe and releases it after the gig.
If the act drops out
GX Gig Rescue sends an urgent invite to available acts near you. The first to accept is booked.
Setting the budget
There is no GX Index figure for care-home bookings yet. We publish one once enough care-home fees exist - until then, never a pub or party figure in its place.
What does live music cost a care home? There is no care-home figure in the GX Index yet, and the Musicians’ Union publishes no care-home rate, so we do not quote one - set a budget for your set length with the gig rate calculator and agree the fee with the act.
Use the gig rate calculator to set a budget for your set length, see every UK fee table on GX Index rates, and agree the fee with the act in the chat. GigXchange takes 0% of the artist's booking fee.
Gig rate calculator · GX Index rates
You pay the act’s fee. 5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately. How far ahead to book · Work out a fee for your care home · Every GX Index fee table · The Musicians’ Union national gig rates
Venues that host live music
70 venues are on GigXchange - rooms across the UK, from a weekly singalong to a Christmas show. Joining is free: list your care home, post a gig and message 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 care home book live music in the UK? On GigXchange, a care home posts the date free - a singalong, a reminiscence set or a seasonal show - hears the acts and books one direct, with a contract on every booking.
Browse the UK venue directory · What a venue account does · List your care home free
Members across the UK
Artists, venues, agents and promoters on GigXchange, by city - the acts you can book near your care home.
Scroll to zoom (hold Ctrl / two fingers)· tap a layer to switch · click a pin for details, a cluster for its area.
Booking live music in a city? London · Birmingham · Leeds · Glasgow · Sheffield · Manchester · Bradford · Edinburgh · Liverpool · Bristol · Leicester · Cardiff · every city guide
The licence rules
The rules a care home meets, each with the official page it comes from. Checked 20 October 2026.
Does a care home need a licence for live music? In England and Wales a care home is a workplace, so amplified live music needs no entertainment licence there between 8am and 11pm for an audience of 500 or fewer, and unamplified music needs none in those hours anywhere (GOV.UK guidance) - ask PPL PRS which music licence tariff applies.
Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own licensing law - check with your council. Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. Not sure which applies? Licensing checker · Compliance checklist · Martyn’s Law check
Formats that work
Four ways care homes use live music, from a weekly singalong to a Christmas show.
Singalong sets
A solo singer or duo with songs residents know. The NHS lists singing among activities for people living with dementia, saying it is known to improve mood and wellbeing.
Reminiscence music
Songs from the decades your residents grew up in. The NHS lists reminiscence work - sharing memories with photos, objects and music clips - as an activity to try. Ask the act for a set list.
Music and dementia
Music for Dementia says there are hundreds of pieces of research on how music can help people living with dementia and their carers, particularly with anxiety and quality of life.
Seasonal shows
Christmas, Easter and summer fête sets. December dates go first - our lead-time guide says book Christmas by September.
Choosing the right act
What to check before you book, so the night goes the way you planned.
The organisations behind care-home music: Musicians' Union · Care England · National Care Forum · Music for Dementia
Free tools for your care home
Free with a venue account.
Post a Gig
List an open slot in two minutes — genres, budget, house kit — and take applications from gig-ready artists with verified reviews attached.
GX Gig Rescue
Broadcast an urgent booking invite to up to 25 available acts near you — last-minute specialists first, first to accept is booked.
Licensing Checker
Ten plain-English questions produce a two-part verdict — permission and copyright — with an indicative cost and official gov.uk / PPL PRS sources.
Compliance Checklist
Eight questions build a checklist of only the duties your venue owes — ten areas, law first, every item linked to its official source, PDF export.
Martyn's Law Readiness
The 2025 Act reaches every 200+ venue from ~2027. Six questions give your tier, your duties as a tickable list, and a first-draft procedures PDF.
Events Poster
Your upcoming programme becomes a designed poster — ticket QRs on every listing, status badges, your branding. Print, post or publish to your profile.
Find an Artist
Pick the empty date, set a 60-second brief, and invite up to 5 ranked best-fit acts — fit scores, fee bands and kit tags attached.
Also free: a booking contract generator · a gig rate calculator · act outreach templates
See it in action
A look inside GigXchange Mainstage, the members app your care home books in: find the acts, agree the date and fee in the chat, track every booking. Scroll: the phone follows you through the app.
- 01 / 04
Your dashboard
The moment you log in, everything that matters is in front of you — what's booked, what you've earned, and what needs you next. No digging through tabs.
- Bookings at a glanceConfirmed, pending and upcoming gigs in one view — so nothing slips through the cracks.
- Earnings, trackedSee deposits held securely and payouts released, with a running total you can trust.
- Live activity feedNew messages, offers and event updates surface the second they happen — you're never the last to know.
- 02 / 04
Explore the scene
Find the right artists, venues and open gigs across the UK from one place — filtered by what actually matters to you: location, genre, date and budget.
- Search that fits youFilter by role, city, genre and availability to surface only the people and gigs worth your time.
- Smart Match suggestionsThe strongest matches rise to the top, so the right connection finds you — not just the loudest.
- Open gigs, liveBrowse gigs that need filling and apply in a tap — no cold outreach, no gatekeepers.
- 03 / 04
Bookings, end to end
Offer, negotiate and confirm a gig in a single thread — every date, fee and deposit agreed in one place and held to.
- One thread, start to finishThe whole deal lives in one conversation — no lost emails, no he-said-she-said.
- Negotiate with clarityCounter-offers, dates and fees are structured and tracked, so both sides always know where they stand.
- Held securelyThe deposit is held safely until the gig is done — performers get paid, bookers get peace of mind.
- 04 / 04
Messaging
Agree the details before you commit. Direct, real-time conversations with venues, artists, agents and promoters — with bookings built right in.
- Talk first, book secondSort the awkward questions — sound, timings, fee — before anything's signed.
- Bookings inside the chatTurn a conversation into a confirmed offer without ever leaving the thread.
- Share availability & filesSend your calendar, riders and posters in-line, so everyone's working from the same page.
- 01 / 04
Your dashboard
The moment you log in, everything that matters is in front of you — what's booked, what you've earned, and what needs you next. No digging through tabs.
- Bookings at a glanceConfirmed, pending and upcoming gigs in one view — so nothing slips through the cracks.
- Earnings, trackedSee deposits held securely and payouts released, with a running total you can trust.
- Live activity feedNew messages, offers and event updates surface the second they happen — you're never the last to know.
- 02 / 04
Explore the scene
Find the right artists, venues and open gigs across the UK from one place — filtered by what actually matters to you: location, genre, date and budget.
- Search that fits youFilter by role, city, genre and availability to surface only the people and gigs worth your time.
- Smart Match suggestionsThe strongest matches rise to the top, so the right connection finds you — not just the loudest.
- Open gigs, liveBrowse gigs that need filling and apply in a tap — no cold outreach, no gatekeepers.
- 03 / 04
Bookings, end to end
Offer, negotiate and confirm a gig in a single thread — every date, fee and deposit agreed in one place and held to.
- One thread, start to finishThe whole deal lives in one conversation — no lost emails, no he-said-she-said.
- Negotiate with clarityCounter-offers, dates and fees are structured and tracked, so both sides always know where they stand.
- Held securelyThe deposit is held safely until the gig is done — performers get paid, bookers get peace of mind.
- 04 / 04
Messaging
Agree the details before you commit. Direct, real-time conversations with venues, artists, agents and promoters — with bookings built right in.
- Talk first, book secondSort the awkward questions — sound, timings, fee — before anything's signed.
- Bookings inside the chatTurn a conversation into a confirmed offer without ever leaving the thread.
- Share availability & filesSend your calendar, riders and posters in-line, so everyone's working from the same page.
Live music for care homes FAQ
What care homes ask before they book.
More answers: How cancellations work · The booking fee · Gig rate calculator · How far ahead to book
Your next night, booked
Post a gig free and book the act direct.