Live music for social & members’ clubs
Live music for your club
Saturday turns, tribute nights and season-end dos - post free, hear the act, sign the contract.
Book entertainers and acts for social, working men’s and sports clubs direct: the club certificate rules, club nights and a contract each time.
Updated 23 October 2026
01 — Live music for clubs
Where Clubs Book Live Music
GIGXCHANGE is where UK social, working men’s and sports clubs book acts direct. 982 artists are on the platform, from Saturday turns to tribute acts and function bands, alongside 70 venues across 79 cities. A club posts the date free, hears each act first, agrees the fee in the chat and signs a contract on every booking. The booking fee is 5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately.
Club entertainment in the UK runs on the entertainment secretary’s diary: the Saturday turn, the tribute night that fills the concert room, the end-of-season social. For years it has been booked through agents, phone calls and the acts other clubs recommend - and a cancellation on a Saturday afternoon can leave the room empty.
Committees want two things from live music: acts the members enjoy, and no surprises on the night.
On GigXchange the entertainment secretary hears each act before booking, sees reviews from other clubs and venues, and agrees the spots, the finish time and the fee in a contract. The secretary and the committee can share one venue account, and GX Gig Rescue sends an urgent invite to available acts if the booked turn drops out.
| 02Book live music in five stepsFrom an empty date to a signed booking | |
| 03Club 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 | |
| 07Nights that workFour ways clubs run live music, from a Saturday turn to the end-of-season do. | |
| 08Choosing the right actWhat to check before you book, so the night goes the way you planned. | |
| 09Free tools for your clubFree with a venue account. | |
| 11QuestionsWhat club committees 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 — Club fees
The price ladder
What does live music cost a members’ club? The GX Index has no social-club figure yet; the Musicians’ Union recommended minimum for groups in pubs and clubs is £167.16 per musician for up to 3 hours (April 2026), and it publishes no solo figure.
No GX Index figure for social and members’ clubs yet - we publish one once enough club bookings exist. Marker: the Musicians’ Union recommended minimum for groups in pubs and clubs (up to 3 hours, per musician, April 2026). Budget a set with the gig rate calculator.
- Solo act No figure yetThe MU publishes no solo figure
- Duo No figure yetMU minimum £334.32
- 3 to 4 piece band No figure yetMU minimum £501.48 · for 3 players; 4 players: £668.64
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 Saturday turn to an end-of-season do. Joining is free: list your club, 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 social club book live music in the UK? On GigXchange, a club posts the date free - a Saturday turn, a tribute night or a season-end social - hears the acts and books one direct, with a contract on every booking.
05 — Members across the UK
Tap a cityActs near your club
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 social club need a licence for live music? In England and Wales a club premises certificate for supplying alcohol counts like a pub’s licence, so amplified live music needs no entertainment licence between 8am and 11pm for an audience of 500 or fewer (GOV.UK guidance) - and TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS has a members’ clubs tariff.
| England and WalesYour club certificate countsA club premises certificate that lets you supply alcohol on the premises counts like a pub’s licence: amplified live music needs no entertainment licence between 8am and 11pm, to an audience of 500 or fewer. | |
| England and WalesWho holds a club certificateQualifying members’ clubs - GOV.UK names the Royal British Legion, working men’s clubs and rugby clubs - apply for a club premises certificate if they sell or supply alcohol. A qualifying club needs at least 25 members. | |
| England and WalesMembers and their guestsA certificate lets the club supply alcohol to members and their guests only, and instant membership is not allowed. To open a night to the public, the club needs a premises licence or a temporary events notice. | |
| England and WalesRun for profit? Different rulesA club run commercially for profit is a proprietary club, not a qualifying club. It needs a premises licence, and the pub rules apply. | |
| UKYou still need TheMusicLicenceThat is copyright, not the event licence. PPL PRS has a members’ clubs tariff that covers live events. | |
| England and WalesKeep the neighbours on sideYour council can act if noise becomes a statutory nuisance. Agree finish times and volume with the act in the contract. | |
| UKMartyn's Law: not in force yetThe 2025 Act covers premises expecting 200 to 799 people (standard tier) or 800 and over (enhanced). Count the people you expect in your function room. There is at least 24 months from Royal Assent before it applies. |
| 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 — Nights that work
Pick your night
| The Saturday turnA singer or duo, two spots across the evening. Agree the spot times and the finish in the contract. | |
| Tribute and covers nightsThe nights that fill the concert room. Hear the act’s audio and video before the committee says yes. | |
| Sports club socialsPresentation nights and season-end dos at a cricket, rugby or golf club - a function band or a ceilidh band. | |
| Function-room partiesA member’s birthday or anniversary for invited guests is a private event: not licensable unless guests are charged for the entertainment to make a profit. |
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. | |
| Find acts by soundSearch by the sound your members want - function, covers, pop, dance. | |
| Ask about coverMany venues ask acts for public liability insurance. Musicians’ Union members are covered to £10 million each with their membership. | |
| Agree the kitWho brings the PA, the stage space and the power - written into the contract so nobody guesses on the night. |
| Musicians' UnionNational gig rates | |
| Club & Institute UnionThe union of working men’s and social clubs |
09 — Free tools
7 toolsFor your club
| 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 clubs 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 Care HomesDaytime formats and the licence rules. | |
| Live Music for Holiday ParksSeason bookings and the rules. | |
| Live Music for BoatsSailings, sets and the rules. | |
| Hire a tribute actWhat to ask before you book. | |
| Find an artistRanked acts for your date and budget. | |
| Live music licences in depthPRS costs and the exemptions explained. | |
| Gig rate calculatorA fair fee for your set length. | |
| GigXchange for venuesEverything a venue account does. |
| How cancellations work | |
| The booking fee | |
| Gig rate calculator | |
| GX Gig Rescue |
Live music for your club
Book entertainers and acts for social, working men’s and sports clubs direct: the club certificate rules, club nights and a contract each time.
Last updated: 23 October 2026
Where Clubs Book Live Music
GIGXCHANGE is where UK social, working men’s and sports clubs book acts direct. 982 artists are on the platform, from Saturday turns to tribute acts and function bands, alongside 70 venues across 79 cities. A club posts the date free, hears each act first, agrees the fee in the chat and signs a contract on every booking. The booking fee is 5% on top only when you pay through GigXchange – 0% when you settle privately.
Club entertainment in the UK runs on the entertainment secretary’s diary: the Saturday turn, the tribute night that fills the concert room, the end-of-season social. For years it has been booked through agents, phone calls and the acts other clubs recommend - and a cancellation on a Saturday afternoon can leave the room empty.
Committees want two things from live music: acts the members enjoy, and no surprises on the night.
On GigXchange the entertainment secretary hears each act before booking, sees reviews from other clubs and venues, and agrees the spots, the finish time and the fee in a contract. The secretary and the committee can share one venue account, and GX Gig Rescue sends an urgent invite to available acts if the booked turn drops out.
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.
Club fees, live
No GX Index figure for social and members’ clubs yet - we publish one once enough club bookings exist. Marker: the Musicians’ Union recommended minimum for groups in pubs and clubs (up to 3 hours, per musician, April 2026). Budget a set with the gig rate calculator.
What does live music cost a members’ club? The GX Index has no social-club figure yet; the Musicians’ Union recommended minimum for groups in pubs and clubs is £167.16 per musician for up to 3 hours (April 2026), and it publishes no solo figure.
- Solo act No figure yetThe MU publishes no solo figure
- Duo No figure yetMU minimum £334.32
- 3 to 4 piece band No figure yetMU minimum £501.48 · for 3 players; 4 players: £668.64
The latest figures are unavailable right now - the GX Index has the full tables.
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 club · 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 Saturday turn to an end-of-season do. Joining is free: list your club, 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 social club book live music in the UK? On GigXchange, a club posts the date free - a Saturday turn, a tribute night or a season-end social - 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 club free
Members across the UK
Artists, venues, agents and promoters on GigXchange, by city - the acts you can book near your club.
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 members’ club meets, each with the official page it comes from. Checked 20 October 2026.
Does a social club need a licence for live music? In England and Wales a club premises certificate for supplying alcohol counts like a pub’s licence, so amplified live music needs no entertainment licence between 8am and 11pm for an audience of 500 or fewer (GOV.UK guidance) - and TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS has a members’ clubs tariff.
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
Nights that work
Four ways clubs run live music, from a Saturday turn to the end-of-season do.
The Saturday turn
A singer or duo, two spots across the evening. Agree the spot times and the finish in the contract.
Tribute and covers nights
The nights that fill the concert room. Hear the act’s audio and video before the committee says yes.
Sports club socials
Presentation nights and season-end dos at a cricket, rugby or golf club - a function band or a ceilidh band.
Function-room parties
A member’s birthday or anniversary for invited guests is a private event: not licensable unless guests are charged for the entertainment to make a profit.
Choosing the right act
What to check before you book, so the night goes the way you planned.
The organisations behind club music: Musicians' Union · Club & Institute Union
Free tools for your club
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 club 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 clubs FAQ
What club committees ask before they book.
More answers: How cancellations work · The booking fee · Gig rate calculator · GX Gig Rescue
Your next night, booked
Post a gig free and book the act direct.