We send you direct enquiries submitted from your profile page, but also relevant general enquiries that match your profile.
You’re guaranteed a deposit once a booking is confirmed and if a booker cancels within 28 days of the event, you’ll receive your full fee (except in 'force majeure' cancellations, as detailed in our terms.
You’re free to set your own prices for each gig.
We facilitate direct contact with bookers via our messaging system.
There's no need to send contracts to clients as each booking is governed by our robust Agreement and your email exchange with the client.
Attractive, media-rich profile pages, optimised for search engines.
We always make payment to you within one working day of the gig.
Online payment means there’s no need to chase for cash on the night, send invoices or worry about cheques bouncing.
We really hope you enjoy using FixTheMusic.com. If you have any feedback for us, please get in touch. Otherwise, have a browse of our FAQs or read our blog to find helpful articles, research, insights, definitive guides and much more!
Get in touch with us by emailing hello@fixthemusic.com if you have any questions.
Kind regards,
Ed, Adam, Zazie & Paul
At FixTheMusic, we pride ourselves on providing a secure platform for booking bands and musicians, for both our customers and our musicians.
Chasing payment for freelance work shouldn't be, but often is, a thorny issue.
When entertaining clients - either through cooking or performing live music - asking for money is even more difficult because the musicians (or caterers) don't want to tarnish the service they've just provided.
It's also a hassle for the clients who made the booking. Many are fine about paying musicians on the night but even then it is hardly ideal to be handling large sums of cash at a party. Alternatively, if the client pays the musicians after the event, and the gig is for a wedding, the last thing the bride and groom want to be dealing with on their honeymoon is an online bank transfer.
Musicians can be somewhat held over a barrel when performing before payment, particularly when it comes to end times and meeting the client's expectations. Let's say a gig at a wedding reception begins late because the speeches over-ran at dinner.
At the same time the venue has strict curfews due to noise restrictions that are upheld by disgruntled neighbours. The musicians are caught between a rock and a hard place. They want to put on a good show, keep everyone dancing and maintain a decent reputation with the venue.
There are a number of UK-based entertainment agencies, many of which have some decent acts (we're proud to say the best of them are also on FixTheMusic). Don't they provide a secure payment system? Actually, often no. Sadly, nearly every agency takes a deposit to secure the booking but then leaves it up to the musician to sort their own payment on the night.
This system is out of date, insecure and potentially unfair. The deposit covers only the agent's cut leaving little financial incentive for them to support the musicians when it comes to the event itself. Traditional agencies are rarely transparent about their commission, which varies from client to client and can be as much as 50%.
A client who may have been able to afford the band through FixTheMusic could be priced out of the booking altogether by the agent hiking up their fees for arbitrary reasons that remain unspoken to the client.
If the booking goes ahead, the agency model of payment is unsatisfactory on both sides. The client must take out cash to pay on the night, the tax implications of which make many professional musicians feel uncomfortable. Or they pay with a cheque, which is unpredictable on both sides, or via a bank transfer, which we've already seen is an unnecessary drag on the process.
If a client decides not to pay a musician or there is an issue on the night, the agency does not hold the money in escrow to preside over the dispute. Put frankly, though their small print may pay lip service to chasing owed monies on behalf of musicians, they are not in a position to do so. And nowhere do they promise the legal help that would be necessary should musicians find themselves in this position.
The solution to all these pitfalls is provided by FixTheMusic. For both event planners and the musicians for hire, we offer a fair payment system that is extremely straightforward to use.
Firstly, bookings are confirmed when the client pays a deposit. This provides peace of mind on both sides. The musician knows the client is serious about the booking, and the client knows the musicians will commit to the date.
Trust is especially important to us and our clients. Trust is also important to our musicians who are professionals and need to know their working schedule in advance.
Furthermore, it helps the client to split payment into two instalments. Weddings and private parties are expensive, and venues, caterers, florists and other businesses can make a real dent in the event planner's bank account if everything is booked at once.
The remainder of the payment is due 45 days before the event. We send out reminders to clients well in advance of this date. As before, payment before the event reassures clients and musicians. The money is held securely by FixTheMusic until the day of the event, after which the musicians' payment is processed the next working day.
Clients don't have to worry about writing cheques or logging into their bank account and musicians can perform at the event with total confidence.
Confidence, trust and professionalism are what FixTheMusic values most. We also believe in transparency and treating our musicians and clients with respect.
For more information, read our page about Trust & Security and our Agreement between event planners and musicians, which is based on the Musicians' Union standard contract.