Booking artists and getting booked has never been easier than with Encore
Encore are a UK startup that allows you to easily search and find musicians and bands to play events, meaning no more scouting around desperately for live music.
Encore have emerged onto the scene as a solution service, threatening booking agencies with a streamlined and simple way to book live music. With Encore the middle man is taken away to increase value for artists and to make it miles easier for events-holders to find local bands or artists to play.
Encore co-founder, James McAulay, described their service’s need, saying: “Finding great musicians for your venue or event is a nightmare. The booking process is clunky and slow, often takes weeks, and once you’ve finally found the right group or musician, confirming the booking involves a minefield of contracts, invoices and old-school payments. After this, the telephone calls and text messages begin, along with organising the logistics of the venue and deposit payments… the list is endless.”
McAuley also says that they hope to improve conditions for artists, saying: “Musicians are tired of being ripped off by traditional agents who take a large cut and often don’t have the musicians’ best interests at heart. Encore brings transparency to an industry that desperately needs it.”
The app works by allowing you to input the details of your event and what you need, for example; what genres, how many players, the time and location, etc. Artists who fit the description will then be sent a notification which they can respond to with a quote and the event holder can view the artists profile and Soundcloud.. The service has apparently already drawn in more than 18,000 musicians already.
Once a booking is made Encore takes 15% of the booking fee, which is roughly the same as a booking agency. But Encore makes up for the similar cost in it’s ease of use, with McAulay explaining: “Instead of forcing customers to browse directories of musicians who may not be available, we ask for one enquiry that is then sent to local performers. Available acts respond with a tailored quote for the even, usually within twenty minutes, giving the client a shortlist of suitable acts to choose from. Quick, simple and efficient.”