How to book a band

Not everyone knows how to book a band although most people know how to book a holiday. The two are more or less the same and it’s fun and exciting doing both.

You can choose to book a band in 2 ways:

Using a reputable entertainment booking agent:

People may recommend a good agency or you may find one through the usual search engines. Their website should feature great bands and have a lot of choice for live music across many styles such as jazz, party, soul, classical, wedding music and more. The artists page should have pictures, information, song lists and music samples to help you determine if they are right for your event. A price guide should also be shown although it is only a guide an won’t display exact pricing for your location – they can break this down for you once you’ve contacted them.

Make sure the booking agent can confirm availability and the total price including parking, travel expenses and timings to suit your event. Once this has been agreed, they should confirm your selection with you by contract and include the final fees and details for your event. We would recommend finding another agent if they don’t provide contracts.

Booking a band direct:

Most bands work with reputable agents but also accept bookings directly. You can book with them in the same way although many bands don’t actually provide contracts for each event and may only offer you confirmation of the booking. Usually, this will be enough although it’s worth checking to see what protection this gives you if the band changes their mind or if they are unable to perform for any reason. Can they supply back up musicians [deputies] or even an alternative option?

It usually won’t be an issue but if you are booking your wedding music then you definitely want to make sure you have total peace of mind when confirming your booking so it’s best to check what would happen in any eventuality.

There will usually be a deposit required to secure a booking of about 20%. This is due at the time of confirmation. The balance will be payable any time within a few weeks prior to performance and the artists or agent will be in touch to discuss all the details, timings, talk about the music and the balance payment. Make sure that you have a contact number for the artist as the event approaches.

Everyone wants your celebration to be fantastic. It’s much easier for the band or agent to contact you a few weeks prior rather than lots of calls / emails from the moment you make your booking. That way they concentrate on each event as it comes up in their diary and confirm all the final details shortly before the event itself.

When you book a live band, it is always best to check the cancellation policy, too. Not everything in life always goes according to plan so do check the terms of the booking. Usually, the balance payment won’t be payable if you cancel at least 3 months prior to your event. Any cancellations within that timeframe may result in the loss of a booking for the band and will usually expect to be paid. A deposit rarely gets refunded.

Recommendations say a lot to people and bands often get asked by previous customers to perform for their future events so they need you to support them by providing feedback. The agency also like to know they have provided a good service, too. If you’ve been happy with everything – let them know – they’re there to help.

Happy hunting.

1311 Events

Who won the 2011 Eurovision song contest?

The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 promises to be another exciting celebration of the best [or worse] of everything musical. This years festival of kitsch, camp and Euroworld’s annual celebration of the weird and wonderful is held in Dusseldorf. “This is London calling”. Could the UK be in with a shout?!

Firm favourites are France with a rousing tenor that could, in my opinion, be a cracking replacement for their Nation Anthem. Amazingly, Jedward – the ex-X Factor twins – are doing what they do best in their loveable ‘don’t really-know-what-we’re-doing’ way. Ireland expects. It really could be a car crash – in a nice way – if that’s possible?

Tired of Euro humiliation, the UK is bringing in the big guns with Blue reprezentin’ the nation. I think a lot of girls will love their dirty new look albeit Duncan somehow doesn’t manage to pull it off. He’s just too nice to even attempt to behave like a nasty boy. But then it’s not about the looks is it? Well, it could be! It certainly didn’t do these guys any harm.

Will there be another Jahn Tiegen etched into Eurovision history? Keeping an eye on the nil-points artists is almost as exciting as waiting to see who the winner is. Receiving zero points in the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest was actually the best thing that ever happened to the Norwegian although I’m not sure it would have the same impact on Blue’s career. I’m sure there will be thousands of people hoping not.

Over the last 10 years or so, the Eurovision song contest seems to have become even more popular in the UK – even without the venerable Terry Wogan drinking jibing his way through 4 hours of total entertainment. Despite his disappearance from the commentary box, the Eurovision is still one of the largest annual audience programs on UK television. And, it’s not really surprising! Where else could you find such an eclectic mix of musical styles under one roof outside of a Serbian karaoke bar? It’s a festival of sound supported by an array of performances that go much further than providing a sniff of the contestants cultural identity. It’s like Glee for the 20th Century!

As I work for an entertainment agency, I’ll be watching closely to see if the competition sparks off a new trend in music requests from our wedding bands. Will there be a surge of enquiries for Hungarian folk bands, Greek Euro pop or a Catalonian dance craze? I’m just flicking through our band roster and I can see a few some problems if there is.

Whichever country wins, the true winner of the Eurovision song contest 2011 is the competition itself. It’s fantastic – literally!

1311 Events

What happens if my band cancels on me?

We receive a lot of calls every year from brides-to-be frantically trying to find a replacement band as the one they booked directly pulled out on them in the run up to their big day. We sympathise as booking a band should be an enjoyable, stress-free experience and not turn into a nightmare.

Legally, there are things you can do providing you have a witnessed verbal agreement that the band agreed to perform for your wedding. However, getting compensation can be very time-consuming, expensive and, at the end of the day, unfortunately, often not worth the effort. If you have a written contract for the band which we strongly recommend, you’ll have a much stronger position but even then, your wedding should be the happiest day of your life and pursuing legal action afterwards may simply tarnish memories of your special day.

That said, securing a wedding band by contract directly or through a reputable entertainment agency is recommended. An artist willing to sign a contract is a sign of their professionalism meaning they are much more likely to take bookings seriously and perform to high standards to make sure your event is one to remember for all the right reasons. Don’t leave it to chance. Make sure you have the paperwork to reflect the booking including their details, contact numbers, timings and exactly what you’re paying for. Expect them to contact you prior to your wedding and finalise the timings, go over the small details so you feel assured that everything is going to be amazing.

But, what happens if your band does cancel on you. Get in touch with an entertainment aagency and explain the situation. A good agent will pull out all the stops to help supply another band that fits with your requirements. It is definitely worth using a music booking agent as they can take out all the hassle of booking your artist so you can relax and enjoy your wedding.

1311 Events

How much does it cost to hire a live band?

We’ll try our best and answer that although we’ll have to break it down into music categories as there seems to be a pecking order in terms of what musicians tend to charge. Please remember that these prices are approximations based on our experience over the years. These prices are per person so a string ensemble with 4 members @ £130 per person would be around £520 +

Brass bands: £125 + per person.
String quartets : £130 +
Dixie jazz musicians: £150 +
Dinner jazz musicians: £165 +
Latin bands: £180 +
Party bands, swing bands: £200 +
Gospel singers: £225 +
Motown bands: £250 +
Tribute bands: £250 +
Solo singers: £350 – £1000
Tribute singers: £450 – 1000

As you can see. The scale fee per musician is huge and, of course, the more successful or in demand an artist is the more they can charge. But, hang on…we’ve forgotten something. These are just approximate guide prices for diffrent music styles. There are also other fees to cover such as travel expenses, equipment, overnight accommodation, meals, VAT, whether an early set up is required and if the artist is expected to finish late. There are often many extras that aren’t covered in the artists basic fee and it is important to find out exactly how much the inclusive fee will be before committing to book a band.

Sometimes, we’ll look at the total fee and need a sit down. But, let’s remember, these are usually highly-proficient performers who have spent years training in music schools and working hard to be as good as they can. A final fee of £2000 could look expensive for an 8 piece band but let’s break it down:

The bandleader will have spent quite some time discussing the event and organising bands so everyone arrives at the right time at the right place. This is a very time consuming job. But the poor old bandleader doesn’t usually get anything extra for this – it’s almost unpaid work. So, let’s imagine your party band need an hour to get to you, an hour to set up from 6pm and then they are with you until midnight.

So far, we’ve got 8 musicians working 9 hours [including travel both ways and set up and break down after the event] That means we’re paying £27.7 per hour for each musican. Seems a lot perhaps? Well, remember, they have brought around £8,000 worth of equipment which would cost £500+ to hire if they didn’t bring it and we factor in travel costs, public liability insurance, pat certification for all of their equipment, the unpaid time spent rehearsing, paying for promotional material, studio time for recording their band audio samples plus photographers for their photographs, union membership, phone bills, performance clothes and all the other little extras and before you know it that £27 per hour has gone out of the window.

People are paying superstars hundreds of thousands of pounds and, sometimes, just sometimes, the band you hire will be just as good and, if you’re lucky, they may even have performed with some of the celeb performers. It’s worth checking as you may be closer to the kings and queens of rock and pop than you think and for a fraction of the price!

1311 Events

The band that played at the Royal Wedding

What an incredible week! Kate and William had the eyes of the world on them and what a fabulous day. Especially for the 300,000 spectators who gathered at Hyde Park to watch the whole day on the massive screens. Well, they had a treat, too as one of the great live party bands from the 1311 Events portfolio performed there.

Men In Black were awesome and had the London crowds on their feet all afternoon. The band have performed at 100s of weddings and parties but this has to be the biggest and most well-known.  Watch some footage here:

Kate and William probably didn’t get to see the band live on the day but 300,000 royal wedding fans loved them. You will, too. If you would like to hire the royal wedding band, get in touch.

1311 Events

Wedding Music: Agents Random Thoughts #23

Tuesday morning and I’m waiting for another Bank Holiday.  Working at 1311 Events (live music agency) is great fun but I’m quite tired as part of our role involves us going to see the bands in the portfolio just to make sure that clients can book their live music for their wedding/party or event with confidence.  It’s the part of the job I really enjoy but being a sensitive soul find it quite hard if they don’t live up to expectations.

On Saturday it was a trip down to London’s RAC club in Pall Mall.  Beautiful venue and the guests obviously had the band they all wanted to dance to. Right from the start after the couple’s first dance the bride and her dad were up and shaking their tail feathers, which can’t be easy in a full bridal gown.

Whenever I am previewing a live band and it happens to be at a wedding it always reminds me of my own wedding.  My dear old Dad who loved to dance but sadly had two left feet.  Matters got far worse as he got older his hearing failed so he had no idea of what he was dancing to.  Nevertheless it didn’t stop him getting up and having a brilliant time. I have a lovely video of him at a barn dance causing absolute chaos, weaving in and out of the  dancing couples who did their best to usher him to the right place.

We are privileged in getting to see some brilliant live wedding bands the most gorgeous venues that couples have chosen for their wedding day which I wouldn’t have known existed had it not been for my job.

Having seen so many weddings and spoken to so many brides I always advise them to try and savour every moment as the day goes so quickly and before they know it their guests are bidding them farewell.  More and more wedding couples do not leave the reception early which makes sense really.  If you book wedding music you may as well stay and enjoy the fun and take a couple of days to recover before jetting off on honeymoon. You may just need the energy.

1311 Events 

The cost of hiring a wedding band

If you or someone you know has booked a live party band for your wedding music, how much did it cost?

We have 100s of superb live bands in all music genres for within these prices.

1311 Events