How it works

Music Marmalade is an online booking platform that streamlines the process of booking live music for events, parties, and weddings. Our aim is to ensure a quick, easy, and enjoyable booking experience for both artists and clients. This page explains the booking process from the client’s perspective.

Benefits of using Music Marmalade

Explore and browse verified artist profiles curated by the musicians themselves.

Personalised quotes in seconds.

No personal details required until you’re happy to book.

Communicate directly with artists.

Secure online payments.

Automated invoicing + Contracts.

Free cancellation within 48hrs of booking request.

Client and artist support.

Free Music Marmalade account to manage booking.

Reserve dates with just a 15% deposit.

The booking flow

1. Search

Tell us about your event by inputing details including date, venue location, and time.
You’ll instantly be able to see all the musicians (artists) available for your event with an estimated price.
Use our search engine to find your perfect artist.

2. Connect

When you find an artist that you like, you can build an accurate personalised quote and request to book the artist.
The artist has 48 hours to accept or decline your booking request.
We’ll ask you to create a Music Marmalade account and pre-authorise a 15% reservation fee to secure your date with the artist. You can use your music marmalade account to manage your booking, make any final balance payment securely, and chat with your chosen artist about the finer details of your booking or make any special requests.
Once the artist has accepted your request, We will send both parties their booking contract and securely take your 15% reservation fee on behalf of the artist.
We will invoice you for the final balance on behalf of the artist before your event date. Your final payment will usually be due 30 days before your event date, however, this changes if you’ve made a short notice booking and you’ll be made aware of the changed payment schedule before sending your booking request.
All payments are handled by our trusted third-party payment provider and released to the artist 2 days after your event.

3. Party

Music Marmalade is available Mon-Sun to support artists and their clients to make sure events go off without a hitch.
Get your dancing shoes on! It’s time to celebrate!

Artist profiles - what to look out for?

Artist profiles are designed to give you all the information needed to book musicians with confidence. To help you choose the right artist for you, each profile includes the following information:

Videos - See if you like the artist by watching their showcase video.
Type & Categories - A quick overview of the artist’s style and genre. Artist’s may have a broad repertoire or specialise in a particular style.
Standard Performance Duration - This is the total time the artist will perform. Depending on the artist, a performance may be split into 2 or 3 sets with small breaks in-between.
Suggested/Usual Start Time - Most artists will have a standard time for when they usually start performing. For example, most wedding bands will start performing at 8pm as this offers the venues and caterers enough time to turn a room around to accommodate the evening reception. These are only suggested times, so you can always request to book the performance to start at a time to suit you.
Estimated Set Up Duration - This is the time it takes for an artist to Load their equipment in to a venue, sound check, and be ready to perform.
Standard Break Duration - This is the total amount of time the artist will take a break for throughout their performance. They will usually provide a playlist for the duration of the break or you could send them your own playlist prior to the event.
Set List - This is a list of all the songs the artist can play. Check this list to make sure it matches your style. Artists can sometimes learn additional songs on request but this would normally require an additional fee.
Add-ons - Some artists offer additional services to compliment their core service. Add-ons may include additional band members, Extra performance time, Ceremony and drinks reception performances, or learning to play a special request. Within the Add-ons section of the profile you’ll be able to view videos and photos related to the additional service. To avoid logistical conflicts Add-ons will be categorised and you are limited to selecting one Add-on per category.
Reviews - Discover what other people say about the artist.
Build A Quote - Use Build A Quote to get an accurate price for the artist to perform at your event.

What does my quote include?

The price quoted includes

Performance feePayment for the performance itself.
Travel expensesPayment to cover costs incurred by the artist to attend your event. This can include multiple vehicles.
Layover fees (if applicable)Layover fees apply when the artist deems it unsafe to travel home immediately after the performance and therefore need to spend the night at a hotel nearby and travel home the next day, normally due to a late finish or a considerably long drive time. The Artists themselves set the parameters on how far they are happy to travel when working late.

The price quoted does NOT include

Overnight accommodation costs.Overnight accommodation is not usually necessary but if you are booking an artist that is traveling a considerable distance/ performing late, it may be unsafe for the artist to travel home immediately after the performance. It is the responsibility of the client to make sure the artist and all members are provided with satisfactory accommodation. You will be informed of your overnight accommodation responsibilities, if they are applicable, before you send any booking request. Accommodation does not need to be at the venue itself but should be within a 30 minute drive to allow for safe travel. You can avoid overnight accommodation costs and layover costs by booking an artist that is located within around 2hrs of your venue. The Artists themselves set the parameters on how far they are happy to travel when working late without staying overnight.
Ferry Crossings, Flights etc.Any costs incurred by the Artist to attend your event which would not be considered a standard fuel/mileage cost should be covered by the Client. If you’re thinking of booking an Artist for an event outwith mainland UK or if your venue is particularly difficult to get to, speak to the artist before booking them to confirm travel arrangements. Most bookings will not be affected by this.
For full details on what is not included in your quote, please see Terms.

How do payments work?

Payments work in 3 different ways depending on the timing of your booking. (We always recommend booking your chosen artist at least 12 months in advance to avoid missing out on the best acts)

All payments are securely handled by our trusted third-party payment provider which is certified as a PCI Service Provider Level 1, the most stringent level of certification available in the payments industry.

1. Standard booking transaction flow

When you book 60 or more days out from event date

Your payment will be split into 2 instalments. The first payment being a 15% reservation fee that is to secure your date with the artist, the second payment being the remaining balance due 30 days before your event date.

To request to book an artist for your chosen date, we will ask you to pre-authorise a 15% reservation fee. You will not be charged until the artist has accepted your booking and 48hrs has passed. You reserve the right to cancel with no charge within this 48hr period.
We will invoice you for the final balance, on behalf of the artist, 60 days before your event date and you will have 30 days to make the final payment. You can use your Music Marmalade account to manage payments securely.
Your final balance payment will be held by our trusted payment provider and released to the artist 2 days after your event date.

2. Short notice booking transaction flow

When you book more than 30 days but less than 60 days out from event date

To request to book an artist for your chosen date, we will ask you to pre-authorise a 15% reservation fee. You will not be charged until the artist has accepted your booking and 48hrs has passed. You reserve the right to cancel with no charge within this 48hr period.
We will invoice you for the final balance, on behalf of the artist, at the point of artist acceptance and you will make the final payment no less than 14 days before your event date. You can use your Music Marmalade account to manage payments securely.
Your final balance payment will be held by our trusted payment provider and released to the artist 2 days after your event date.

3. Super short notice booking transaction flow

When you book within 30 days of the event date

To request to book an artist for your chosen date, we will ask you to pre-authorise a 15% reservation fee. You will not be charged until the artist has accepted your booking and 48hrs has passed. You reserve the right to cancel with no charge within this 48hr period.
We will invoice you for the final balance, on behalf of the artist, at the point of artist acceptance and you will make the final payment within 24hrs of artist acceptance. You can use your Music Marmalade account to manage payments securely.
Your final balance payment will be held by our trusted payment provider and released to the artist 2 days after your event date.

What to do if I need to cancel my booking?

In the event that you need to cancel your booking, you’ll find the “cancel booking” button within your Music Marmalade account. This will cancel the booking immediately. The Music Marmalade team is available 7 days a week to help with any bookings, so if you have any concerns, please feel free to reach out before cancelling. The following cancellation charges apply:

It is free to cancel within 48hrs of sending your booking request
15% of Artist fee is due if cancellation occurs more than 182 days before event date.
50% of Artist fee is due if cancellation occurs within 92-181 days of event date.
75% of Artist fee is due if cancellation occurs within 31-91 days of event date.
100% of Artist fee is due if cancellation occurs within 30 days of event date.

For more information please have a read of our TermsIf you have any questions, please feel free to contact hello@musicmarmalade.com and we’ll be happy to help.