FAQ

What is Music Marmalade?

Music Marmalade is an online 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.

What does Music Marmalade do?

Music Marmalade offers an all-in-one platform for musicians to connect with a larger audience, take bookings, and manage schedules effortlessly by providing tools and features designed specifically for them. In providing these tools to musicians, clients experience an unmatched level of customer service.

How do I book a band on Music Marmalade?

Simply go to the Music Marmalade home page and fill out the search fields with your event details. We’ll then show you all the bands available for your event. You can browse through profiles, watch showcase videos, and read about each band. When you find a band you want to book, fill out the Build A Quote section on the band’s profile and you’ll instantly receive an accurate quote for the band to perform at your event. If you’re happy with the quote, you can hit “Request To Book” and we’ll ask you for a few details to secure the date with the band. When the band accepts your booking within 48hrs of you sending your “Request to Book” we’ll charge you a 15% deposit. You will be invoiced for the final balance usually 60 days before your event date. Please see “How Music Marmalade Works” for full details.

What does it cost to use Music Marmalade?

It is free to use Music Marmalade. All you pay is the price quoted by the artist for their performance when you request to book.

What does my quote include?

Your quote includes the artist fee, standard mileage charges and layover fees (if applicable).

What are layover fees?

Layover fees only apply to around 1% of bookings on Music Marmalade. A Layover fee is a surcharge that applies when an artist is travelling an exceptionally long way to perform at your event. When layover fees apply you will also be responsible for providing the artist with accommodation. Don’t worry, you will be informed of any layover fee or accommodation responsibilities before you book. It is easy to avoid these additional costs by booking an artist within around 2hrs travel distance of your venue location.

Do I need to provide the artist with accommodation?

Not usually. Only around 1% of bookings require accommodation to be provided for an artist. If you are booking an artist who is travelling exceptionally far to perform at your event, they may deem it unsafe to travel home after the performance. If this is the case, you will be informed of your additional accommodation responsibilities if they are applicable before sending any booking request. It is easy to avoid accommodation costs by booking an artist within around 2.5hrs travel distance of your venue location. The artists themselves set the parameters on how far they are happy to travel when working late.

Can I speak directly to my chosen artist?

Yes you can! When you’re sending a request to book the artist, you’ll be prompted to send an optional message. You can also chat to the artist at any time from your Music Marmalade account to discuss any of the finer details regarding your event.

How long will my artist play for?

You can see the artist’s standard performance duration in the timings section of the artist’s profile. Some artists may offer extended performances as an add-on. Depending on the artist, performances may be split into 2 or 3 sets with small breaks in-between.

Can I choose the songs my artist plays?

Check the artist’s setlist matches your style before booking them. Artists spend a lot of time crafting their sets/repertoire to make sure they offer amazing performances. Artists can sometimes learn additional songs on request but this would normally require an additional fee due to the time it takes to learn a new piece. It is quite common for artists to offer 1 special request within their standard price. You can check the “description” section of the artist profile to see exactly what your artist offers as standard.

How much does it cost to hire a band?

The cost of hiring a band can cost anything from a few hundred pounds all the way up to tens of thousands. Factors that will affect the cost include; popularity, size of the band, level of experience, service quality and travel distance. As a rule of thumb, £250 per member is a good starting point. Why not browse through a few artist profiles and build a few quotes to see exactly how much it will cost.

I’ve sent my “request to book”. Now what?

Your chosen artist will be in touch within the next 48hrs to confirm your booking. Once it’s confirmed, We’ll take your 15% deposit to secure your date with the artist. You’ll receive notifications via email from Music Marmalade.

Is my payment secure?

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.

What about contracts?

Our contracts are designed to have the best interests of both the client and artists at their core. Please feel free to have a read of your artist to client contract here.

What happens if I need to cancel my booking?

Please inform your artist via the Music Marmalade platform as soon as possible. The following cancellation charges apply;

• It is free to cancel within the first 48hrs of making your booking request.
• 15% of artist fee is due if cancellation occurs more than 182 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.

What happens if the artist I’ve booked cancels?

We only provide our services to professional musicians who depend on their reputations to attend every event they are booked for. In the extremely rare circumstances where a musician needs to cancel, both the artist and Music Marmalade will use their extensive network to provide you with the option of a suitable alternate performer. If no replacement is found, you will receive a full refund.

Can I see the artist before booking?

Most artists on Music Marmalade are professional acts who perform at private events, parties, and weddings. It is unusual for these types of acts to perform publicly however if you would like to see them perform live, it is worth sending them a message to see if they have any public performances lined up. Most clients are happy to book based on showcase videos, artist profile details and reviews.

When do I make my final balance payment?

This depends on when you first made your booking. In most circumstances we will invoice you for the remaining balance 60 days before your event date and you must pay the invoice within 30 days. Please see “How Music Marmalade Works” for full details.

Will the band members I see in the showcase video be the same at my event?

As part of the booking contract between artist and client, it is expected of the artist that they provide their service as advertised. Only under certain circumstances is it acceptable for them to use deputy musicians.

What do I need to provide for the artist at my event?

A safe electrical supply, a suitably sized performance space, and a hot meal if your act is performing in the evening. If your artist has travelled a considerably long distance to perform at your event (usually more than around 2.5hrs), you may need to provide the artist with accommodation within a 30 minute drive of the venue. Don’t worry, you’ll be informed of accommodation responsibilities if they apply before you send any booking request.