Where Independent Artists Can Find Gigs and Bookings

The platforms, marketplaces and showcase schemes worth your time, and how to pitch through them

Most independent artists don’t have a booking agent, and in the early stages you probably don’t need one. Grassroots bookings, from pub and bar residencies to weddings, private parties and new music stages at festivals, are mostly made directly between artists and the people running the event.

The hard part is finding those people. A growing set of platforms now does that matching for you. Each suits a different kind of gig, and some only cover certain countries, so it pays to know which is which. Below are options for the UK, the US and further afield.

Why this matters right now

Some of the traditional routes onto stages are changing. In July 2026, Reading and Leeds confirmed that the BBC Introducing Stage would end after 18 years. Festival Republic said its new Canopy stage would support a wider range of emerging artists instead. When long-standing routes shift, artists already pitching through several channels are the ones who keep playing.

Build your press kit before you pitch

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Every platform in this guide asks for the same thing in one form or another: proof that you are worth booking. That proof is your press kit, often called an EPK or electronic press kit. It’s a single page or link that gives a booker everything they need without having to chase you.

A strong press kit includes:

A short bio. Two or three paragraphs on who you are, your sound and your biggest achievements, written in the third person so promoters can copy it straight into their listings.

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Your best music. Links to two or three tracks, with the one you want bookers to hear first at the top.

Live footage. A short clip of you performing to a real crowd. For a booker, this matters more than anything else in the kit.

Press photos. High-resolution, clearly labelled images in landscape and portrait, ready to download. Our guide to taking professional band press photos walks you through getting them right.

Highlights and numbers. Notable shows, festival slots, radio plays, press quotes, and audience figures in the cities you want to play.

Tech and contact details. A short tech rider listing what you need on stage, plus one clear email address for bookings.

Keep it consistent with the rest of your branding, and update it after every release or big show. Our guide to creating a complete brand kit for your music will help it match your releases and socials.

If you don’t have a website, tools can host it for you. BookedKit puts your EPK, upcoming shows and a booking enquiry form behind one link, with a free plan and no commission on bookings. Once you’re booking regularly, Gigwell is paid booking management software that adds contracts, payments and logistics.

For local venues and regular gigs

GigPig describes itself as the UK’s largest live music marketplace. It lists over 20,000 vetted performers, including solo artists, bands, DJs and specialty acts, and works with single venues and multi-site groups. Venues book through the platform, and GigPig automatically creates an invoice for each artist. It’s a strong fit for regular paid work in bars, pubs and hospitality venues.

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Booking-Agent.io works the other way round. You enter an artist with a similar sound and it surfaces venues already booking that style, along with talent buyer contact details. Venues appear on a map, which helps when planning a run of dates.

Indie on the Move combines a music venue database with booking contacts and venue reviews. Venues and promoters post open dates and last-minute cancellations, and you can set alerts for the areas you want to play. Some features are premium.

For promoters, bookers and festivals

Groover lets you send your music to bookers and promoters, from small local venues to international festival bookers and tour organisers. Each submission comes with guaranteed feedback or a refund, so even a no tells you something useful.

Gigmit is an event database and booking tool where promoters post gigs and artists apply. Your proposal can include your fee, technical needs, travel and accommodation, and the promoter can reply with a contract offer. Its PRO membership adds automatic applications to matching opportunities.

Keep an eye on BBC Introducing too. Its Introducing LIVE programme runs through November 2026 in 10 UK locations, including London, Manchester, Glasgow and Belfast, with performances, open mic sessions and workshops for emerging musicians and DJs. Our guide to getting your music played on BBC Introducing explains how to get on its radar.

If you are aiming at the US, SXSW is the best-known showcase for emerging artists. SXSW 2027 runs from 15 to 21 March 2027 in Austin, Texas, and the final deadline for showcase applications is 20 November 2026. Fees rise the later you apply.

For weddings, private parties and corporate events

Private events are often the best-paid gigs at grassroots level, and they run all year.

Encore is built for this market in the UK. It says over 5,000 customers post jobs every month. Joining is free, you set your own fee above Encore’s minimum rates, and Encore takes 20% of the performance fee when you’re booked. You will need professionally produced promo videos to publish a profile.

GigSalad covers similar ground in the US. It has booked live gigs worth $113 million for around 110,000 musicians and entertainers since 2007, across weddings, children’s parties and corporate events.

The Bash is another established US option. It started in 1997 as GigMasters, one of the first websites to get musicians gigs, and is now part of The Knot Worldwide. It says over 500,000 events have been booked through it.

How to pitch so it actually lands

Whichever platform you use, bookers decide quickly. A few habits make a big difference. Send your press kit link in your first message. Don’t make a booker ask for it.

Be honest about your draw. A packed small venue gets you rebooked, and a half-empty large one usually doesn’t.

Be specific. Name the dates you are available, the type of night you suit and the artists you have shared a bill with or sound like.

Follow up once, politely, then move on. A no today is not a no forever.

Make sure every play counts

The more you perform, the more people go looking for your music afterwards. Your releases need to be available everywhere fans search, and your recordings need to be registered so you’re paid when they’re broadcast or played in public.

MN2S Label Services handles global distribution and rights management for independent artists and labels, including registering your recordings with PPL and collecting the royalties they earn. Get in touch to make sure your music is working as hard as you are on stage.