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Home › Band scheduling › Agencies and multi-act leaders

Agencies: Scheduling Musicians Across Several Acts

For agencies and bandleaders who run more than one band or ensemble.

BookLive gig overview showing a fully staffed performance with the invoice and payments collected
Each gig shows its lineup, invoice and payments at a glance.

The short answer

To schedule musicians across several acts, give each act its own ranked roster, have every player keep their blackout dates up to date, and check a player's other bookings before you ask them. Keep every gig, lineup and payment in one system, so you see all your acts in one place instead of juggling separate calendars.

The basics of scheduling one act are in the band scheduling guide.

The shared-player problem

Your best players are often on several of your rosters. Without one view of their bookings, it's easy to ask the same violinist to play two of your acts on the same night, or to burn out your favorite drummer.

How to set it up

  1. One roster per act. A player can be first call for one act and a sub for another.
  2. Blackout dates for everyone. Players mark the dates they can't do, once.
  3. Book your busiest dates first. Fill the Saturdays where several acts play, before smaller gigs take your players.
  4. Spread the work. Watch who's playing the most and give subs regular work, so they stay available. See how to build a sub roster.

Give each act a leader

As you grow, name a leader for each act who handles the music and the day-of details, while you handle bookings and pay. Everyone works from the same gig details and set lists.

How BookLive helps

  • Several acts, one login. Run each act with its own roster, gigs and set lists.
  • Blackout dates. Players keep their busy dates up to date, so you only ask people who are free.
  • Auto-Fill and the Substitute button. Seats fill from each act's roster, and last-minute gaps go out to all available subs.
  • Player pay. Track what each player is owed across every gig.
BookLive staffing screen showing each seat on a gig and which musicians have confirmed
Every seat, confirmed or open, for each act's gigs.

Your musicians use BookLive for free. Only the bandleader pays.

Frequently asked questions

How do agencies avoid double-booking musicians?

Have every player keep blackout dates up to date, and check each player's other bookings before asking them. One system for all your acts makes this far easier.

Should each act have its own roster?

Yes. A player can be first call for one act and a sub for another, and each act needs its own order.

Staff your next gig in BookLive

The quickest way to see if this works for your band is to staff one real gig. Add your players, rank them, create your next gig and turn on Auto-Fill.

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