Encore Musicians
Encore Musicians is a UK- and Ireland-based online marketplace connecting event organizers with vetted live musicians — soloists, bands, and ensembles — for weddings, corporate events, private parties, and seasonal celebrations, earning revenue via booking commissions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Encore Musicians does
Encore Musicians (legal entity 1015 Limited) is a UK-headquartered online marketplace that connects event organizers with vetted live musicians for weddings, corporate events, private parties, and seasonal celebrations. Founded in 2014 and based in London, the platform lists 13,000 to 40,000 performers across the UK and Ireland spanning soloists, bands, and ensembles across virtually every genre and price tier. The core technology comprises a self-serve web platform and native iOS and Android applications that handle discovery, quote requests, availability checking, booking coordination, secure payment processing, and post-booking support, with the bookings specialist 'Morven' providing human-assisted concierge on top of the self-serve layer.
The business model is a standard marketplace commission structure: the company takes a percentage of each booking facilitated through the platform, with musicians retaining control of their own pricing (which ranges from approximately £220 for budget soloists to over £3,500 for premium all-day wedding packages). Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via digital channels — SEO-optimized category and location pages, an active blog of 138+ educational articles, paid and organic social media, and a large review ecosystem of 22,000+ five-star ratings. Transaction-level trust features (booking protection, free 48-hour cancellations, public liability insurance coverage up to £10M) differentiate the platform from direct musician-to-hirer arrangements.
The company serves four primary customer segments: wedding couples and planners (primary), corporate event organizers, private party hosts, and seasonal event organizers. Revenue (commission) is not directly disclosed but the company cites £20M+ in lifetime sales and 54% QoQ revenue growth in Q1 2023. Capital has been raised primarily through equity crowdfunding on Crowdcube (£787,782 in July 2023) plus earlier rounds from 7percent Ventures, Entrepreneurs First, and Cambridge Angels group, with stated use of funds directed toward team expansion and B2B partnership development.
Encore Musicians firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Encore Musicians
- Legal name
- 1015 Limited
- Website
- https://encoremusicians.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Encore Musicians is a UK- and Ireland-based online marketplace connecting event organizers with vetted live musicians — soloists, bands, and ensembles — for weddings, corporate events, private parties, and seasonal celebrations, earning revenue via booking commissions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Encore Musicians industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online musician booking marketplace
- NAICS
- Musical Groups and Artists (711130), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Music Booking (Bands, Soloists, DJs) (HSACAHAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cultural & Heritage Entertainment Booking (Traditional/Folk Acts) (HSACAHAG)
Keywords
Where Encore Musicians is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Encore Musicians business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Booking Commission: Platform takes a commission on each musician booking facilitated through the Encore Musicians marketplace. The company connects customers with musicians for events including weddings, corporate events, and private parties across the UK and Ireland.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Performer pricing tiers based on experience and popularity |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Christmas carol singers pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Encore Musicians product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Encore Musicians operates an online marketplace where customers can search, get quotes from, and book vetted live musicians and bands for weddings, corporate events, private parties, and seasonal celebrations across the UK and Ireland. The platform acts as an intermediary, taking a commission on each booking made through it, and includes booking protection, secure payments, and free 48-hour cancellations as standard.
Product overview
Encore Musicians operates as a unified online marketplace for booking live entertainment across the UK and Ireland. The core platform enables event organizers to browse and book from over 13,000 vetted performers across multiple categories including soloists (DJs, saxophonists, singers, violinists, pianists, harpists), bands (wedding bands, function bands, jazz bands, party bands, cover bands), and ensembles (orchestras, string quartets, brass bands). The platform integrates booking protection, secure payments, and customer support. Additional offerings include specialized collections (Last Minute Musicians, DJ Live Collection), seasonal services (Christmas Carol Singers, New Year's Eve bands), and the Encore Blog for educational content on hiring musicians.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Encore Musicians Platform UK-based online marketplace connecting event organizers with vetted live musicians, bands, and performers for weddings, corporate events, private parties, and special occasions. Enables browsing by category, requesting quotes, and booking with built-in payment protection.
- Soloist Musicians Individual performers available for booking, including DJs, saxophonists, singers, acoustic guitarists, bagpipers, cellists, electric violinists, guitarists, harpists, organists, pianists, singing guitarists, singing pianists, steel drummers, and violinists.
- Bands Various band formations available through the marketplace, including wedding bands, function and cover bands, ceilidh bands, acoustic duos, DJs with live musicians, jazz bands, Mariachi bands, Motown bands, Mumford & Sons style bands, party bands, roaming bands, rock bands, soul bands, swing and jive bands, and vintage jazz bands.
- Groups Ensemble performers available for booking, including brass bands, orchestras, steel drum bands, string quartets, and tribute bands.
- Wedding Music Packages Specialized wedding entertainment offerings, including all-day wedding musician packages (ceremony, reception, and evening party), ceremony musicians, reception musicians, evening meal musicians, and evening party bands.
- Corporate Event Services Corporate event entertainment offerings, including acoustic bands, big bands, brass bands, DJs, function bands, jazz bands, Mariachi bands, party bands, soul and Motown bands, string quartets, swing and jive bands, and vintage-themed bands.
- Christmas & New Year Entertainment Seasonal entertainment services for Christmas parties and New Year's Eve events, including carol singers, acoustic duos, ceilidh bands, DJs, function bands, jazz bands, party bands, pop bands, and swing and jive bands.
- Special Collections Curated performer collections available through the marketplace, including Last Minute Musicians, The DJ Live Collection, Bands with Funny Names, Electro Swing Bands, The Showband Collection, The Soulful Singer Collection, Top Tribute Acts, and Unusual and Unique Acts.
- Encore Musicians iOS App iOS mobile application providing the same browsing, quote, and booking functionality as the Encore Musicians website for customers booking performers on iPhone and iPad.
- Encore Musicians Android App Android mobile application providing the same browsing, quote, and booking functionality as the Encore Musicians website for customers booking performers on Android devices.
Quantifiable outcome
- Average quote time under 30 minutes
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Encore Musicians
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Encore Musicians technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Encore Musicians partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Encore Musicians competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- GigSalad: US-based online marketplace where event hosts book live musicians, bands, and entertainers. Closest US analog to Encore's UK live-music booking marketplace, with similar self-serve browse-and-quote flow and commission model.
- The Bash (formerly GigMasters): North American marketplace for booking event entertainment including musicians, DJs, and bands. Directly comparable to Encore on marketplace mechanics, vendor vetting, and consumer/wedding use cases.
- Gigmit: European live-music booking platform connecting artists with event bookers. Comparable to Encore on marketplace model and live-entertainment focus, though stronger DACH-region orientation.
- Alive Network: UK-based live music booking agency supplying bands, string quartets, and DJs for weddings and corporate events. Direct UK competitor operating a more traditional agency model against Encore's marketplace approach.
- Function Band: UK function band directory and booking service for weddings, corporate events, and parties. Overlaps with Encore's band booking category and UK wedding/corporate customer base.
- Bands for Hire: UK directory for hiring live bands and musicians for events. Targets the same UK wedding and corporate booking segment as Encore with a similar online browse-and-quote experience.
Broad incumbents
- Bark.com: UK-headquartered marketplace for professional services including event entertainment. Comparable lead-generation and commission model, but operates as a much broader marketplace across many service verticals.
- Eventbrite: Large global event ticketing and discovery platform. Adjacent to Encore through shared event-planning context, though Eventbrite focuses on ticketing and promotion rather than direct musician booking.
- Thumbtack: US-based home and event services marketplace where users request quotes from local pros including entertainers. Comparable marketplace mechanics and lead-gen commission model, but operating in a broader services category.
Others
- Encore Tickets: UK live entertainment ticketing agency selling concert and theatre tickets. Adjacent rather than directly competitive: shares the 'Encore' brand space in UK live entertainment but operates on the consumer ticketing side rather than private-hire musician booking.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Encore Musicians social profiles
Digital presenceEncore Musicians compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Encore Musicians financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Encore Musicians leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Encore Musicians funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds9 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Encore Musicians M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Encore Musicians
What does Encore Musicians do?
Encore Musicians operates an online marketplace where customers can search, get quotes from, and book vetted live musicians and bands for weddings, corporate events, private parties, and seasonal celebrations across the UK and Ireland. The platform acts as an intermediary, taking a commission on each booking made through it, and includes booking protection, secure payments, and free 48-hour cancellations as standard.
Is Encore Musicians a public or private company?
Encore Musicians is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Encore Musicians founded?
Encore Musicians was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Encore Musicians based?
Encore Musicians is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Encore Musicians make money?
One revenue line is on record: booking Commission.
Who are Encore Musicians's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are GigSalad, The Bash (formerly GigMasters), Gigmit, Alive Network, Function Band and Bands for Hire. Broad incumbents are Bark.com, Eventbrite and Thumbtack. Encore Tickets is listed as an others.
Does Encore Musicians have an API?
No public API is recorded for Encore Musicians.
What industry is Encore Musicians in?
Encore Musicians's product category is Online musician booking marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSACAHAA, Live Music Booking (Bands, Soloists, DJs), with a secondary code of HSACAHAG, Cultural & Heritage Entertainment Booking (Traditional/Folk Acts). Its NAICS code is 711130 and its SIC code is 7900.