Encore Musicians

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.

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

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

• Musician booking marketplace
• Live entertainment platform
• Wedding music booking
• Function band hire
• Event musicians UK

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core 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

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct 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

• Xx.com/joinencore
• Facebookfacebook.com/joinencore
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/encore-musicians
• Instagraminstagram.com/encoremusicians

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Encore Musicians