And we'll make sure it gets there.
A booking marketplace for Manchester's bars and freelance musicians. Artists build a profile, venues book them directly — and both sides put down a refundable deposit to lock in the date. Show up, get it back. Cancel, and it goes to the other side. The no-show that actually costs something.
Right now it happens over DMs, word of mouth, Facebook groups, or a booking app that only handles the logistics — with nothing backing the deal up.
Artists no-show. Venues ghost on payment. A handshake deal with nothing behind it.
Booked over DMs and word of mouth — no structure, no accountability, no history to check.
GigPig, GigSalad, Bark — they all make booking cheaper and easier to find. None of them make it safer. A faster way to book someone who might still not turn up is still a gamble.
Every booking goes through the same four steps, whichever side proposes it.
Browse ranked profiles — reviews, track record, location. Either side can propose a date.
A refundable deposit from the artist and the venue, held until the gig happens.
The gig happens. Both parties confirm, and both deposits are refunded in full.
Back out, and your deposit is forfeited straight to whoever you let down.
Most platforms in this space are proud of cutting the middleman out — fewer fees, faster booking, nothing standing between you and the artist.
We think that's backwards. The middleman was never just overhead — it was the only thing making it cost something to back out. Remove it, and booking gets cheaper. It doesn't get safer.
A bad review doesn't get you back the Saturday you booked to work.
A deposit does.
And because music's always coming, a cancelled slot doesn't just sit empty — there's a bench of artists on standby ready to fill it, so the gig still happens and someone still gets paid.
Manchester's live music scene is strong and still growing post-pandemic, but bookings here still run on DMs, word of mouth, or a booking app that stops at logistics — nothing that actually backs the deal up once it's made.
We're piloting with a real Manchester venue first — not building in the dark and hoping someone shows up once it's finished.