Live music for restaurants and bars

Live music keeps guests longer and brings them back. On Booky, venues such as bars, restaurants and event spaces in Sweden can post gigs for artists to apply to, browse artists and send booking requests – with the contract and payment in one place.

Create a venue account · Find artists to book · See pricing

Two ways to find artists

  • Post a gig with the date, time and fee, and let artists apply.
  • Browse artists, filter by genre, location and price, and send a booking request to the ones that fit.

How to plan live music at your venue

  • Pick the night and time: live music often works best when you want to build atmosphere, for example one fixed night a week.
  • Match the artist to the place: acoustic and calm for dinner, more energy at the weekend.
  • Equipment and space: where will the artist play, is there power, and which sound system will be used?
  • Volume and neighbours: check the rules and times that apply to your premises.
  • Music licensing: when music is played in public, the organiser normally needs a licence, for example from STIM in Sweden. Check what applies to you.
  • Spread the word: once the date is set, make sure guests and followers know about it.

How booking on Booky works

  1. Find artists: search and filter by genre, location, price and availability, and open their profiles for photos, videos, requirements and reviews.
  2. Send a booking request with the date, time and price. You can send it as a guest without an account, or create a free account.
  3. Agree on the details in the conversation. Offers are versioned and have a reply deadline, so nothing gets stuck.
  4. Once you have both accepted, a digital contract is created automatically as a PDF.
  5. Pay in advance through Stripe. Booky holds the money until the gig has taken place, and payment is due no later than 48 hours before the event.
  6. After the event you both leave a review, and the artist's fee is paid out.

How much does it cost to book live music for a restaurant or bar?

The artist sets the price, and it depends on things like playing time, the number of performers, travel and equipment. Many artists show their starting price on their profile, and you agree on the final price in the request.

On Booky you pay the artist's price plus a service fee: 100 kr for bookings up to 1,000 kr, otherwise 10% on top of the artist's price. For example, on a 2,000 kr booking you pay 2,200 kr and the artist receives 1,800 kr. There are no monthly fees.

Safe for both sides

Booky has one fixed cancellation policy for every booking, so there's nothing to negotiate:

  • Cancel 7 or more days before the event and the artist fee is refunded in full.
  • Cancel between 48 hours and 7 days before and 50% of the artist fee is refunded.
  • Cancel within 48 hours and nothing is refunded.
  • Booky's service fee is not refunded when the person who booked cancels.
  • If the artist cancels or doesn't show up, you get all your money back, including the service fee.

Frequently asked questions

How does my venue get started on Booky?

Create a free venue account, fill in the details about your place and start posting gigs or sending requests to artists.

Does a venue profile cost anything?

No, there are no monthly fees. You only pay a service fee when a booking goes ahead: 100 kr for bookings up to 1,000 kr, otherwise 10% on top of the artist's price.

How does payment to the artist work?

You pay the artist fee in advance through Stripe. Booky holds the money until the gig has taken place, and then the fee is paid out to the artist.

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