Live Band and Musician Event Booking App (2026)
A band sells one date at a time and gets asked to play an extra half hour on almost every one of them. ShowTheReceipts ($15/mo) takes a deposit that holds the date, saves set-length packages with travel, PA and lighting hire, and a stated overtime rate, and bills the balance before the event rather than after the last song.
How we picked
Entry-plan prices as published in 2026, taken from each vendor's own pricing page or a recent third-party summary. Judged on the working musician's money workflow — date-holding deposits, set-length packages, travel and equipment lines, overtime rates, and pre-event balance collection — not on rehearsal scheduling, royalty administration, or gig-listing marketplaces.
| Software | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| ShowTheReceipts That's us | $15/mo | Bands and solo musicians: date deposits, set packages, travel and PA lines, overtime, pre-event balances |
| Invoice2go | $9.99/mo+ | Basic mobile invoicing |
| Wave | Free / $16/mo | Free invoicing with light bookkeeping |
| HoneyBook | $29/mo+ | Proposal, contract, and payment in one flow |
| Square | Free + 2.6% + 10¢ | Taking card payments at the merch table |
One date, several people, one chance to price it
A band booking commits four or five diaries at once. Every member turns down other work for that Saturday — which is why a deposit at booking is standard, and why a band without one is subsidizing the client’s indecision.
1. ShowTheReceipts — $15/mo
Deposit at booking, set-length packages saved, travel, PA and lighting hire lines, stated overtime rate, balance billed before the event.
2. Invoice2go — $9.99/mo+
Basic invoicing without deposits or scheduling.
3. Wave — Free / $16/mo
Free invoices plus light bookkeeping.
4. HoneyBook — $29/mo+
Proposal, contract, and payment in one flow for event professionals.
5. Square — free + processing
The right tool at the merch table; not a booking system.
The lines a gig quote needs
- Package — number and length of sets, plus band size
- Overtime — per half hour, stated in advance
- Travel — mileage or zone, plus lodging on distant dates
- PA and lighting hire — when the venue has none
- Sound engineer — if you bring one
- Ceremony or cocktail-hour coverage — often a separate, smaller lineup
- Learning a first-dance song — real rehearsal time, rarely billed
Bill for learning the song
A requested first-dance arrangement is a rehearsal the whole band attends. It’s consistently the most-donated work in wedding music, and it’s an easy, entirely reasonable line on a quote couples say yes to without hesitation.
Get the balance before load-in
The end of the night is the worst possible time to raise money. Everyone is tired, the client has been drinking, and you want to be packing gear — not standing near a bar talking about a check.
Frequently asked questions
How much deposit should a band take?
25–50% at booking, non-refundable. You're holding a date for four or five people, all of whom are turning down other work — a deposit is what makes that commitment mutual rather than one-sided.
How should overtime be handled?
A stated per-half-hour rate in the contract and on the invoice, agreed before the event. 'Can you play one more set?' is asked at almost every wedding, and it's revenue or free labor depending entirely on whether you set the number in advance.
Should travel and PA hire be separate lines?
Yes. A venue two hours away and a venue with no house system are real costs that vary job to job. Bundled into a flat fee, they either make you look expensive on the easy gigs or lose you money on the hard ones.
When should the balance be paid?
Before the event — commonly on the day but prior to load-in, or in the week before. Collecting after the last song, from a client who has been celebrating for six hours, is the worst payment position in live music.