Musician Hire in London

Music Students for Hire aim to make live music more accessible to clients whilst supporting young, talented musicians and is the UK’s Number 1 provider of young musicians for functions and events. Here they share their story and some useful starting points if you are looking to hire musicians for your event.

What do you need to know from an organiser in order to provide a comprehensive quote?

Our quotes are based on the length of time the musician(s) are required to attend an event for (excluding set up and pack down). So all we need to know is the type of musician(s) you'd like, the date, location and for roughly how long you'd need them there for. We'll then be able to send you an accurate quote. Don't worry if you don't know the exact details, we can change the details of the booking up to about 2 months away.

What advice would you give to a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?

It really depends if a client knows exactly what they're looking for or not! Most people haven't booked musicians before so it can be a little daunting. When people don't know what type of musicians to book I always ask them what type of atmosphere they want the music to help create - is it music for dancing? Is it background music? Do you want upbeat and jolly or elegant and beautiful?

Please tell us a little bit about how and why you started the business.

My business partner Robin started the agency in 2010 whilst he was studying music at Manchester University. Ever the entrepreneur, he spotted a bit of a gap in the market. He was surrounded by very talented musicians who often didn't know how to get themselves gigs or market themselves to potential clients. He also realised that budgetary constraints often prohibited people from having music at an event as it is often deemed a 'desirable' rather than an 'essential' element. Because we're able to support musicians in the early parts of their careers and help clients share in the joy of live music where it wouldn't have otherwise been possible, it's a bit of a win-win!

Please tell us about a booking you've had through Add to Event, how did it go? Would you recommend us to others?

We've had a really good conversion rate from the platform already, and we've only been using it a week or so. We've sent 5 quotes and two have converted into bookings. One a string quartet for a wedding in 2021, and the other a string trio for a corporate event in London. Unlike other platforms who's focus is on flooding your inbox with indirect enquiries which have little chance of converting into bookings, it seems like the enquiries we've been getting on Add to Event have been really targeted / relevant to what we're able to offer. From my experience of the platform so far, I would certainly recommend it to others!