Deps, subs and changing line-ups — organised
For function bands, cover bands and every act that rarely plays two gigs with the same people: keep your pool of players, know who's available and fill every position without a group chat.
Why line-up management is the real work
A function or wedding band often has a fixed name but a flexible line-up. The drummer has a theatre run, the singer is on holiday, the bass player has another band that weekend. So for every date you put together a line-up from a pool of regulars and deps — and you need to know who is confirmed, who is still thinking and who hasn't answered yet.
Bandleader is built around exactly that: a pool of musicians, positions per gig and requests that move through your list in a fixed order.
Your musician pool with positions and priorities
Every musician is assigned to the positions they can play — one player can cover several (e.g. keys and backing vocals). Per position you set a priority level: P1 for your first choice, P2 for the regular dep, P3 for the reserve, and further levels if you need them. Musicians can be set inactive without deleting them.
- Positions and roles you define yourself, with icons
- Priority levels per position decide who is asked first
- Contact details, management contacts and notes per musician
- Unlimited musicians and positions
Availability before you ask
Musicians mark days they can't play in their own availability calendar. When you fill a gig you see who is blocked — and AutoBook never sends a request to someone who has marked a gig day as unavailable. If a musician plays in several bands that use Bandleader, they see all their requests in one list and get a warning before accepting a date that clashes with a confirmed gig.
Fill positions automatically with AutoBook
Start AutoBook on a gig and Bandleader asks one musician per open position, in your priority order. A decline — or no answer before the deadline — moves the request to the next player. Reminders go out automatically. You only step in when nobody is left or someone needs more time for the second time.
When a booked player needs to drop out
As long as a gig is still an option, members can ask to be released — for example because they received a firm booking elsewhere. Their acceptance stays valid until you decide: you can release them, keep them, or let Bandleader look for a replacement first. During the replacement search the original player stays booked; only when a sub accepts is the position handed over.
One sheet per gig for the whole line-up
Date, times, venue, dress code, contacts, hotel, schedule and files live in one place for each gig. Everyone who is booked sees the same information, and changes are visible straight away. You can share the gig info as a PDF.
Files in one place
Upload contracts, stage plans, images and audio to the gig. Booked musicians can open them from their gig view instead of searching through old emails.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a dep?
- In UK band slang a dep (short for deputy) is a musician who stands in for a regular band member. In the US the usual word is sub. In Bandleader both are simply musicians in your pool with a lower priority level for a position.
- Can one musician cover several positions?
- Yes. A musician can be assigned to several positions with a separate priority level for each. AutoBook never books the same person twice on one gig.
- Do my deps need an account?
- No. Musicians can answer requests directly from the email. With an account they also get their own calendar, availability and gig details in the member portal.
- Is Bandleader only for function bands?
- No. It suits any band, orchestra or project that works with changing musicians — and agencies that manage a pool of artists.