Since our beginning, we’ve worked hard to stay above the trends and create a seamless platform for easy booking. If you’ve been with us from the start, you know that we’ve done major updates and overhauls to GigSalad nearly every year since 2007 to make sure we’re providing an exceptional, affordable service for both performer and event planner. Today, we’re introducing a whole new set of features and improvements designed to make it easier than ever for you to get gigs.
Modern design
When it comes to website design, businesses cannot have a lackluster attitude. It’s crucial for us to maintain a balance of design, functionality, and user experience in order to get potential clients excited about booking entertainment. That’s why we’ve redesigned our website with your success in mind.
With the new look, we’ve simplified our content to put the focus on member profiles. In the search results pages, you’ll notice that the square profile pictures are now larger and less cluttered with text and small spacing. When a user hovers over your profile, that’s when they’re presented with the most important options to View Profile, Add to Favorites, and Get a Free Quote.
New, cleaner search results pages with larger profile images
When a user opens your profile, you’ll notice that your profile photo now shows as a smaller circular image at the top of the page. This is done to make room for your best and most useful media, giving clients exactly what they’re looking for right away. Make sure your photo fits just right in the circular version using the overlay in your Edit Profile Photo settings.
Crop your profile picture using the circular overlay to guide you.
The slide feature that displays your media has also been updated to show all of your promotional material in one place. Clients can now view pictures and videos alongside a playlist of your audio files, and a preview of the next item gives a snapshot of everything your profile has to offer.
Another feature we’ve added to your profile is the sticky bar for easy navigation. As a user scrolls down the page, your profile photo and links to your media, overview, reviews, and booking info remain at the top of the page so they can easily navigate to the section they need. And with large buttons to Add to Favorites and Request a Free Quote, potential clients can easily contact you for your rates and availability.
New sticky bar feature that keeps your important details in front of clients for easy navigation.
Aside from the visual improvements we’ve made to the search results pages and profiles, our homepage has seen the most changes. With a simple, clean, and modern look, we’ve taken away the components that often distract users and emphasized the wide variety of talent that’s available to book.
Guaranteed balance payments
For online businesses, the most critical and demanding process for the consumer is typically the collection of funds. Based on our own data, we discovered that booking entertainment is no different. That’s why we’ve simplified the process for clients, allowing them to pay both deposit and balance in one easy payment. And when booking is made easy, clients will book more often.
Another benefit of accepting payments in full is that you’re guaranteed to get all the money that’s owed to you. No more hassling for payment after the event or waiting weeks for a check in the mail. We take care of the financials for you, so you can concentrate on the gig and clients can sit back and enjoy their event (and tip you for the great performance!) Speaking of tips, we added a bonus feature to help our members acquire tips from satisfied clients. When a client reviews your service after their event with a 5-star rating, we encourage them to tip you via PayPal. This feature comes in handy when few at the event have cash or if clients simply aren’t aware that it’s a customary practice. If you’d like to take advantage of this feature, make sure you’ve set your payout method to PayPal in your PromoKit.
When will I receive my client’s payment?
Within each quote you send, there is a cancellation policy option for you to choose. Your chosen policy determines whether your deposit is refundable or non-refundable. It also states whether you will be owed some or all of the remaining balance if a client cancels the agreement. Once a client books your services, we send the deposit to you depending on the timeframe of the cancellation policy you’ve chosen. For example, if you’ve set your deposit as non-refundable, we’ll send the deposit payment to you right away. If your deposit is refundable until 7 days before the event, we will send the deposit payment to you once it’s no longer refundable (6 days before the event). All balance payments will be sent 1 business day after the gig is successfully completed. Read more about collecting gig payments.
But what if I need to pay other members of my act before the event?
We understand that some of our members require payment in full prior to the event and for those members, getting balance payments 1 business day after the event makes things difficult. However, sending full payments before a gig is successfully completed means that we can’t offer our Worry-Free Guarantee to clients, a benefit that helps you get more bookings. If you’re concerned about paying other members of your act, we recommend setting your deposit amount to cover any expenses that arise before the event. If there are other issues or expenses that deposits will not cover, feel free to contact us so we can learn more about your situation.
Cancellation protection
One of the biggest benefits of our updated platform is the cancellation protection we offer to members. Every GigSalad booking now covers you in the event of a client cancellation, and each policy is backed by us. Send quotes with our recommended policy option (selected by default) or customize a cancellation policy that works just for you. With a customized policy, you choose how much you get paid when a client cancels their event within your specified timeframe. Learn more about your cancellation policy options.
What if I want to reschedule a performance when a client cancels?
If you offer clients additional “rain check” options in specific situations, feel free to add those details to the Additional Terms section of your quote form. Just make sure those added stipulations don’t conflict with the cancellation policy you’ve chosen for that agreement. We can only enforce your cancellation policy, so refunds and payments will be determined by the policy you selected.
New fee structure
Before we updated our platform, we noticed that event planners using GigSalad were often frustrated by a few key things: inconsistent fees, vendor cancellations, and our inability to facilitate both deposit and balance payments. Our new features and improvements—including the new fee structure—have been implemented to help solve these problems.
With our old platform, clients could receive quotes from multiple members who chose to pay the service fee, split the service fee, or transfer the service fee to the client. When the client compared the quotes, they would oftentimes see an inconsistent list of costs. Some quotes applied a minimum $20 fee, some had a split fee of a much smaller percentage, and some included no fee at all. When each performer handles the fee differently, it makes things inconsistent and difficult to communicate, which complicates the booking process.
So to achieve a healthy balance to our marketplace, we’ve removed minimum fees and applied a smaller and more practical fee percentage to each side of the transaction.
- For clients, our new structure applies a 4%-8% service fee to completed booking agreements, a sliding scale that offers a lower percentage for bigger bookings. This fee covers the costs related to booking and allows us to guarantee client events and associated payments, a benefit that helps you get more gigs.
- For members with a free GigSalad membership, our new structure applies a 5% service fee to completed booking agreements. This fee allows us to offer guaranteed payments and cancellation protection to our members, and helps us keep the website updated with the best security measures possible.
- For Featured and Pro members, our new structure applies a 2.5% service fee to completed booking agreements, which is lower than standard credit card processing fees. Our platform lets you collect client payments in full for less than it would cost you to collect the funds yourself.
With our new fee structure, clients will receive quotes containing a similar list of costs, making it transparent and comparable to other quotes. It also helps us keep costs down while providing both you and your clients more features, benefits, and protection. Keep in mind, a service fee is only applied when you’ve been booked. You’ll never be charged for receiving leads or sending quotes and messages.
Why do I have to pay a service fee on top of my membership cost?
Your membership fee pays for the benefits offered with your profile as well as the increase in exposure (the higher level of membership you purchase, the more exposure and leads you get). Whereas the service fee covers the costs associated with bookings. The service fee for paid members is only 2.5% which is equal to or even lower in some cases than many standard credit card processors. So basically, we’re just asking you to help us over the cost of accepting card payments on your behalf. Helping us cover these costs helps us stay in business so we can keep bringing you more gigs. That’s our #1 priority!
As always, fast payout options
Although we haven’t made changes to the payout methods we offer, we’re always researching new options to ensure we’re providing you the quickest and most convenient ways to get paid.
When you book on GigSalad, you can choose to receive your funds either by direct deposit, which offers the fastest payout in the industry, or by PayPal, where we cover the fees they often charge when accepting money for goods and services.
Does GigSalad facilitate payments in Canadian dollars?
Yes! As of January 2, 2018, our Canadian members can now send quotes and accept payments in Canadian dollars, which eliminates the hassle of converting their rates to USD. Learn more about booking in Canadian dollars.
Why all the changes?
We know that change can be frustrating for some, even if those changes make a product or service better. But as an online platform, it’s imperative that we keep improving and evolving in order to engage with more potential clients. The wider and more diverse audience we can reach, the more gig opportunities we can deliver to you.
What do I do now?
Explore the updated platform! And please keep your feedback coming. Your suggestions make these improvements possible. We’ll continue working hard for our community and adding even more features and benefits in the future.
Is there still an option to allow the client to pay the booking fee?
Jay Jay
Hi Jay Jay! No, there is no longer an option to transfer the service fee to clients. We’ve updated our fee structure and now apply a smaller, more practical fee to each side of the transaction. For members, there is no longer a minimum fee and the rates have been lowered (5% for free members & 2.5% for paid members). This is further explained in the section above labeled “New fee structure.”
Thanks for working to make GigSalad a better system for both vendors and clients. I’m looking forward to continuing to use it.
We’re so glad you’re enjoying the new improvements! Thank you for your feedback!
I have many corporate and municipal customers that will NOT pay in advance. I ASSUME your system will still allow the option of taking the balance at the end of the performance. When you work for a municipality, you are at the mercy of the purchasing system that pays only after Council approval.
If your system does not allow for OPTIONAL payment out AFTER the event, you will take away 30-40% of my business.
Hi Joe,
Thanks for letting us know about the obstacles that come with corporate and municipal bookings. However, our updates haven’t changed from our previous system when it comes to booking these and other types of gigs. In order to complete a booking agreement, a client must make a payment to secure your services. This is how we verify that the client and event is legitimate. With a Featured or Pro membership, you still have the ability to book outside of GigSalad. But we won’t be able to provide the added benefits and protection that come with booking on our platform. Let us know if you have any other questions! We’re happy to help.
YUP, I have the same concern, but Gig Salad wants to continue with the new policy, I have explained it to my clients & 50 % have accepted it. It really is a good idea once clients get used to it. I don’t have to hunt them down at the end of a gig. I guess we just have to live with it. Have a very Merry Christmas. SantaPaGeorge of Oakdale, Mn.
Really excited about this upgrade. Specially about the fees! Thank you!
We’re thrilled to hear that! Thanks so much for your appreciation and feedback.
How about an app? Your competitors have one…
Hey Daniel! Yep, we’re currently working on an app so stay tuned!
All of these improvements look to be of positive benefit to all concerned. Thanks!
That’s exactly what we had in mind! Thanks so much for the feedback. We’ll continue working on benefits for both you and your clients.
All sounds great!! Looking forward to continue working with you. excited!
We’re excited too! Thanks so much for the support and feedback!
In what state is Koloski Photography, i’m looking for a photographer in Denver and/or Albuquerque
Looks like you’re on to something here. Hopefully we can get a couple of gigs from Gig Salad
That’s the point! We’ll continue working hard to help you get more gigs.
Well… if you can tell us, the current members, where to login, that will really help. Can’t seem to find it anywhere.
If you’re on a desktop, the login link is at the top right corner of the page just as it was before. If you’re on a mobile device, you can log in by selecting Menu in the top left corner and Log In in the dropdown box. Let us know if you have any other issues. We’re happy to help!
Will we receice a 1099 at year end on total sales paid to us by Gigsalad?
Hi Cheryl! No, we don’t send members a 1099 form, but members should still report all the income they make on GigSalad. If you have any other questions, feel free to contact us!
I love these options where the customer can pay by credit card. So many times people have said if you took credit cards we would pay now. Then I was forced to use Paypal. Now your leads can be finalized right on the same site. great.
We’re so glad the changes will solve that issue for you!
Is there an app for phones and tablets in the works?
Yes, we’re currently working on an app so stay tuned!
How can i remove my name from gig salad
the new structure doesn’t work for me.
Dennis Chambers
Hi Dennis,
We’re sorry to see you go! But we understand that our service isn’t for everyone. You’ll find all the answers you need in this Help article here: http://help.gigsalad.com/article/38-disable-your-promokit
If you change your mind, let us know!
The new profile page layout is fine but it contains way too much white. That’s hard to look at for any extended period of time and it’s boring. I would recommend and more vibrant color or a pastel, not bright or flashy but not white for sure.
I like all of the other changes and look forward to many more bookings in the future.
Thanks for the great support.
Hi Jerry,
Thanks for your feedback! White space is actually a highly researched element of design, and we wanted to use the best practices to put more emphasis on our members. Research shows that the brain has a natural affinity for order, and clean designs with negative space tend to be more attractive to users. In addition to guiding the user’s focus and making the content easy to understand, studies show that white space also creates less work for the eyes and mind. However, we will continue testing our new design to make sure it’s the best way to present all the talent that’s available on GigSalad. Thanks again for your feedback!
Your new system will make us leave Gigsalad because there’s no way any of our clients will want to pay a full fee in advance. This will scare them away. I don’t know how you got this idea at all.
You can collect a full fee for merchandise but never a service. Also, you will have customers claiming that services were not completed or never took place or were not completed the way they wanted (similar to scammers disputing transactions to credit cards) and customers will demand final balance refunds from you, meaning that we wouldn’t get paid the full fees which were already super low due to high competition . How do you expect us to prove that services were provided properly??? Do you think we can videotape the whole event as a proof? No seriously, this is a very, very bad change you’ve just maid.
Please return the original rules of us being able to collect final fees by cash upon completion of the event. Otherwise you will not only lose us as your customers but many, many more providers and bookings!
Hi Stan,
Thanks so much for your feedback! Just to reassure you, the guarantee we offer to clients covers them in the event that you cancel or fail to show at the event. We’re not asking you to prove the quality of your services, because we trust that you’re a professional. If your client is unsatisfied with your services, we have the same policies and review system.
Every event and party planner who uses our platform is asked to review their booking experience on GigSalad, and that’s how we know that accepting balance payments is a benefit for them. It’s convenient, easy, and safe, and we added that ability to get you more bookings. As a Featured member, you still have the option of booking outside of our platform, so you can collect payments how you’d like. We just won’t be able to provide the same security and payment protection for you and your clients. I hope this eases your mind a bit, and we don’t lose you as a part of our community.
Tessie Barnett
You stated that every event planner is asked to review their booking experience on GigSalad. Will these be posted on your website just the way they are on your vendors page? Only seems fair that they are.
I have a paid up featured membership, that listing decision process was based on your old policies. I will have to re-evaluate my membership with the new policy changes. If I am unsatisfied with the changes will GigSalad return the balance of my membership?
Hi Marty,
Thanks for reaching out! We haven’t made any changes to the way your reviews are displayed, nor have we changed anything about the way your profile is listed. Would you mind contacting our Customer Happiness team so we can better understand your situation? Here’s a link to our contact page: https://www.gigsalad.com/contact
We’ll do everything we can to help you out!
For my business, and the only reason I started with you in 2006, was to generate leads in which I could close the deal. The more you take on my ablility to communicate with the clients, the less your service helps me sell my gig. I’ve lost a couple of gigs quoting through your system and am afraid to lose more gigs when I trust the system you are trying to improve.
Don’t get me wrong. Your site is great and has worked well for me in the past and must do wonderfully for many. But most of my clients sell best when they can have direct contact and payment arrangments with us. They like the personal professionalism they feel when we get to business off the the gig salad platform.
Please do not take the ability of the performer to sell directly with the clients. That’s what agents are for.
Love your platform, but try not to ruin the beauty of it that attracted me to use you in the first place.
Hi Bruce,
Thanks so much for your feedback! Just to clarify, you still have the ability to share and exchange contact information with clients as a Featured member. Nothing has changed in regards to communicating with clients. As another benefit, Featured members are free to book outside of the GigSalad platform if they choose. We just won’t be able to offer the same security and payment protection for you and your clients. I hope that clears any confusion, and you’re still able to enjoy the benefits that GigSalad offers!
Is sharing contact information with a client requesting a quote a new feature? I’m a featured member and every time I put my contact information in the reply there is red text that appear saying that contact information will only be revealed after booking.
Hi Nick!
No, you shouldn’t be having that issue as a Featured member. Would you mind giving our Customer Happiness team a call so we can look into it for you? Our number is 417-889-9909. We look forward to hearing from you!
Hi,
I am an entertainer on your site. I had to cancel a performance. The client may have already paid a deposit. What do I need to do so the client receives a credit. Thank you.
Tim Kottcamp
Hi Tim,
Thanks so much for letting us know! Our Customer Happiness team is available to help, so give us a call at 417-889-9909. I’ll let them know to expect your call!
Does your policy actually clearly state that a customer can not refuse to pay final fee basing on what customer considers to be low quality of performance by a provider? Otherwise you will get requests to get refunds just because such refunds can be requested and a customer gets a nice 40-50% discount by saying “they never showed up” or “they didn’t do what we requested” or “we don’t like them and a customer as always right!”. Can you quote your policy on that?
“Every event and party planner who uses our platform is asked to review their booking experience on GigSalad, and that’s how we know that accepting balance payments is a benefit for them. It’s convenient, easy, and safe, and we added that ability to get you more bookings.”
Yes but this is not an added option but the only option for customers who want to book through Gigsalad. It’s not something they can choose not to do if they want to book via Gigsalad. Some people want to book outside of Gigsalad only to avoid paying Gigsalad fees but others want to book through Gigsalad and the latter will have a chance to demand money back because they get an idea that they simply can. Am I wrong?
Yes, I’d be happy to quote our policy on refunds for your clients. Here’s what our Worry-Free Guarantee covers:
“In the unfortunate event that a vendor cancels or does not show for your event, we can ensure you will receive a full refund for your booking.”
We also added a way for clients to report a problem within 24 hours after the event, which is the reason your balance payments are sent to you 1 business day after the gig.
“If the problem reported is that the vendor failed to show at your event, once we’ve confirmed that with the vendor, you will receive a full refund of your payment. If the problem is anything else, refunds are not guaranteed but we will talk with the vendor to see what can be arranged. We encourage you to do the same. Discuss your issues with the vendor directly to see if you can come to an agreement on a partial refund or some other compensation. If the vendor agrees to a refund, they will need to contact GigSalad to confirm so we can return the funds to you.”
The basis of our guaranteed payments and cancellation protection are to make booking stress-free for both you and your clients. It’s to help you in cases where a client fails to pay your remaining balance or keeps you waiting for your money. And it’s also to help event planners in the event that a vendor cancels on them. Our goal is to safeguard both parties so that the booking process is easier, more convenient, and occurs more often.
this is exactly what we wanted!
That’s great! I’m thrilled to hear you’re excited about the changes.
It would be nice if somewhere in the process the planners/clients are informed that tips should be paid to the performer at the end of the performance since you are now collecting everything upfront. This might be done when you solicit the feedback/review with a question “Did you tip the performer?” or something similar. I have found that clients that pay it all upfront seldom tip and that is important to those of us who do the shows.
Hi Jerry!
Yes! That’s just what we had in mind when we added the new capability to receive tips via credit card for members who have their payout set to PayPal. In the “Guaranteed balance payments” section above, it explains, “When a client reviews your service after their event with a 5-star rating, we encourage them to tip you via PayPal. This feature comes in handy when few at the event have cash or if clients simply aren’t aware that it’s a customary practice. If you’d like to take advantage of this feature, make sure you’ve set your payout method to PayPal in your PromoKit.” We’re hoping this new feature will help you get tips for your performance and help educate those who may be new to booking entertainment!
This is great!
As a Canadian using your site it would be nice to have the option to change the currency to CDN as that is the currency we use here. I feel if you are going to accept clients from all over you should be able to have them offer their currency for bookings.
You’re absolutely right, Nicci, and we’re working to make that option available to you. We’ll keep you posted on our progress!
Great
Miss Tessie Barnett: I am a satisfied musician director of a Trio of guitars specializing in Latin American Songs, and romantic music from famous Trios as Los Panchos, Los Tres Aces, etc. I am member of Gig Salad since 2015 and I we have been handling our performances with a lot of success. Our main motto has been to please the people with our music and be called again for another event…up to now our customers have been satisfied. Whatever we charged we just split the amount into three parts and that is my only concern. I have never asked our customers to send any money in advance but now, with the “new rules” I do not know what to do…how to start… did “gig salad” became our new agents? right now I entered in my computer because somebody had a gig…but instead of finding the address of this Gig I found “the changing of the rules” …and the gig was gone…so I already started missing those
“good old times” when we used to find our gigs without so much hassle and confusing rules…I do not know what we will do. I have to consult with my musicians.
Hi Jose!
Thanks for reaching out to me. I’m happy to help you any way I can!
The purpose of accepting both deposit and balance payments is to provide the easiest and most convenient booking experience possible. By allowing clients to pay your full fee in one payment, we’re able to provide you excellent cancellation protection and a more simplified process for your clients, which helps you get more bookings. You’re still able to charge what you’d like and split the amount between your band members. We just collect the payment on your behalf.
We’re not acting as an agent, although we do promote our members across various channels. If you’re a part of GigSalad, we’re marketing for you, reaching all of North America through a mix of digital, event, and on-the-ground marketing. But aside from those benefits, you manage your prices, your gig calendar, and the events you choose to be a part of.
If you’re looking for a specific gig lead, the best way to access it is within your GigSalad inbox. We haven’t made any changes to the way you receive leads. But if you’re having difficulty finding it, feel free to give us a call at 417-889-9909. We’d love to help!
Thanks again for reaching out, Jose. I hope I was able to answer all your questions!
Well…Miss Tessie…it seems that you have an answer ready for any question…you said that “by accepting deposits and balance payments you are providing the easiest and most convenient booking experience possible”. In two years on Gig Salad I have not had a single bad experience in my transactions with any of the customers who accepted our services. I understand that Gig Salad Organization is expanding and need more money to maintain the Company, but I think that will be more convenient for you and for us to pay more for the annual membership…or to have two Programs…Program “A” for professional groups who are more expensive to maintain together and Program “B” like My Trio…sometimes Duo..also professionals but with less responsabilities to maintain the act active…Do not take me wrong…if the Company have reached to this conclusion I just would like to see if a small group, like ourselves, will be a chance to belong to a “B” Program…or let me know if my the annual membership could be raised and that way…be less conflicting. Jose Crow
I’m glad to hear that you’ve had a positive experience thus far! I’ll make sure to send your suggestions to the team, and I appreciate you offering an alternative solution. Feedback like yours is how we make GigSalad even better. Thanks again, Jose!
I’m not sure the new changes will work for me. If I put myself in my potential customers position I would NOT want to pay upfront until the job is preformed as promised. For that concerned customer I tell them to pay the balance after the gig . I can’t do that anymore because you want the balance in full. Just have to wait and see I guess. If I renew it’s working, if I don’t it’s not.
I’ve noticed someone with a golden ‘#1’ badge on their profile photo. But I have not seen anyone other vendor in any other form of entertainment with that badge. How do you get to that level? Is it different from the ‘Top Performer’ banner? Is this also a new feature for vendors like fire dancers specifically?
Hi Michelle!
We don’t have a banner like what you’ve described so my assumption is that a member used a profile photo that’s displaying this badge. We do, however, offer a Top Performer banner to active and responsive members, or we have the Featured banner for members who have purchased the Featured membership level. Let me know if you have any other questions!
I hate this. You changed everything while I was on vacation and now I can’t view my leads. You owe me money for making me miss out on jobs
Hi Kathy,
Nothing has changed about the way you view and receive leads. But if you’re having trouble, we’re happy to help you! Just give our Customer Happiness team a call at 417-889-9909.
All the money up front may drive the customers to a race for the cheapest provider. Partially due to sticker shock. Also, tips tend to be better at the door, when leaving, and gives you a chance to thank people personally.
Hi Santa!
I understand your concern about clients wanting the cheapest entertainment option. We encourage event planners using GigSalad to base their decisions on quality rather than price, and those who follow our advice are pleased with the professionalism of the entertainer they’ve booked. We also encourage our members to use their profile to prove that they’re worth their price. (Here’s an article that explains how to do that: https://www.gigsalad.com/blog/charging-high-rates-gigs/). This is a common obstacle for many online marketplaces, but we’ll continue to educate our users so that they understand the value of high-quality entertainment.
As for tips, you still have the opportunity to receive them at the door when you thank your clients personally! We just give you an additional option via PayPal in case the client overlooked the option or they’re unaware that it’s a customary practice for live entertainment.
We’re still testing the new features and improvements, so your feedback is very much appreciated. We want GigSalad to be the best service for both you and your clients!
We are not getting the bookings as in the past. Clients don’t want to pay in advance of the gig and I can understand that. We want to be able to allow the client to pay the balance on the day of the event. The client should have a choice.
Hi Cheryl,
Thanks for your response! So far, booking conversion rates on our platform are the same with this new capability as they were when clients paid you directly on the day of the event. But rest assured, we’re keeping an eye on these numbers and tracking bookings. Thanks again for your feedback!
Just want to double check with this – right now I’ve got my payments set to direct deposit, but if I switch to Paypal to allow for the tip option, there won’t be any fees to receive payments over Paypal?
Hi Jessica!
PayPal charges a small fee to collect payments for goods & services through their platform. However, GigSalad is footing the bill, so you’ll receive your full payment, without any additional PayPal fees. Hope that answers your question! If you’d like to know more, feel free to contact us here: https://www.gigsalad.com/contact We’re happy to help!
I’m a fairly new member “paying” member of Gigsalad…lthough I have had a free profile for some time now…so I don’t have the previous history prior to the changes made as some members do. However, I have been a member of Gigmasters for about 9 months, and since they are your direct competition, this is the service that I am comparing it to. For the sake of comparison, let me say that my Profiles are the same on both sites with media and pricing being the same across the board on both profiles. Through Gigmasters, I have secured the #1 spot in my category in less than 6 months and booked a total of $40,000 in the past 6 months alone….and this ratio is increasing on a weekly basis. I point this out simply to help you understand what my “benchmark” is for the comparison of the Gigsalad service.
With that being said, I find it odd that I must pay an additional $120 per year in order to get a “Featured Profile” (above and beyond the Pro Membership fee of $360 per year – based on the monthly payments) which would allow me to communicate with the client prior to them paying and allow me to accept payment OUTSIDE of the Gigsalad platform (which is apparently the only way to accept payment at the conclusion of services being provided). I have already been chastised by Gigsalad in an email for suggesting via message that a client call me in order to answer some more complicated questions prior to booking. Sometimes, there are complex timeframes or logistical setup questions with regard to sound systems and lighting which would DRASTICALLY change the quoted price…and most clients (and VENDORS, for that matter) would want to ensure those questions are answered PRIOR to paying for services and contracting and event.
For an individual contractor…such as a photographer or single musician whose fees might typically total only a few hundred dollars…some of these features may not be as impactful, but for a GROUP of musicians, where the fee is typically $1200 – $2500, this seems pretty prohibitive to me…at least, so far. As has been echoed by others here in the comment section, municipalities and corporate clients are almost NEVER willing (or able) to pay prior to services being rendered. That is also the case when I perform contracts for the military and government agencies. Wedding clients are also SELDOM willing to pay for services with such a high cost months or even a year or more in advance. In fact, I can think of very few instances where a client wants to pay for a service in full, up front. In addition, having payment released to the Vendor AFTER the services are rendered is also pretty prohibitive when contracted musicians are being used…because industry standards dictate that they be paid upon ARRIVAL to the venue.
So to have the ability to pay outside of Gigsalad, I need to pay $480 per year…which is quite a bit higher than what I pay for Gigmasters…in fact more than DOUBLE what I paid for an annual subscription ($189 Pro Membership) after my discount. And for that higher fee, I am seeing almost non-existent lead traffic (presumably because Gigsalad isn’t as popular a site and I don’t have a “Featured Profile”), I have a harder time communicating with clients (or I need to pay more for that option), and I have a harder time scheduling payments when it is convenient for the customer and increases my chances of closing the sale (I also must pay more for this service). With all of this in mind, my question to you is simple; what features or benefits set you apart from your competition and make this a service worth keeping? I ask this because I am leaning toward cancelling my subscription (due to poor ROI) and investing that money in additional profiles on Gigmasters (I can get additional Pro Member ships for $189 per year EACH…so I can get at least DOUBLE the additional exposure on that site for less money than I am spending for Gigsalad).
I’m looking forward to hearing back from you with regard to these concerns and getting any feedback about features that might build value that I have overlooked.
We appreciate your feedback, Sean! What sets GigSalad apart from the competition is the ease with which our platform functions and the protections we’re able to offer. The vast majority of the users coming to GigSalad to book entertainment or services want to have the simplest experience possible, and accepting full payments at the time of booking provides that. We are giving them a way to do everything they need to do in one simple platform, from the initial communication to the final booking. This is also why we encourage communication remain on the site. When someone reaches out via a specific platform, the expectation is to then receive responses and complete the booking process on that platform. We understand that some things must be discussed before a quote can be given, which is why we provide a messaging option for easy communication. Messaging through the site also allows you and the client to keep a record of all discussions about a particular booking.
By collecting full payments, we’re also able to offer protection and guarantees to both parties. Clients feel safe booking through a platform that guarantees secure payments as well as refunds when warranted. For our members, we’re able to guarantee your gig payments. The event planner gets to focus on their event without worrying about additional payment, and you can focus on the gig knowing they’ve already paid and you are guaranteed those funds. For any day-of expenses, or advance payments to band members, you may request a deposit of any amount that you’ll receive in advance of the gig. You may also set a cancellation policy that would guarantee you still receive the final balance payment if the client cancels on you at the last minute.
Our ultimate goal is to get our members gigs, and since we updated our platform to collect full payments, the booking rate across the site has increased. More leads are turning into bookings, so it’s been successful!
However, we acknowledge that this process doesn’t work for everyone, which is unfortunate. But those account for the minority of overall users coming to the site to book. That being said, we are aware of the issue and will continue to work toward a solution that would accommodate those users while still offering the best booking experience and protection.
This is ditto how I feel about GigSalad….. !!!!!!!!!!! Good job Sean. The new owners of Gigsalad are operating completely different than it use to be… I guess we got spoiled.
Hi Margaret,
We have the same owners that we’ve had from the start, so you may be confusing us with another company. We’re simply evolving our booking platform in the same way the internet has evolved many other businesses across many other industries. Innovation requires change, and change can be hard to accommodate when you’re used to a certain process. We understand that. But the changes we’ve made to our platform have resulted in a higher booking rate and an increase of quotes and total bookings on GigSalad. We improved the booking process according to data, surveys, and direct communication with event and party planners booking on GigSalad, and the feedback we’ve received since the changes have supported the new process. We’ll continue to track these numbers and make improvements to deliver the best experience for all of our users.