How to Find, Book and Keep Great Deps

Every working band needs deps. Weddings get booked eighteen months ahead, and nobody can promise they will be free on every Saturday for the next two years. Illness, holidays, other bands and family life all happen. The bands that thrive are not the ones that never need cover — they are the ones that can find a great dep in an hour instead of a week.

#Where to find deps

#Your own network first

The best deps usually come from recommendations. Ask your regular players who they would trust on their instrument. Musicians know who is reliable, who reads well and who turns up late.

#Other bands on your circuit

Function and covers bands often share deps. If you meet players at a wedding showcase, a venue or a session, swap numbers. Offer to dep for them in return.

#Local music colleges and conservatoires

Students and recent graduates are often excellent readers and keen for paid work. They may need a bit more guidance on function-band etiquette — dress code, timing, not noodling during speeches — but many become long-term regulars.

#Online communities and profiles

Regional musician groups on social media, dep-finding platforms and musician profile pages are useful when you need someone new. Ask for a video of them playing and a couple of references.

#Fixers and agencies

For specialist players — string quartets, horn sections, a last-minute singer — a fixer can save you a lot of calls. Expect to pay more.

#What makes a good dep

• Reliability. Turns up on time, every time, with the right gear.
• Preparation. Learns the set from your charts and recordings before the gig, not in the van.
• Reading or quick ears, depending on your band. Know which you need.
• Professional manner. Dresses right, stays sober, is polite to clients and venue staff.
• Flexibility. Copes when the set changes, the first dance is moved or the sound limiter cuts out.

#How much to pay deps

There is no national rate card. Fees depend on region, gig type, length of day, instrument and how much preparation you are asking for. As a guide:

• Pay deps at least what your own members take home for the same gig, if you split equally. Asking someone to learn 40 songs for less than the regulars earn is a quick way to lose good players.
• Pay extra for unusually heavy preparation — a dep learning an entire set from scratch for a one-off gig is doing hours of unpaid work.
• Be clear about travel. Is it included, or do you pay mileage on top?
• Agree the fee before they say yes, in writing.

#Example

A five-piece wedding band splits £1,250 between players — £250 each. The guitarist cannot make one date, so the band books a dep for £250 plus mileage at 45p a mile for a 60-mile round trip (£27). The dep's fee is taken off the top before the remaining members split the rest, so nobody loses out compared to a normal gig.

#Send everything in one place

A dep's preparation is only as good as what you send them. Before every gig, a dep needs:

1. The gig sheet — venue, address, parking, load-in, soundcheck, set times, dress code, food arrangements, on-site contact.
2. The setlist — in order, with keys and any medleys or segues.
3. Charts or lyrics — whichever your band uses, in the right keys.
4. Recordings — ideally of your band playing the songs, not the originals, so they learn your arrangements, endings and stops.
5. Notes — "we go straight from song 4 into song 5", "the drummer counts in the first dance", "keys play the intro on 'Valerie'".
6. Who to call if they are running late.

Send it at least a week before the gig. Last-minute deps need it immediately.

#Booking deps without fifteen phone calls

The old way: message your first choice, wait two hours, message the second, wait, phone the third. By the time someone says yes, it is midnight.

A better way:

• Keep a dep pool by instrument, with each person's rate, location and notes ("great reader, no backing vocals").
• Ask several deps at once, making clear that the first to accept gets the gig.
• Tell everyone else immediately when the gig is filled, so nobody keeps the date free for nothing.
• Confirm the booking in writing with the fee and gig details.

#Look after your deps

Good deps are in demand. They will choose the bands that treat them well.

• Pay promptly — ideally within a week of the gig, regardless of when the client pays the band.
• Welcome them — introduce them to the band and the engineer, show them where to put their cases, make sure they eat.
• Give feedback — a quick "thanks, you nailed it" goes a long way. If something went wrong, tell them privately and kindly.
• Pass on cancellation fees if a client cancels late and the band keeps money.
• Ask them back. A dep who has played with you five times is nearly as good as a member.

#Keep fees private

Deps do not need to see the band's total fee, and the band does not need to share every member's split with a dep. Keep it simple: each person sees their own fee. This avoids awkward comparisons and is standard practice across the function circuit.

#Tax: deps are usually self-employed

In most cases deps working gig by gig are self-employed, invoice you (or the band) for their fee, and handle their own tax. Employment status depends on the actual working arrangement, though, so if one person plays almost every gig on fixed terms under your direction, it is worth checking their status. Keep a record of every payment you make to deps; it is an allowable expense for the band.

This is general information, not financial or legal advice.

#Build a bench, not a list

The goal is a bench of two or three trusted deps for every chair in the band. When your bassist breaks a wrist in May, you should be able to fill six weddings in an afternoon.

BandQuill's Pro plan includes a dep pool by instrument with rates and notes. You can send one request to several deps; whoever accepts first gets the gig, and the others are told it is filled. Deps get a free login with the gig sheet, setlist, charts and recordings, and their fee drops straight into the pay split. Whatever system you use, the principle is the same: make it easy for good players to say yes.