FAQs
Booking your next live performance for you and your friends / colleagues / family / community is easy. We noted down FAQs and guidance to make it even easier.
Booking
How do I book?
Booking instantly is simple:
Go to the performers page and select a musician you like
Click on your preferred performance, e.g. Artist's choice
Pick a duration of performance, e.g. 15, 30, or 45 minutes
Choose from one of the artist's available times
Provide some detail about the concert and complete payment
What detail do I need to provide?
When you book, we'll ask you some details so that the musician can tailor the performance for you. We'll ask:
Is the gig a surprise?
What is the name of the recipient?
What is the occasion?
Anything special to mention?
If you selected the Curate your own performance, then we'll ask you to let us know which songs from the artist's repertoire you would like.
How much does it cost?
The cost for a standard and instantly bookable concert depends on:
The length of the performance
Whether the performer is one or two artists
If you are an individual or corporate
If you have any special requests, like asking a performer to learn a song that is not in their repertoire, e.g. your wedding song for an anniversary surprise, then use the contact performer feature.
Gigs are priced in the artists' local currency (GBP or USD).
These are the costs per artist, i.e. for duos, the price you will see when booking is double. This is the price you can book at instantly.
What would be the cost of something bespoke like learning a new song?
Most artists will quote anywhere from £30 - £100 / $40 - $135, depending on how complex the song is, time constraints, etc.
Where can I see the artist's repertoire?
Each artist's repertoire is published on their profile page; scroll past their performances to see it. This will usually not be a complete list but will give you a good idea of what you might be in for if you choose Artist's choice performance or you can use the list to build your own perfect concert if you choose the Build your own performance.
I've found the perfect artist but they are not available at the right time. What can I do?
Most artists are bookable with c. typically 48 hours notice up to 2-4 weeks in advance, but this varies from artist to artist. Usually this is to keep their diary free for other professional gigs and engagements that may pop up. If they are not available at your desired time, it likely means they have another engagement at that time, or do not wish to be booked that far in advance!
However, you are welcome to get in touch to ask if they may be able to open up some availability at the specific time you are looking for. If this is the case, your artist will book you in for that time so that it is blocked off for you, and you will get an email with:
a calendar invite
your Zoom link
a payment link
How and when can I contact a performer directly?
If you have checked out a performer's profile and you really like what you see, then go ahead an book. However, sometimes, you might want to ask a question, like whether it is possible to learn a particular song, or enquire if they could open up availability at a certain time. You can send them an enquiry using the 'Contact performer' button on the bottom left of their profile.
Can I provide feedback and/or tips?
Yes, you can provide tips, share feedback, or both after the concert. When you book, you will receive a unique link for providing tips or feedback which you can share with your other guests.
The artist receives 100% of any tips (except for the Stripe processing fee). Both tips and feedback are enormously appreciated.
Where does my money go?
The service is socially minded and volunteer run. 80% of your booking fee and 100% of tips goes to your artists. The rest covers our minimal costs, of website hosting, calendar and booking software, and payment processing. Our profits are paid to three charities we support that are focussed on supporting vulnerable people during the coronavirus crisis: Age UK, Mind and Refuge.
What kind of occasions work best with Lockdown Presents’ concerts
We’ve had bookings for a huge variety of occasions. The magic of the gigs is the intimate performance and interactive connection with the artist, which creates a really memorable experience. A few of the great gig ideas we’ve seen have been:
Birthdays - booking an artist to join as a surprise for a birthday video call is more memorable than a bunch of flowers, and is a perfect, thoughtful gift
Wedding anniversaries - bring back the joy of the day with a live performance of their first dance. People have also booked artists to join get togethers for cancelled wedding dates
Virtual get-togethers - something different and new to talk about on that weekly family call! Even booking a live music quiz round to spice things up
Company virtual socials - add some energy and joy to a virtual party or conference with a live gig, you can use voting options and chat function to make it as interactive as you like
We’ve also had bookings from book clubs trying something new, choir groups, and special events like Father’s Day.
How do I choose the right musician for my occasion
Have a think about the experience you want to create, or the preferences of the recipient if it’s a gift. If they are an opera lover, they will be thrilled with having their very own opera singer. If it’s a family get together, perhaps you want some singalong tunes, or do your grandparents miss going out to classical concerts?
All the musicians on the platform are really friendly and personable, so whoever you choose is sure to make the audience smile!
What is a virtual concert like? Will it be awkward?
We know it's not very British, inviting a stranger into your call... But we promise that not only are our artists total pros, they are also very charming and know how to handle a Zoom full of surprised faces! We've had feedback from a few people who were worried it would be awkward, saying it was the most fun they've had in lockdown!
For a few clips from previous concerts you can see our social media pages, and our YouTube channel. A great example is this video of Sophie Dicks surprising Gillian for her 90th birthday.
Tuning in for your concert
How do I use Zoom?
Zoom is thankfully very easy to use but if it's your first time using it or our service here's what you should know:
You'll receive a link when you book which you can click and you'll go straight into the show. You do not need to have a Zoom account.
The sound quality is best if you connect to external speakers, or use decent headphones. But laptop sound is fine too!
You'll have the option of joining in your browser, but the best sound experience is using their desktop app: download here.
How early can I join?
We use the basic Zoom licence so your Zoom room will stay open for 40 minutes after the third participant joins. This means you can and your friends can join the room up to c. 15 minutes before the scheduled time for a 15-minute gig, and 10 minutes before for a 30 minute gig.
If you join earlier, you risk the meeting ending mid-performance. If this happens, you can click back into the same link again or create a new Zoom link and share with your friends and artist.
You can use your own Zoom pro account if you want to have longer than 40 minutes. Just remember to share your meeting link with your artist well ahead of the meeting and check they have received it (you will be connected to each other on email when you book).
If the performer joining is going to be a surprise...
Wait until they've joined before introducing them. Imagine the awkward silence if your performer is 1 minute late...
You performer knows how to handle a (Zoom) room, so a simple introduction like: "This is Sophie, she has a surprise message for you Nana" will do nicely. 👌
Is it fun and informal or stuffy and sombre?
Shake up your quarantini, fill up your furlough merlot and tune in for a Zoomphony. The gigs are meant to be fun and friendly, but if you want something a bit more formal you can let your performer know.
Performers
What sort of artists are on the platform?
The performers are all professional musicians and singers who would otherwise be playing in concert halls, theatres, venues and recording studios with the country’s leading orchestras, ensembles and bands. A few examples:
Elgan Thomas, a Welsh tenor and English National Opera Harewood Artist, who has performed in The Barber of Seville with the ENO, as well as performing with Scottish Opera.
Chloë Vincent, a flautist, who has performed with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Northern Sinfonia and the Welsh National Opera. Notable concerts include performing with Imogen Heap at the Royal Albert Hall, The Who at Wembley Stadium and for the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
Greg Sinclair, a saxophonist, who has toured and recorded with Peter Andre and the Temptations. He also performs his original music projects including at Glastonbury and London jazz venue Ronnie Scotts.
Sophie Dicks, an operatic Mezzo Soprano performing with the Welsh National Opera and Opera Holland Park. On the concert platform works include Beethoven’s Mass in C, Dvorak Stabat Mater, Handel’s Messiah, Duruflé Requiem and Rutter’s Feel the Spirit.
What sort of music do Lockdown Presents’ artists play?
The Lockdown Presents community includes musicians from a wide range of styles, so customers can find something for every occasion. There are classical musicians, opera singers, jazz players and singer-songwriters. Within categories, musicians can perform a broad range of styles e.g. some of our opera singers also do fantastic musicals hits or pop classics.
The artists list their standard repertoire on their profiles from which you can request. Examples of customers’ requests so far include Mozart recitals, hits by The Who, movie soundtracks, opera classics from Carmen, and singalongs to Shirley Bassey. You may also ask for a bespoke request if there is a particular piece you'd like to hear and the artist will quote an additional fee if they are able to learn the piece.
Is every Lockdown Presents recital a solo performance?
Most gigs are solo or duets. Our musicians and singers are performing from their homes whilst venues are closed, so artists are able to play with whoever is under the same roof!
Why does Lockdown Presents exist?
What is it?
You can read our full story for more detail. In short, we wanted to make it possible to connect with friends and family through music when sometimes it's not possible to be there in person.
Why do you do it?
Plenty of reasons! To begin with because we thought it was a fun idea and we had the skills and desire to set up a platform. Since then, we've carried on because it has been fun growing it, we've enjoyed the amazing feedback and stories that continues to come in, we're playing a small part in creating work for musicians at a time when normal work has been disrupted, and most importantly we are increasing the amount of music enjoyed in the world!
Who are your charity partners?
We donate our profits to charities that help some of the most vulnerable people affected by lockdown. We feel this is particularly important right now, as charity income is down an estimated 30% as a result of closed charity stores and cancelled fundraising events. We split our donations equally between our charity partners.
Our charity partners are:
Age UK (supporting isolated older people)
Refuge (helping women and children facing domestic violence)
Mind (providing mental health support, including to NHS staff)
I love what you're doing, how can I support you?
Thanks very much :) Hearing such positive feedback has been a huge motivation for us to keep this project alive!
We are run by a small volunteer team so all offers of support are great appreciated. There are a number of ways we need help
🎺Spread the word - this makes the BIGGEST difference for us. We have no fancy marketing budget or big celebrity contacts. Most of our bookings come through word of mouth so please tell everyone you know about us! Whether it's as a gift idea, or for a company event, we can do it all. Even better, tag our social media accounts with feedback about your gig so we can shout about it.
🤵 Use your network - do you know anyone influential in the music or media world? We'd love them to experience a Lockdown Presents gig, see how wonderful it is, and tell their followers/readers about us! Please buy them a gig or tell them to write about Lockdown Presents.
✍ Practical help - do you have expertise in creating videos, social media content, blog posts or anything related? We have lots of great content we haven't had the chance to share yet because we don't have enough time. If you'd like to volunteer a few hours of your time, on a one-off or ongoing basis, we are always on the lookout for more support. Especially related to content, social media, marketing and PR. In particular, we would LOVE someone to help us run our social accounts.
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