For festivals and lineup bookers

Music for the festival

A strong lineup is built one slot at a time. Post each slot with date, genres and budget, and let verified musicians come to you with their bids.

Example
Verified artist
Verified via Spotify
IndieAlternative
Profile checked
CopenhagenLocal
Strong fit
Festival
Copenhagen
IndiePost-punk
Genre fit
Location fit
Schedule fit
Clear event brief

The lineup carries the festival

A festival is rarely remembered for its headliner alone. It is the finds further down the poster - the band nobody had heard of at four, that the whole site is talking about by nine - that give a festival its own identity and bring people back.

Dionysia gathers the booking work in one place. Post each slot with date, genres and a budget range, see verified musicians with real EPKs, and compare bids across the whole lineup instead of keeping track of twenty email threads.

Post your event with the details musicians need to evaluate the opportunity.

Where the music plays

Outdoor stages in parks and fields
Tent stages on the festival site
Town festivals in streets and squares
Harbour areas and old industrial grounds
The small stage in the bar or courtyard

The practical side of a festival lineup

A festival differs from most other bookings on four points: how early you need to lock it in, how the act size matches the stage, who supplies sound and light, and where the fee realistically lands.

The booking cycle: two ways onto the poster

Summer festivals usually set the lineup 6-12 months ahead, and the most sought-after names are often booked a full year out. If you want a particular band, you need to be in touch the autumn or winter before.

There are two ways onto the poster. Showcase and talent festivals run open application rounds - UHØRT opens its round in February-March, and SPOT opens applications on 1 October for the following year. Established festivals curate most of the lineup through direct booking, often via an agency, and sometimes fill a few slots from open applications.

Match the act to the stage, not just the budget

Choose the act size from the stage and the crowd, not only the price. An intimate stage or a daytime programme is carried well by a solo musician, an acoustic duo or a trio; a main stage with a dancing crowd calls for a 4-6-piece party band that can hold the energy.

If specific musician names are in the contract because they were part of the price, they need to be on stage too - if the number is cut, you as organizer can ask to renegotiate. So agree the lineup precisely before signing.

Sound, light and stage: who supplies what

At a festival the organizer supplies the sound and light rig to industry standard - a maintained system matched to the stage and audience capacity, plus technical assistance. The band brings its own instruments and backline. That sets a festival apart from a private party, where the band usually brings its own PA.

In practice, reckon on a raised stage of roughly 15-20 m2 for a full band, ample power to the rider's spec and a backstage area. The industry standard allows up to 103 dB(A) at front of house, but you can set a lower ceiling for the sake of neighbours and environmental rules - especially outdoors.

Fees, travel and permits

For up-and-coming names the fee often sits close to the DMF minimum tariff of 3,150 kr. per musician (from 1 April 2026), which covers up to four hours on site including soundcheck. Travel, accommodation and catering fall outside the tariff and are agreed separately.

If a band has to travel far, festivals can apply to the national transport support scheme (transportstotte.dk), which gives concert organizers a subsidy towards musicians' travel costs. Remember, too, that the organizer - not the musician - handles KODA, Gramex and the necessary permits.

What does live music for a festival cost?

Dionysia is newly launched, so we do not yet have enough completed bookings to publish a reliable marketplace average.

Read the full price guide

What shapes an artist's quote

Line-up size and playing time
Date, travel and time at the venue
Sound, lighting and production requirements

Artists set their own fees. You see the actual amount in a bid before you make an agreement.

How it works

01

Post your event

Add the date, the genres you want and a budget range. Creating the event is free.

02

Review profiles and bids

Browse verified profiles and review any relevant bids your event receives.

03

Book and agree directly

Confirm the act, agree terms directly, and keep everything in one place.

Questions, answered

Set the lineup for your next festival