Participate
Make Music Madison uses a platform called Gemini to connect musicians with venues. After creating an account, venues can browse musician profiles and vice versa and request a booking. Use the registration videos and FAQs below for help.
Step-By-Step Registration Videos
How to Create a Matchmaking Account
How to Create a Performer Profile
Registration FAQs
The matchmaking software asks for social media links and a web address. I don’t have this. Does this mean I can’t register?
These are not required. We ask for them to allow venues and performers to learn more about each other before committing to the match. After matchmaking is complete, our website will allow prospective audiences to sample your work and allow you to promote yourself. If you incorrectly enter information in these boxes, you won’t be allowed to continue. Information entered should be accurate, or the box should be left blank.
Why is there a check box that says “Accepting requests?”
When your schedule is full, you can toggle this button to stop people from requesting more shows.
Why am I restricted to three choices for the type of music I perform or that my venue will accept?
This arbitrary limit is to make finding the right match easier. Use the “Other” choice and the description box to override this limitation. Then, you can tell us about your music styling in the description box. If you represent a venue open to all types of music – use “open to anything”.
What will Make Music Madison do to help promote my concert?
We will list all concerts on the Make Music Madison website (with descriptions and links to artist websites, where available), and we’ll pitch stories about noteworthy concerts to the press. We also provide each participant with posters and a social media toolkit.
I’ve signed up as a musician or a venue and I’m ready to make a match. Can you break down the approval process in the software for me?
You can use the search option to filter the available artist to venue who fits your search criteria. Use the small triangle to the left of the name of the artist or venue to see all of their details. You can see all available venues and performers by selecting the browse feature, but matchmaking actually happens on your account page.
I’ve looked at all of my options and chosen some possible venues or musicians. What happens now?
After you make a choice, that entity will receive an email. Then both sides need to confirm, modify or decline the opportunity. If you wish to modify, you should contact the other party. When you confirm on a match it will be automatically sent to Make Music Madison to review and approve. Your desired match will appear on your “Account” page under “My Performances”; note that until all three parties have approved, the match is “pending confirmation”. After approval by the artist, venue, and Make Music Madison, the match will be recorded as “confirmed”.
We completed our matchmaking last week, but our completed match still says “Pending Confirmation”. What gives?
Make Music Madison must approve each performance before it is final. In most cases Make Music Madison will confirm your performance and venue match within two weeks. If your venue and performer are certain you have a firm commitment, there is no need to worry, you are going steady and we will not force a break-up. Please be patient for our administrators to approve the match in the system.
Do I need to check in with my “Account” page to see if there are any pending matches?
When someone requests a match, you will be emailed a notification to log in and check the match.
If I signed up two weeks ago and no one has picked my venue/performance, should I start to worry?
It may take time to make a match. Keep in mind that the registration will be open until May 25th, so new musicians and venues will appear until then. If you don’t see what you want today, check another time. Or, be creative in your matchmaking. Venues may contact musicians not already registered in the matchmaking software to ask them to sign up. Likewise, performers may contact venues where they’d like to perform and ask them to sign up as venues. Also, consider that venues can be almost any public place in Madison where people can gather without impeding traffic. The playground down the street, the pet store’s parking lot, the plaza outside your office building could all be venues.
Why was my performance was denied?
Some reasons for denial might be because the venue’s time slots have been filled, or the venue cannot accommodate your type of music or the number of performers. Don’t despair; try to find another match.
A venue or performer wants to modify my request for a match. What is required of me now?
The modification request in our matchmaking software is there to set up a performance schedule that works for both the venue and performer. If a request needs to be modified in some way other than time, you will need to contact the other party to work through the details of the modification.
It’s May 30th and there is still no match. Should I be heartbroken?
Make Music Madison wants to make sure everyone who wants to perform can perform. After May 25th, registration will close, but participants will have another week to match. The deadline to confirm everyone’s shows is midnight on Tuesday, June 1st. We will contact musicians and venues that haven’t been able to create a match through the software and will propose some creative options for your inclusion in the Make Music Madison merriment. We are in the happiness business and don’t want you to be disappointed or left out.