FAQ

If any of your questions aren’t answered here, give us a call.

- Why will I Love earcandy?
- I am not sure which act I want, can you help me?
- How do I book?
- Where will the bands travel to?
- Can the band play my first dance?
- Can the band play other requests?
- What are the benefits of booking through an agency as opposed to a local band?
- What if a performer becomes ill or cannot perform?
- Can I see the band play before my event?
- What is a sound engineer?
- My Venue has a sound limiter, what does this mean for my entertainment?
- What Health and Safety aspects should I consider?
- What insurance should my chosen act have?
- How do I Pay?
- Who are Habit Productions Ltd?
- What happens after I book?
- How are your musicians vetted?
- Which musicians will i get?
- What is the ‘rider’?
- How long does the band need to set up and pack down?
- HOW MUCH SPACE DOES THE BAND NEED?
- DOES THE BAND REQUIRE STAGING?

Why will I Love earcandy?

Unlike most agencies our bands are all exclusive to us. This means we have personal contact with every single musician, we invest in them and we make sure they give you their best every time.

We work hard to ensure the service you receive from us is consistent, right from quote, to your special night. We set standards for our bands not only for musical performance, but also appearance, stage presence, behaviour and general etiquette at your event.

You get an entertainment co-ordinator, running up to the event to answer any of your questions, and to ensure all logistics are in hand to help your event run smoothly.

Our musicians are industry specialists. We pick only the top talent and have audition processes to ensure you get the very best bands.

We will listen to what you want, and do our very best to make sure you get it. If you can’t find exactly what you are after on our site, give us a call on 0845 528 0291.

I am not sure which act I want, can you help me?

For non obligation entertainment advice please submit an online enquiry for the most suitable artist you’ve found so far, or else call us on 0845 528 0291 and one of our entertainment coordinators will be happy to assist.

We are open 9am – 6pm Monday to Friday, but if you’d like a call outside these times, just let us know in the on-line enquiry form. Once your enquiry has been made online, an entertainment advisor will call to chat through your specific requirements and help you with recommendations if you are unsure of which act suits your needs.

Your venue size, musical preferences, rough budget can all help us to make suitable recommendations. If you have found one artist you like, we can answer any questions you have about them and help you to put together the perfect package to suit your function.

How do I book?

First, select the entertainment you’re interested in and either submit an online enquiry or give us a call on 0845 528 0291. We’ll discuss your requirements and refine the act accordingly, to give you an accurate quote based on your bespoke entertainment. We will take into consideration all aspects of getting the band there, equipment, and insurance so that your quote is comprehensive with no hidden extras. We’ll then email you the quote along with our terms and conditions.

Feel free to come back to us with any questions or changes at any time. Or if you’d like us to talk to anyone else who is part of making the decision, we are here to help.
Once you’re 100% happy that the entertainment is right for you and you wish to book then either email or call us and we can walk you through our simple booking process.

Where will the bands travel to?

Our bands are available to perform anywhere in the world. All our performers are professional full-time musicians and tour regularly, meaning they are used to traveling long distances and still putting on an energetic live performance. All our quotes include travel costs so there are no hidden extras.

Can the band play my first dance?

Absolutely, just ask us. The band will need to know at least one month before your event. Our bands are professional session musicians with a huge back catalogue of songs they can play. If you don’t see your song on our example set lists, don’t worry, they probably know it anyway. And if not, they will be delighted to learn it for you.

Can the band play other requests?

Our bands can often take requests, just let us know in advance of the event what you would like to hear, and your event co-ordinator will pass the request over to the band for a small extra charge.

What are the benefits of booking through an agency as opposed to a local band?

If you book any band directly, you have limited cover if anything goes wrong. An agency will provide you with guarantees that cover you as well as certain levels of insurance.

A local band has no one to answer to but themselves, so quality control, behaviour, song choices, appearance, equipment quality are all totally ungoverned and unmonitored. An agency has the ability to monitor and control the quality of their acts. At earcandy we invest in our bands to provide you the best possible service in all areas.

Local bands will more than likely have inferior PA, lighting, and instruments or require you to hire these separately. earcandy invests in all ensuring related live music equipment are of a high level of professional kit.

An agency provides you with a regulated and professional organisation to whom you can return with questions, comments, complaints or adjustments in the run up and after your event. .

What if a performer becomes ill or cannot perform?

In the event that a musician is unable to perform for any reason, earcandy will issue a replacement of equal if not better skill and competence. earcandy has access to a pool of the industry’s most highly talented session musicians, with years of experience in live performance, which means we can always find a replacement for any musician that in no way compromise the sound or quality of the act. For that reason, excluding ‘Force majeure’ you will never be left without a band on your day.

Can I see the band play before my event?

Due to individual musicians availability and busy schedules, its hard to organize full showcases, but we are able to do this from time to time. Please be aware that waiting for a showcase may mean your band has been booked up. We have a collection of live and studio based music videos for you to view our bands quality of performance. We’ll also happily direct you to previous clients for a reference.

What is a sound engineer?

A trained specialist who sets up the audio equipment to achieve the best acoustics from the band. You need a sound engineer at any live music event to get the very best sound. It’s a very technical job dealing with blending the levels of the band, acoustic EQ, Using different types and amount of microphones and tweaking levels for monitors. Musicians aren’t experts in this, so a dedicated sound engineer is strongly recommended. It also means your band can focus on delivering the performance you deserve.

If you choose a band that comes without sound engineer, you risk getting a poor front of house mix and feedback mid performance, which can damage the audience’s hearing and doesn’t sound very nice. Not only that, your band will be concentrating more on any technical issues than delivering an outstanding performance. Find out more.

My Venue has a sound limiter, what does this mean for my entertainment?

This does not mean you can’t have a live band. This means the venue has installed a ‘volume control’ that cuts out electricity supply if sound levels reach a certain volume, for a set amount of time. Having a dedicated sound engineer means we can accommodate the volume of our bands to a certain degree, (any limiter set above 90db should cause no problems) but it is suggested that you let us know if your venue has a sound limiter in advance so that our music boffins can tailor your act and equipment to fit these restraints. Making sure the only time the music stops is when you’re done dancing.

What Health and Safety aspects should I consider?

All our equipment is fully insured. Your venue may request seeing a copy of the certificate from the band before they will allow the band to play.

Live music can be damaging to your hearing if you do not observe safe sound levels. Your sound engineer will monitor this to make sure the music is safe and comfortable for all guests at all times.

What insurance should my chosen act have?

Public Liability Insurance covers accidental damage or injury to third party property and the public. This will be a mandatory for many venues if you are asking to bring live music to your event. It will cover your venue and audience from any damage at the hands of your band or their equipment. All of our bands equipment is PAT tested and with full Public Liability Insurance. We can provide certificates upon request.

How do I Pay?

You can easily pay either by bank transfer or cheque

You will need to pay an initial payment in order to secure your booking. The outstanding balance will be due two weeks before your event through our client account or paid in cash to the band on the day of the event in advance of their first performance.
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Who are Habit Productions Ltd?

Habit Productions is the limited company which owns and operates the trading name earcandy.
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What happens after I book?

Asides from the excitement setting in, once your booking is made, you will be contacted by one of our entertainment co-ordinators. Your entertainment co-ordinator is your point of contact for any queries you have about your booking in the run up to your day.

Their job is to ensure that your entertainment goes perfectly to plan, and that everything is organized and ready for your event.

This will include;
- liaising with your venue, to ensure all power requirements are met
- working with the bands to learn any special songs you have requested
- liaising with the sound engineer to ensure PA equipment is suited to the venue

What How are your musicians vetted?

Our talent scouts find bands and musicians who are exceptionally talented and unlike other agencies, personally hand pick musicians to offer them an audition. Only the best get through the auditions and our management team continually work with bands and musicians to keep bands fresh.

Our talent scouts all have large music industry experience, so have many links with record labels, music universities and other high profile music companies. All musicians we work with are full time professionals enjoying careers in the music industries.

Which Musicians do i get?

Due to the nature of the music industry and as with other reputable bands and agencies, we are unable to guarantee any individual musician unless they are of significant celebrity. Whilst this is a music industry standard clause, we take extra care to ensure quality is never compromised.

All our musicians and personnel are handpicked and auditioned so your receive a very high standard of performance. Unlike many agencies we have an extremely rigorous audition and quality control process.

What is the ‘rider’?

The rider for the acts consists of a meal and refreshments. This helps keep their energy up on the day ready to give you and your guests an exceptionally entertaining show.
Please remember that our acts work a lot longer than the time which you see them, often traveling a long distance from their hometown to the venue. Their day will consist of traveling, setting up equipment, a safety check, a sound check, liaising with the client, two sets of high energy music, pack down, and traveling back from the venue.

How long does the band need to set up?

A 3, 4 and 5 piece band will need at least one hour to set up their equipment and sound check. A band with 6 or more members will require a minimum of one and a half hours. If you have booked more than one band, we will advise you how long this takes.

A sound check is an essential part of the set up, which allows the band to check all instrument levels, EQ, effects and monitors. The Sound Engineer will adjust levels and settings to accommodate the acoustics and size of the room. Please bear in mind that the sound check will require the band to be playing at full volume, so you should ensure your guests are in a different room when this takes place.

How Much Space Does the Band Need?

We recommend for a 5 piece band a 14ft by 10ft floor or stage space is required. For a 7 piece band we recommend 16ft by 10ft. Please also be aware that we will need space for the sound engineer to set up either beside the band, or somewhere facing the band near the back of the room. They will require space which should be about the size of a regular table.

Does the band require staging?

Depending on the type of event, staging can provide a great quality to a show, however our bands can perform happily without staging also. This will need to be sourced separately by the client. Please see ‘how much space does the band need?’ for stage size requirements.