Setting Up Your BookLive Account: First 30 Minutes

You signed up for BookLive — now what? This guide cuts straight to the five most important things to do in your first 30 minutes. Skip the exploration for now and focus on these essentials. By the time you’re done, BookLive will be ready to help you book and manage real gigs.

What You’ll Accomplish #

• ✅ Complete the onboarding wizard and name your act
• ✅ Fill out your act profile (bio, photos, location)
• ✅ Set up your price list
• ✅ Connect Stripe so you can get paid
• ✅ Create your first performance

Log in at https://booklive.com/login and let’s get started.

Step 1: Complete the Onboarding Wizard (~5 minutes) #

When you first log in, BookLive will redirect you to the onboarding flow at /onboarding. You’ll see a welcome screen with three paths:

• Book More Gigs — Learn how to use the Gig Vault to find venues and clients
• Simplify Management — Set up scheduling, contracts, and coordination tools
• Build Website — Create a professional Performing Site for inbound bookings

Choose the path that best matches your immediate goal. Don’t overthink it — this just tailors your initial walkthrough. You’ll have access to all features regardless of which path you select.

During the wizard, you’ll be prompted to:

1. Enter your act or group name
2. Select your artist type (solo, duo, trio, band, ensemble, etc.)
3. Indicate whether you’re available for hire

Complete all the wizard steps to finish onboarding and reach your BookLive dashboard.

Step 2: Fill Out Your Act Profile (~5 minutes) #

A complete profile helps clients understand who you are and builds trust. From your dashboard, navigate to your group/act page by clicking your act name in the top navigation or sidebar.

1. Click the Edit Profile button on your act page.
2. Add your City and State — this is required for appearing in local searches.
3. Write a Bio — 2–4 sentences describing your act, your style, and the types of events you perform at.
4. Upload a Profile Photo — a clear headshot or group photo works best.
5. Upload a Cover Photo — a horizontal performance or promotional image.
6. Select your Genres to help clients find you.
7. Click Save.

💡 Tip: Don’t wait until you have the perfect photos. Upload something now and update it later. A complete profile is more important than a perfect one.

Step 3: Set Up Your Price List (~5 minutes) #

BookLive uses your price list to auto-populate quotes and proposals, saving you time on every booking. Setting it up now means you can send a quote in seconds once gigs start coming in.

1. From your act page, click the Price List tab.
2. Click Add Item (or + New Price).
3. Enter a service name (e.g., “3-Hour Wedding Reception,” “Corporate Event – 2 Hours,” “Cocktail Hour”).
4. Enter your price and a brief description.
5. Click Save.
6. Repeat for each service tier you offer.

💡 Tip: Start with 2–3 common packages. You can always add more specific line items later. Having even a basic price list unlocks much faster quote creation.

Step 4: Connect Stripe to Accept Payments (~10 minutes) #

BookLive uses Stripe Connect to process client payments. Until Stripe is connected, you won’t be able to collect deposits or payments through the platform. This step takes about 10 minutes and requires your bank account and tax information.

What you’ll need:

• Legal name and address
• SSN (sole proprietor) or EIN (business entity)
• Bank routing and account numbers
• A government-issued ID for verification

To connect Stripe:

1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner and select Account Settings.
2. Navigate to the BookLive Pay (or Payments) section.
3. Click Connect Stripe.
4. Follow the Stripe onboarding prompts to enter your business and banking details.
5. Once complete, you’ll be redirected back to BookLive with a confirmed connection.

💡 Tip: If you run multiple acts or groups, you can also connect Stripe at the group level under the group’s Finances tab. See Quick Start: Collecting Your First Payment for a detailed walkthrough.

Step 5: Create Your First Performance (~5 minutes) #

Adding a performance — even a past or upcoming gig you already have booked — gets you familiar with how BookLive tracks your work and helps you see the platform in action.

1. From your dashboard, click + New Performance (top right or in the navigation menu).
2. Enter a Performance Title (e.g., “Smith Wedding,” “Downtown Corporate Party”).
3. Set the Date and Start Time.
4. Optionally add a Venue and Client.
5. Select your Group if you have multiple acts.
6. Click Save.

You now have a performance in your calendar. From the performance detail page, you can add musicians, send contracts, collect payments, and manage every detail of the gig.

You’re Set Up — What’s Next? #

With these five steps done, BookLive is ready to support your booking workflow. Here are the most useful things to explore next:

• Complete Onboarding Guide for New Groups — deeper walkthrough for bandleaders
• Complete Onboarding Guide for Individual Artists — solo and duo performers
• Quick Start: Your First Performance in 10 Minutes — detailed performance setup guide
• Creating Your First Contract in BookLive — get contracts ready to send
• Getting Started with the Gig Vault — find venues and clients actively looking for performers