Understanding Auto-Contract Conflict Detection

Overview #

When you use auto-contracting to fill performance seats, BookLive automatically checks each musician for scheduling conflicts before sending them a proposal. This intelligent conflict detection ensures you are only reaching out to musicians who are actually available, saving time and avoiding awkward situations.

What Counts as a Conflict #

The system checks for four types of conflicts:

1. Already Asked #

The musician has already been contacted for this specific performance.

• They have a pending proposal for another seat on this gig
• They already have a seat assigned on this performance
• They declined a previous request for this performance

2. Blackout Date #

The musician has marked the performance date as unavailable.

• A single-day blackout covers the date
• A date range blackout includes the date
• Skip reason logged: “Artist has a blackout date”

3. Group Conflict #

The musician already has a performance with the same group on that date.

• Prevents double-booking with your own group
• Skip reason includes the conflicting performance details

4. Existing Performance #

The musician is already booked for any performance on that date.

• Could be with a different group
• Includes confirmed and pending performances
• Skip reason includes venue information when available

How Conflict Detection Works #

When you initiate auto-contracting:

1. System retrieves your personnel list for each empty seat
2. For each musician on the list (in order):
   1. Check for blackout dates
   2. Check for existing performances on that date
   3. Check for group-specific conflicts
   4. Check if already asked for this performance
3. If any conflict is found, the musician is skipped
4. Skip reason is logged to the seat activity
5. Next musician in the list is evaluated
6. First available musician receives the proposal

Viewing Skip Reasons #

You can see why musicians were skipped:

1. Open the performance detail page
2. Navigate to the seat that was auto-contracted
3. View the Activity section
4. Look for entries like:
   • “Skipped John Smith – has blackout date”
   • “Skipped Jane Doe – already has performance at The Grand Ballroom”
   • “Skipped Mike Wilson – group conflict on same date”

What Happens When Everyone is Conflicted #

If all musicians on your personnel list have conflicts:

• No proposal is sent
• The system logs that no musicians were available
• You (the bandleader) receive a notification
• The seat remains unfilled for manual assignment

Conflict Detection in Substitute Requests #

The same conflict detection applies when finding substitutes:

• System checks the substitute list for the specialty
• Musicians with conflicts are skipped automatically
• Only available substitutes are presented or contacted

Best Practices #

• Keep personnel lists updated – More options means better chances of finding available musicians
• Encourage artists to set blackout dates – Accurate availability data improves auto-contracting success
• Review skip reasons – Helps you understand musician availability patterns
• Plan ahead – Popular dates may have more conflicts

Troubleshooting #

A musician was skipped but says they are available #

• Check if they have a blackout date they forgot about
• Verify they are not already booked for another performance
• Check the activity log for the specific skip reason

Auto-contracting found no one available #

• Popular date – many musicians already booked
• Small personnel list – add more musicians to your list
• Many blackout dates – try a different date
• Consider manual outreach beyond your personnel list

Related Articles #

• Halting and Resuming Auto-Contracting
• Setting and Managing Blackout Dates
• Setting Group Availability Rules