Group Chat gives you a broadcast line to your entire musician roster — all in one place, outside the context of any specific gig. Use it to share announcements, updates, or anything your musicians need to know at the group level: a new policy, a schedule change for the coming season, or a quick check-in before a busy weekend. Musicians receive an email notification and can reply directly from their BookLive account.
Before You Begin #
- You must be a group leader or admin to send Group Chat messages.
- At least one of your Personnel Lists must have Group Chat enabled. Musicians on lists with chat disabled will not receive notifications.
- Musicians must have a BookLive account and a valid email address on file to receive Group Chat notifications.
Step 1: Enable Group Chat on Your Personnel List(s) #
Group Chat notifications are sent to musicians on any Personnel List where chat is turned on. To enable it:
- Log in at https://booklive.com/login and navigate to your group.
- In the left sidebar, click Personnel and select the list you want to include in Group Chat.
- On the Personnel List page, locate the Group Chat toggle (usually near the list name or settings section) and turn it on.
- Repeat for any other Personnel Lists whose members should receive Group Chat messages.
Musicians on lists with chat disabled will not be notified when you send a Group Chat message. This lets you limit broadcasts to just your active roster if you manage multiple lists.
Step 2: Open Group Chat #
- From your group’s navigation, click Group Chat (or navigate to your group’s chat page).
- The chat thread loads with all previous messages listed in chronological order.
Step 3: Send a Message #
- Click the message field at the bottom of the chat.
- Type your message — an announcement, reminder, or update for the whole team.
- Press Enter or click Send.
Your message is posted to the Group Chat thread immediately. All musicians on chat-enabled Personnel Lists will receive an email notification letting them know a message was sent, and can click through to view it and reply.
How Notifications Work #
BookLive includes a built-in throttle to protect your musicians from notification overload: if a Group Chat message was sent less than 24 hours ago, BookLive will post your new message to the thread but will not send another email notification. This prevents back-to-back messages from flooding inboxes. If you need musicians to act on something time-sensitive, space your messages out or use Gig Chat (which is performance-specific and always notifies).
How Musicians Respond #
When a musician receives a Group Chat email notification, they can click the link in the email to open the Group Chat page. From there, they can read the full thread and post a reply. Replies are visible to all group leaders and other musicians who have access to the chat.
Tips & Notes #
- Group Chat vs. Gig Chat: Gig Chat is tied to a specific performance and notifies only musicians booked on that gig. Group Chat is roster-wide and is not connected to any particular event.
- Group Chat vs. Client Chat: Client Chat is for two-way communication with your event clients. Group Chat is for internal musician communication only.
- Multiple Personnel Lists: If your group has several lists (for example, a primary roster and a sub list), you can enable Group Chat on each list independently. Musicians who appear on multiple lists will only receive one notification per message.
- Leaders only: Only group leaders and admins can send Group Chat messages. Musicians can reply but not initiate a new broadcast.
