{"id":5403,"date":"2021-01-18T09:47:07","date_gmt":"2021-01-18T09:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lastminutemusicians.com\/blog\/?p=5403"},"modified":"2026-03-29T08:19:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T07:19:16","slug":"great-admin-resources-for-musicians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lastminutemusicians.com\/blog\/great-admin-resources-for-musicians\/","title":{"rendered":"Top ten admin resources for musicians"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last updated: March 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What many people outside of the industry don\u2019t realise is that being a professional musician isn\u2019t all about rocking out on stage. Unfortunately, there are myriad problems that often need sorting out and various aspects of the job that require heavy organisation in advance. In this blog, we\u2019ll take a look at a few resources that can help make your admin life as a musician a little easier\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether it\u2019s organising bookings into a calendar, sifting through enquiry emails or doing your accounts, there are many strands to the business of being a musician that, unfortunately, have absolutely nothing to do with playing your instrument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this is quite possibly the least sexy aspect of the job, there are resources available to help!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding a good calendar\/ email service and some accounts software can be a great start to cutting down on the bureaucracy that goes along with managing your small business, or self-employment. If you\u2019re just starting out, our guide on how to get gigs as a musician<\/a> covers many of the basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below, find a list of some good options of admin software life hacks\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Gmail\/ Google Calendar \/ Google Drive\/ Docs<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps one of the most popular services available, having a Gmail account is simple and easy to set up, and a completely free way to help centralise your admin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, having a \u2018band\u2019 Gmail account (that everyone in the group has access to) can be a great way to centralise your booking system and avoid uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Person<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This way, designated band members can deal with the enquiries and bookings, as they come in. Keeping the calendar feature updated with both gigs and enquiries can help head off any availability problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some bands also choose to update the calendar with dates they are definitely unavailable (like holidays).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obviously, Gmail has many other useful features (like meetings\/ hangouts and chats) but Google Docs is arguably one of the most useful. Whether it is promotional materials, charts or any other resources that need to be centrally available, then Google docs is a great way to store them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google docs is great because it seamlessly syncs across all my devices such as my tablet, phone and PC even though they are all using different operating systems. I use it for all sorts of tasks.<\/p>

I use it for booking contracts with the band, I can send out an editable file for the client to return, and I also have a wedding planning document that I can share with the client that both parties can edit. I use for invoices and receipts too.<\/p>

 I can quickly copy and create new documents in seconds and quickly integrate them with Gmail.<\/p>

Another use is – on gigs – I can easily access chords\/lyrics\/screenshots\/pictures of lead sheets etc all within one document, that I can access from any of my devices and it updates automatically when I add new songs.<\/p>Tom Kinton, Guitarist and Bass Player.<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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2) Last Minute Musicians Contract Generator<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Writing up contracts can take a professional musician a surprising amount of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A brand-new contract is needed for every gig, with the appropriate (and correct!) details filled out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The LMM contract generator simply requires you to fill in the form provided with the relevant details, and then a contract is generated for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Contract<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This can save you a lot of time when securing new bookings. You may also find our guide to negotiating with clients<\/a> helpful when agreeing terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t forget, there are many reasons why contracts for live gigs<\/a> are important, and you should always have one in place for your performance bookings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3) Quick Books<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Accounting is (particularly in the month of January!) a task that can take up an extraordinary amount of a musicians\u2019 time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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