Gixtra Sub Lists: Ask Dep Musicians One at a Time for Each Gig

If you arrange deps for gigs, you know the routine: ask your first choice, wait for an answer, then move to the next person after a decline. A keyboard player describes twenty years of dep work in almost exactly those terms: a call with the date, place, and band; yes is binding, and after a no the organiser keeps looking. You can read the first-hand account on Musiker-Board.

The difficult part is not one call. It is rebuilding the same order for every gig: remembering who gets the first drums call, who comes next, and who only fits certain formats. Ask everybody at once for one open chair and you may have to withdraw an inquiry after two musicians accept.

That recurring job is what Gixtra Sub lists are built for. Save the asking order once for a band job, then use it on the gigs where you need it.

An asking order that continues on the gig

A Sub list is more than a group of contacts. It records who you want to ask first, second, and next for one band job. Select that Sub list on a gig and announce the gig, and Gixtra works through the order:

1. The first eligible person receives a gig inquiry.
2. If they decline or let the chosen deadline expire, the next person is asked.
3. The sequence ends as soon as someone accepts.
4. People further down the list are not contacted unnecessarily.

The chosen order is preserved for that gig. Editing the saved Sub list later for future gigs does not silently rearrange a sequence already in progress.

Example: Who is playing drums on Saturday?

You have saved this Drums Sub list:

1. Alex — plays most of the gigs
2. Sam — knows the full show
3. Jordan — covers when neither is available

For Saturday's club gig, you select the Drums Sub list. Alex receives the first gig inquiry and declines. Gixtra then asks Sam. Sam accepts, so the drums chair is filled and Jordan is not contacted for that gig.

You did not have to find Sam's details, remember to follow Alex's decline, or put Jordan on the same gig just in case. The gig page shows who currently has the inquiry and who has already answered.

What if the answer is maybe?

If Sam answers maybe, the Sub list pauses. Gixtra does not ask Jordan in parallel while Sam's answer is still open. You can see Sam's reason and decide whether to wait, skip Sam, or stop the Sub list and take over the line-up manually.

The deadline still has to fit the real booking. Giving the first dep until Friday is no use when the client needs a confirmed line-up on Wednesday. Set the reply deadline from the decision you actually have to make.

Build a Sub list that is useful, not merely long

Do not add everybody who can technically play the instrument. The order needs to fit this act and this band job. In a discussion about replacing musicians on band gigs, one booker says he only confirms once he knows the line-up he can deliver. Whether a dep fits depends on the chair and on the quality the act has promised.

Before setting the order, ask:

• Who already knows the repertoire and your arrangements?
• Who can handle your tracks, click, medleys, or required equipment?
• Who fits this format: wedding, corporate function, club, or festival?
• Which chairs can be substituted under your agreement with the client?
• Who would need extra rehearsal time before a short-notice inquiry is fair?

The Musicians' Union guidance for depping also recommends clarifying the date, fee, timings, location, equipment, dress, contacts, and music before the engagement. A quick inquiry only helps when the musician knows what they are accepting.

Keep the list short and current. Remove somebody when they no longer cover the material or this job. The order is a practical decision for this band, not a general rating of the musicians.

Set up a Sub list and use it on a gig

1. Open Members → Sub lists.
2. Create a Sub list for one band job, such as Drums or Keys.
3. Add the suitable musicians and put them in your preferred order.
4. Open the gig and select the Sub list in the attendee picker.
5. Save and announce the gig so the first gig inquiry is sent.

On the gig page, you can skip the current person or stop the Sub list. That matters when the usual order is wrong for one specific date—for example, when one dep already knows that programme or another has a much easier journey.

The sub role and a Sub list solve different jobs. The role controls what a substitute can see in the band. The list only controls the order in which musicians are asked to cover one band job.

The full workflow is in Sub lists explained. To start, build one real list: choose the band job for which you most often need cover, enter the order you genuinely use, and select it on the next suitable gig.