How To Find Musicians for Your Projects in 2025

There are a few reasons why you might be looking for musicians for your projects—background music for a social media video, band members to perform at an event, and a composer for a movie or video game are all common examples.

And there are plenty of ways potential clients find musicians and composers to work with. Some methods are a bit old school, and some are relatively new. 

In this guide, we’ll cover seven standard and efficient methods for finding musicians—no matter what project you're working on.

1. Use freelance sites

The best method for finding the type of musician you want is using a freelance service website like Fiverr. On these platforms, musicians sign up and offer clear guidelines for what kind of music services they can offer you or even just offer music advice.

Using freelance sites is at the top of the list because you can filter your choices depending on the type of project you're working on. For example, if you're working on an advertisement, you can hire amusician who specializes in jingles. Or, if you're looking for a bespoke song, you can narrow your options to songwriters.

The magic of freelance sites is that there is nearly always someone who can create the music you want. In most cases, musicians are open to hearing your ideas and working with you to bring your vision to life.

Apart from Fiverr, there are a few other freelance websites where you can find musicians, including:

• Airgigs (musician/audio specific)

• MusicianFinder (musician/audio specific)

• Freelancer

• Upwork

• PeoplePerHour

These are global-remote options, but if you're looking to hire a live musician, you should double-check the provider's location. Some platforms are specific to certain countries, like Encore Musicians (UK), Musiversal (US), and Gigster (South Africa).

2. Check your local music store

The next option you can try, especially if you're looking for in-person musicians, is to check out your local music stores.

When I was a music student, we'd create flyers for our events and put them up in our local music stores and practice studios. The music I played was pretty niche (either funk/rap fusion or indie/jazz fusion), but I always remember seeing business cards for fellow musicians offering their skills.

In the music store, you're most likely to find a bulletin with information on live bands and individual session musicians. Similarly, you can also check your local classifieds, forums, or Craigslist options for people looking for experience.

3. Browse Facebook groups

The next option is to look for Facebook groups. Facebook groups are particularly useful if you're on a low budget. On Facebook, you're more likely to find hobbyists, new musicians, or students interested in building a starter portfolio for a lower cost (but please don't ask for free music).

That's not to say the quality will be low. For example, I'm still in a group called "Film Scoring Network for Composers and Filmmakers" with many talented folks. Facebook groups like these are a goldmine for finding under-the-radar composers and music producers.

All you need to do is post with “musicians wanted,” and you’ll have plenty of options in the comments.

4. Ask musicians and bands directly

If you have a specific musician or band in mind for your project, there's no harm in asking them if they'd like to work with you. The worst that can happen is that they say no.

On a big scale, this sort of practice happens all the time. Movie directors commission artists like Billie Eilish or Idina Menzel to collaborate and create songs for their movies.

In a similar fashion, you can approach local musicians and bands directly and commission them to work on your project.

5. Connect with recording studios

If you're looking specifically for session musicians, such as drummers, bassists, guitarists, or vocalists, then one of your best bets will be connecting with recording studios. Recording studios build up many contacts within the music industry to work with when producing tracks for singers or vice versa.

If you have a particular vision in mind for the music you want, it's a good idea to look up studios that specialize in that type of music. For example, a small vocals studio won't likely be a good place to find orchestral musicians.

You can send an email or call ahead to the studio with your project idea to see if they know anyone who is suitable.

6. Go through a music school or college

Similarly to finding musicians through Facebook groups, another place you can look is your local music school or college. Depending on where you live in the world this might not be an efficient option—your nearest music school could be hundreds of miles away.

However, if you live somewhere with one near enough, it's a great place to source a variety of up-and-coming musicians. Music schools are also a great place if you're looking specifically for orchestral musicians.

In a practical sense, you don't want to just walk in one day and approach random students. A better approach would be to see what events the school or college is hosting and attend a performance. This way, you get to see/hear the caliber of the students and if the music is what you have in mind.

7. Head to open mic nights

The last (but not least) option is to head to open mic nights, “jam nights,” or “jam sessions.” These have the bonus of being fun. At open mic nights, you get to see and meet musicians performing live, usually in a casual or more relaxed fashion.

I've performed at a few open mic nights, and I always used to carry a pack of business cards just in case. However, these days, musicians are more likely to refer you to their social media or SoundCloud pages.

Either way, these are the best places to look for singer-songwriters or musicians who specialize in acoustic guitar/indie-type music.

How to hire musicians on Fiverr

As mentioned, Fiverr is one of the best websites for finding a musician for your project.

On Fiverr, you can find musicians by heading to the Music & Audio category from the home page:

Fiverr

From there, you can look for musicians based on specific services, such as Music Production and Writing, Audio Engineering and Post Production, Voice Overs and Streaming, Lessons and Transcription, DJing, or Sound Design.

Otherwise, you can also head to a specific category like Session Musicians, and filter the experts by instrument, service offering, genre, and more:

Fiverr

However, before you click "continue" on a Gig, there's an essential first step—the consultation.

Music is a very subjective experience with an endless variety of opinions. So, it's crucial for you to have consultations with potential musicians for your project. These consultations help you determine if the musician is the right fit for you and your musical needs. For example, if you’re talking to a producer, you can let them know if you’re looking for a male singer, a female singer, or if you want someone to use AI to generate music. It also lets them know what kind of client they're working with.

There are four main steps in the consultation process:

• Sharing project details and requirements. Share initial details with the musician to see if they're interested in your project. If they like the sound of your project and you think they have the skills to complete it, schedule a meeting.

• Scheduling initial meeting time. Fiverr offers sellers the option to include paid video consultations that work like regular Gigs. But if the musician you're contacting doesn't have this option, you can send them a regular message and set up a video call using the video camera icon in the chat box.

• Discuss project scope, budget, and timeline. During your meeting, share the details of your project idea. These details usually include the specifics of what you want them to do, your budget (generally around $15–$100 per hour), and a timeline for them to complete the project. The musician may want to adjust some of the scope based on their ability and availability.

• Establish how to receive and review the music. It's important to discuss how you want to receive the project files from the musician. Be sure to clarify any particular format you have in mind, the criteria for good work, and what you consider a reasonable revision request.

With these factors in mind, you'll be able to find the best matching musician possible.

Get started on Fiverr Music—the one-stop music marketplace

We’ve talked extensively about how people can find freelance musicians on Fiverr, but what about musicians who are looking to grow their music careers and want to connect with other professionals?

For freelance musicians, there’s Fiverr Music and the Fiverr music community. Fiverr Music is an extensive marketplace where all varieties of music creatives can connect, generate ideas from each other, and collaborate. And the Fiverr music Instagram community will give you ideas of how other musicians are using Fiverr Music for success.

So, whether you’re looking to hire a musician for your project or grow your own music career—Fiverr is the place for you. Get started on Fiver Music today.

Find a musician FAQs

How do I find musicians in my area?

Some of the best ways to look for local musicians include:

• Check out your local music store for a bulletin.

• Check out your local music school or college for events.

• Attend open mic nights.

• Inquire with local recording studios.

How do I find artists to collaborate with?

There are several ways to find musical artists, but one of the best methods is to use a freelance site like Fiverr. With this approach, you can filter potential musicians using specific criteria you want for your project.

How do I find someone to make music?

Finding someone to produce music for you is simple—all you need to do is reach out to music producers or composers and ask them if they can make music for you. A freelancing site like Fiverr is the best option for finding musicians offering their talent.

Is there an app to find musicians?

You can use the Fiverr app to find musicians to work with on your project. Otherwise, apps like Facebook can help you find groups where musicians hang out.