Casting calls in Tennessee: Tennessee has three casting markets: Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville. Nashville is the music capital of the United States, which makes it unlike any other casting market — continuous music video, live performance and artist-led content work.
Tennessee casting works differently from every other state on this list, and the reason is Nashville. No other American city runs a music industry of that size, which means no other city produces music videos, artist content, live performance capture and documentary work at that volume — continuously, all year, independent of whatever film and television happens to be shooting.
For a performer, that creates an unusual opening. In most markets, musical ability is a line at the bottom of your profile. In Tennessee it is often the reason you get booked.
This guide covers the three Tennessee markets, what casting calls in Tennessee pay in 2026, where musical skills actually help, and how to spot a fake casting call.
Where the casting work is in Tennessee
Nashville
The centre of the state's industry and one of the most distinctive casting markets in the country. Alongside the usual commercial, corporate and film work, Nashville runs a constant stream of music video shoots, artist-led content, live performance work and the documentary and reality programming that follows the music business around.
Start with casting calls in Nashville, or go to music video casting in Nashville, extras work, acting roles or singing roles there.
Memphis
Its own market with its own heritage — blues, soul and the visual language that goes with them — plus commercial, corporate and independent film work. Smaller pool than Nashville and correspondingly better odds per application. See casting calls in Memphis and Memphis extras casting.
Knoxville
East Tennessee's market, running regional commercial, corporate and institutional work, documentary, and an independent film scene. The least crowded of the three. See casting calls in Knoxville.
What do casting calls in Tennessee pay?
Union scale, effective 1 July 2026
- Background actor — $231 per 8 hours. Special ability $241; stand-ins and photo doubles $270.
- Day performer — $1,283 per day.
- Three-day performer (television) — $3,252.
- Weekly performer — $4,456 per week.
Union days also carry time-and-a-half for hours nine and ten, double time beyond, meal penalties, and adjustments for wardrobe, extensive hair and makeup and bringing your own vehicle or instrument. Our guide to extras pay lists every adjustment in full.
Music video and non-union work
Music video rates sit outside the standard television structure and vary widely by budget — a major-label shoot and an independent artist's video are different jobs with different money. Read the rate posted in each notice rather than assuming. Much of Tennessee's background work is non-union, since the state is right-to-work.
Tennessee is a right-to-work state. You can work on a union production here without being required to join SAG-AFTRA, which is why much of the background work is posted non-union. Three days of background work under a SAG-AFTRA agreement still makes you union-eligible, evidenced by pay stubs rather than vouchers — so track which of your days are covered.
What kinds of roles get cast in Tennessee?
Music video and performance work
The state's genuine speciality. Nashville shoots music videos continuously, and those productions need performers, dancers, musicians, crowd and atmosphere, and people who read convincingly as part of a music scene. See music video casting calls and singing casting calls.
Background and extras
The most accessible category anywhere, Tennessee included. No agent, no audition, no experience — you are cast from photos, measurements and availability. See open extras casting calls.
Musicians and specialty performers
If you genuinely play, this is the market where it pays. Productions need people who can hold an instrument correctly on camera, play convincingly in a live setting, or perform as part of a band. That pool is far smaller than the general applicant pool, and specialty background pays above the standard rate.
Commercials, corporate and dance
All three cities run steady commercial and corporate work, and Nashville has a real dance community serving the music industry. See commercials and dancing casting calls.
Popular casting categories in Tennessee
Working with young performers in Tennessee
Tennessee does not impose a California-style blocked trust requirement on a minor's earnings. That matters, because it means the automatic protection parents get in California, New York, Illinois, Louisiana and New Mexico is something you arrange yourself here.
- Set up your own account for a child's earnings rather than assuming the state requires one.
- Submissions for anyone under 18 are made by a parent or legal guardian, never by the child.
- Music industry work is not exempt from ordinary safeguarding expectations. Treat any adult who wants to contact a young performer directly as a red flag.
For how a major studio handles young performers, see our guide to Disney casting calls for teens.
How to spot a fake Tennessee casting call
You never pay to register with a casting company or to audition. This matters doubly in a music town, where "we can get you in front of a label" is a long-running variant of the same scam.
The Federal Trade Commission published a consumer alert on virtual casting call scams in December 2025, describing unexpected texts from supposed talent scouts offering fast-turnaround auditions for real, recognisable titles that become sales pitches for photo shoots, demos or classes.
- Any fee — registration, "processing", mandatory headshot or demo packages, or a specific photographer or studio you must use.
- Anyone promising access to an artist, label or showcase in exchange for money. Nobody can sell you that.
- Unexpected texts or DMs naming a real production or artist. Legitimate casting does not cold-text strangers.
- Requests for bank details or a Social Security number before a signed booking with a named production and payroll company.
- Guaranteed bookings. Nobody can promise one.
Report suspected scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, forward scam texts to 7726, and contact SAG-AFTRA if the union's name is invoked.
10/15/20269/20/20269/16/20269/14/20269/4/2026Casting calls in nearby states: Georgia · North Carolina · Louisiana · Illinois · Virginia · South Carolina · Missouri · Alabama · Kentucky
Find casting calls in Tennessee on allcasting
allcasting is a casting marketplace: verified casting professionals post roles and talent applies directly. Applying is free, and nobody on the platform can promise you a part.
- Browse live Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville casting calls
- Go straight to Nashville music video casting if that is your market
- Start with extras and background work — no experience, no agent, no audition
- Put every instrument, vocal and performance skill at the top of your profile, because in this state they are what casting searches for
For the broader career picture, see how to become a background actor.
How To
Lead With Music If You Have It
Tennessee is the one state where a music background is a direct casting advantage rather than a nice extra. Nashville runs a continuous music video and live performance industry that simply does not exist at this scale anywhere else in the country, and Memphis carries its own blues and soul heritage work. If you play an instrument, sing, read as a musician on camera, dance, or have stage and touring experience, put all of it at the top of your profile rather than burying it under general acting credits. Productions here search for exactly those skills, and the pool of people who genuinely have them is far smaller than the pool of general applicants.
- 1Put Your Musical Skills Where Casting Will Find ThemEvery instrument you play, your vocal range, any stage or touring experience, dance training, and whether you read convincingly as a musician on camera — all of it belongs in the skills section of your profile, not buried in a bio. Nashville casting searches on exactly these fields, and the number of applicants who genuinely have them is a fraction of the number who apply to everything.Pro Tip: Only list what you could do on set tomorrow in front of a music supervisor. Holding a guitar wrong on camera in Nashville is noticed immediately.
- 2Apply Across All Three Cities and Both IndustriesNashville, Memphis and Knoxville are separate markets, and Tennessee work splits across two different worlds: the music industry on one side, and ordinary film, commercial and corporate casting on the other. Apply to both. A lot of performers here build steady income from commercial and corporate work while the music-adjacent jobs come and go.Pro Tip: Music video rates sit outside the standard television structure and vary enormously by budget. Read the posted rate in each notice rather than assuming a major-label figure.
- 3Treat “Access” Offers as the Local ScamEvery market has its own flavour of casting fraud, and in a music town it is the promise of access — to an artist, a label, a showcase, a writers’ round. Nobody can sell you that, and a legitimate casting company never charges a performer anything, because productions pay them. Registration is free. Auditions are free. Demos and headshot packages you are told to buy from a specific supplier are the tell.Pro Tip: If someone contacts you first, names a real artist and wants money or a fast decision, stop. Naming a real name is a documented scam tactic, not a credential.
Q&A
Are there casting calls in Tennessee?
What makes Nashville casting different?
How much do casting calls in Tennessee pay?
Is Tennessee a right-to-work state?
Do I need to be a musician to get cast in Nashville?
Which Tennessee city has the most casting work?
Does Tennessee require a trust account for child actors?
How do I avoid casting scams in Tennessee?
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