Song request apps
Emsi for club DJs, GigTag for the acts that play live
A live act needs one clear code where the audience is already looking, and a page behind it that helps the act get its next gig. GigTag is that, on a small tag for your mic stand: requests from your song list, your dates and a booking form. If you came across Emsi, a request tool for club DJs, here is why GigTag is the one for performers.
- No app for your audience
- Free to start
- One code that never changes
Why GigTag
Why bands and singers go with GigTag over Emsi
Emsi equips a club DJ with a request code, posters and stickers. GigTag equips a live act with one tag for the mic stand and a page that takes requests from your song list, shows your dates, and brings booking enquiries with no commission.
- 1
One tag, right where they look
At a live gig every eye is on the performer, so one small tag on the mic stand reaches the whole room. You design it, and GigTag prints and delivers it or you print it free. Emsi's posters and table stickers answer a club's layout, where the DJ is far from the floor.
- 2
Requests matched to your set
Fans pick from your song list, so requests are for music you perform, and they collect in a live queue during the set. You can open requests to any song if you like. Emsi is aimed at DJs playing recorded music, with a minimum tip a DJ can set. On GigTag, a request never needs a tip.
- 3
A page that finds you work
Behind the code are your next gig, your weekly residencies and a booking enquiry form, all on the free plan. GigTag takes no commission on bookings, and on Pro you invoice clients online in your own design. Each gig becomes a chance to line up the next one.
- 4
Bands share one account
Band members can join the band on GigTag, and on Pro one account holds more than one act. A four-piece that also works as a duo keeps both pages and both codes together, and takes the right tag to the right gig.
- 5
The code never changes
Your printed code is permanent. Rename the act and old links still work, so a tag or a photo of it stays good for years. You print once and carry the same tag from the pub to the wedding to the festival stage.
In short
Emsi and GigTag, in four lines
- Emsi gives club DJs a request code with poster and table sticker templates.
- GigTag puts one tag on the mic stand, where a live audience is already looking.
- The page takes requests from your song list and brings booking enquiries with no commission.
- Live acts should choose GigTag, while Emsi is aimed at DJs and clubs playing recorded music.
Side by side
GigTag vs Emsi, topic by topic
The code
One permanent code per act
Each act has one permanent QR code. It never changes, and old links still work if the act is renamed.
EmsiEmsi gives a DJ or club a custom QR code, which guests scan with their phones to send in their song requests.
Printed material
A mic stand tag in your design
You design a small tag for the mic stand. GigTag prints and delivers it, or you print the file yourself for free.
EmsiIt provides templates for posters and table stickers, so the code can be printed and displayed around the venue in one style.
Being tipped
0% taken from tips
Fans can tip by card or Apple Pay into your own Ziina account in the UAE, or your own Stripe account everywhere else. GigTag takes 0%.
EmsiThe DJ or club can set a minimum tip for a request, so a request comes with a tip of at least that amount.
Who it is for
Made for live acts of any size
It is made for live acts, whether a solo performer, a duo or a band, who perform the requested songs themselves.
EmsiIt is aimed at DJs and clubs, where recorded music is played and the crowd asks for songs from the floor.
After the night
Gigs, links and a booking form
Your page keeps showing your next gig, weekly residencies and links, and carries a booking enquiry form for anyone who scanned.
EmsiSee its site for how it handles this.
The quick view
| GigTag | Emsi | |
|---|---|---|
| A QR code your audience scans | Yes, one that never changes | Yes |
| Song requests from the crowd | Yes, on Pro | Yes |
| Tips by card or Apple Pay | Yes, on Pro, into your own Ziina or Stripe. GigTag takes 0% | Yes |
| Booking enquiries | Yes, on the free plan | – |
| Your gigs and weekly residencies | Yes, on the free plan | – |
| Invoices for bookings | Yes, on Pro | – |
| A printed tag for your mic stand | Yes, in your own design | – |
| Works without an app for the audience | Yes, it opens in the browser | – |
A dash means we did not confirm it for Emsi, not that it is missing: see what Emsi offers above, or ask its makers.
A Emsi alternative
Where GigTag is different from Emsi
Club posters or a mic stand tag
Emsi helps a club put its code everywhere: posters and table stickers, each made from a template. That suits a dark, crowded room where the DJ is far from most guests. GigTag makes one small tag for the mic stand, in your own design, because at a live gig the audience is already looking at the performer. You can order it printed, or print the file yourself for free, and take it to every venue.
Where tips come into it
Emsi lets the DJ or club set a minimum tip for a request. On GigTag, a request and a tip are two things a fan can do from the page. Tips are paid by card or Apple Pay into your own Ziina account in the UAE, or your own Stripe account everywhere else, and GigTag takes 0%. A request never needs a tip.
What sits behind the code
Behind a GigTag code is a page about the act. It shows your next gig and weekly residencies, which fans can add to a calendar, your socials, website and music links, and a booking enquiry form, all on the free plan. On Pro, invoices in your own design can be paid online. The printed code never changes, so the tag keeps working as the act grows or changes its name.
A night with GigTag
A four-piece at a weekend food market
The stage is a small platform between the food trucks, and the audience changes every twenty minutes. Your tag is on the front mic stand. Families scan it while they eat. Your page opens in the browser and the children pick songs from your list. The requests appear in the live queue on the guitarist's phone. With a crowd that drifts, the queue tells you what the people here now want to hear, and you can shape each short set around them.
Markets are good for being found. People who stop for one song scan the tag to see who you are, follow your socials and move on. Some check your next gig and add it to their calendar. A stallholder who also organises a street festival sends a booking enquiry through the form. On Monday you reply from the website, and with Pro you send an invoice the organiser pays online. The other three players have joined the band on GigTag as members.
About Emsi
What is Emsi?
Emsi is a song request tool for DJs and clubs. It gives them a custom QR code that guests scan to request songs. It also supplies templates for posters and table stickers, so the code can be put up around a venue in a consistent style. The DJ or club can set a minimum tip for a request, which links what gets asked for to what the crowd is willing to put behind it.
A club prints the posters and stickers from the templates and can place them around the room. Guests scan wherever they are and send a request, with a tip at or above the minimum if one has been set. The DJ sees what has come in and plays what fits the night. See its app store listing for how setup works.
How Emsi works
- 1
Get a custom code. The DJ or club sets up a custom QR code with Emsi. This is the code guests will scan whenever they want to request a song.
- 2
Print posters and stickers. Emsi supplies templates for posters and table stickers. The venue prints them and puts the code where guests will come across it during the night.
- 3
Take requests with a tip. Guests scan and send a request. If the DJ or club has set a minimum tip, the request comes with a tip of at least that amount.
Who Emsi is for
Club DJs. Emsi is aimed at DJs working in clubs. A custom code gives the crowd a way to reach the booth from the floor, and the minimum tip lets the DJ decide what a request should be worth before taking it on.
Clubs and venues. A club can run the code itself. With the poster and sticker templates, the venue can place the request code around the room and on tables in a consistent look, so guests meet it wherever they are.
Nights built on requests. Where requests are part of the night's appeal, a minimum tip keeps the list to songs people really want to hear. It suits busy nights when a DJ could not play everything that is asked for.
The verdict
GigTag or Emsi: which should you choose?
The bottom line
For bands, duos and solo acts, GigTag is the choice. The strongest reason is fit: it puts one tag where a live audience is looking and fills the page behind it with your songs, your dates and a booking form. Emsi remains suited to club DJs who want their request code on posters and table stickers with a minimum tip on requests. GigTag's own tips work in every country, with 0% of them taken.
They are aimed at different nights, so most people need only one. A club DJ gets posters, stickers and tipped requests from Emsi. A live act gets a mic stand tag and a page for its gigs and bookings from GigTag. A performer who does both, a DJ set and a live set, could carry both and use each where it belongs.
- Step 1
Emsi in the club
For club DJ sets, use Emsi's code on posters and table stickers, with a minimum tip on requests if that is how you like to work.
- Step 2
GigTag at live gigs
For live sets, take the GigTag with you and put it on the mic stand. Fans request from your song list and see your dates.
- Step 3
Keep the two apart
Do not display both codes in one room. Each belongs to a different kind of night, and one clear code is easier for a crowd to follow.
Choose GigTag if
You are a live act that wants a single printed tag for the mic stand, with requests, gig dates and a booking form on the page behind it.
Start freeEmsi may still suit you if
You are a club DJ who wants a custom code on posters and table stickers, with a minimum tip on requests.
GigTag FreeYour page, your tag design, every gig and residency, a booking form. One act.
GigTag ProSong requests, tips, invoices, more than one act. AED 30, £11.99 or $15.99 a month.
GigTag Printed tagFrom AED 100 in the UAE, £24.99 in the UK or €28.99 in the EU, delivered free, with a large size for more; $32.99 elsewhere, plus postage from the UK. Or print your own, anywhere, for free.
Is GigTag better than Emsi for a live band?
For a band, yes, because it is designed for live acts. One tag on the mic stand opens a page where fans request from your song list, see your gigs and residencies, follow your links and send a booking enquiry with no commission. Emsi is designed for DJs and clubs, with posters and stickers for the venue.
What does GigTag offer performers that Emsi is not built for?
A page about the act and its future work. GigTag lists every gig and weekly residency, links to your socials, website and music, takes booking enquiries, and on Pro sends invoices that clients pay online. One account can hold several acts, and band members can join. Emsi is built for taking requests to a DJ in a club.
What is Emsi for DJs?
Emsi gives DJs and clubs a custom QR code for song requests. It comes with templates for posters and table stickers so the code can be displayed around a venue, and it lets the DJ or club set a minimum tip for a request. See its app store listing for current details of how it works.
Is GigTag an Emsi alternative for live musicians?
For live acts, yes. Emsi is aimed at DJs and clubs. GigTag is made for solo acts, duos and bands: one permanent QR code on a custom tag for the mic stand, opening a page where fans request songs, see gigs and residencies, follow your links and send a booking enquiry. Song requests are on the Pro plan.
Does GigTag take a share of tips?
No. GigTag takes 0% of tips. They are paid by card or Apple Pay into the performer's own account: Ziina in the UAE, or Stripe everywhere else. Tips, requests, gigs, residencies, links, enquiries and invoices are available everywhere. For Emsi's own terms, see its listing.
Does GigTag give me something to print, like Emsi's templates?
Yes. The free plan includes your custom tag design and a print file, so you can print the tag yourself at no cost. If you would like GigTag to print it, a tag is AED 100 in the UAE or £24.99 in the UK, with free delivery in Dubai and in the UK. Elsewhere we don't ship yet, so print your own for free or ask us first.
Can a DJ set a minimum tip with Emsi?
Yes. Emsi lets a DJ or club set a minimum tip for a request, so each request arrives with at least that tip. The level is the DJ's or the club's choice. For how tips are paid, see Emsi's app store listing. On GigTag, tipping and requesting are both on the page, and a request never needs a tip.
Does Emsi provide posters for the QR code?
It provides templates for posters and table stickers, so a DJ or club can print the request code in a consistent style and display it around the venue. GigTag takes a smaller approach suited to a stage: one custom tag for the mic stand, which GigTag can print and deliver or you can print from the file.
How do band members share a GigTag?
Band members can join the band on GigTag. The band has one page and one permanent code, and one tag on the front mic stand is enough for the whole group. On Pro, an account can also hold more than one act, which helps players who work in several line-ups.
Does GigTag build me a band website?
No. GigTag is not a website builder with a custom domain. It gives your act a page that opens when someone scans your tag, with requests, gigs, residencies, links and a booking enquiry form. If you already have a website, you can link to it from that page, alongside your socials and your music.
Apps like Emsi: more song request apps compared
- Enjoy the Clubvs GigTag
- HelloBandvs GigTag
- Lime DJvs GigTag
- NoSongRequestsvs GigTag
- Rekwestvs GigTag
- Requestinvs GigTag
Emsi is the name of its owner's product; GigTag is not connected with it. What is said about Emsi here comes from its own public store listing, checked on 7 October 2026. Products change: if something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
For musicians
One code on your stand. Requests, tips and the next gig behind it.
No app for your audience, nothing to download. Free to start.