Song request apps
RequestNow and GigTag: texting a number or scanning a tag
On stage you want requests without stopping the show to explain how. GigTag does that with a small printed tag on your mic stand: people scan it with their camera, your page opens, and they pick a song. No number to read out, no app. If you were considering RequestNow and its request line by text, here is why live acts lean towards GigTag.
- No app for your audience
- Free to start
- One code that never changes
Why GigTag
GigTag or RequestNow: the case for the tag
RequestNow is built around a phone number and the texts that follow the night. GigTag is built around a page: your songs, your next gig, your links and a booking form, opened by one scan and still there next week on the same code.
- 1
Nothing to announce
The tag does the talking. It sits on your mic stand, people see it from their tables, and one scan opens your page in the browser. You never break the set to read out a number. RequestNow's text line suits an MC or a DJ who is already on the microphone between songs.
- 2
Your next gig on every scan
Everyone who requests a song also sees where you play next and can add the date or your weekly residency to their calendar. They choose to follow you there and then. RequestNow's way of staying in touch is the text message sent after the night.
- 3
Enquiries while you are still playing
A wedding guest who wants you for their own wedding sends a booking enquiry from your page before the last dance. The form is on the free plan and GigTag takes no commission. On Pro you follow it with an invoice in your own design, which the couple pays online.
- 4
Works wherever you gig
GigTag works in every country for requests, gigs, residencies, links, enquiries, invoices and tips, with 0% of tips taken. Printed tags are delivered free in Dubai and the UK. RequestNow's local numbers are aimed mainly at the United States.
- 5
One code for years
The code on your tag is permanent. It is the same at every gig and survives a change of name, so anyone who scanned you at a wedding in spring can still find your next public date in autumn. Print it once and it carries on working.
In short
RequestNow and GigTag, in four lines
- RequestNow takes song requests by text message or QR code, aimed first at mobile DJs in the United States.
- GigTag needs no announcement: one scan of the tag on your mic stand opens your song list.
- The same page shows your next gig and takes booking enquiries, with no commission and invoices on Pro.
- Choose GigTag for live sets in any country, while RequestNow suits hosts who want to text guests afterwards.
Side by side
GigTag vs RequestNow, topic by topic
How guests ask
One silent scan, no announcement needed
Guests scan the tag on your mic stand. Your page opens in the browser, with no app and no account, and they choose a song.
RequestNowGuests text a song to a dedicated local number or scan a QR code. Its site says the system detects the song and artist automatically.
The song list
Your list on the page fans open
Your song list is on your page. Fans pick from it, or you open requests so they can ask for anything.
RequestNowSetList lets a musician keep a catalogue of songs. Guests who scan the code scroll through that list and send their choice.
Being tipped
0% taken from tips
Tips by card or Apple Pay go into your own Ziina account in the UAE, or your own Stripe account everywhere else, and GigTag takes 0%.
RequestNowIts site says performers can share payment links such as Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay or card, and confirmed tips appear in Live View.
After the event
Next gig and booking form stay visible
The page carries on: fans can come back to see your next gig, add a residency to their calendar or send a booking enquiry.
RequestNowA thank-you text with the performer's contact details can be sent to everyone who requested, and that list can be messaged again later.
Before the event
A permanent code that is always live
The code is permanent, so the page is there before, during and after any gig, with your listed gigs and residencies on it.
RequestNowIts site describes pre-event requests: guests submit the songs they want through a form before the event begins, ahead of the night itself.
The quick view
| GigTag | RequestNow | |
|---|---|---|
| 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% | – |
| 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 RequestNow, not that it is missing: see what RequestNow offers above, or ask on its site.
A RequestNow alternative
Where GigTag is different from RequestNow
A phone number or a printed tag
RequestNow gives you a number people can text, which suits an MC with a microphone who can read it out. GigTag gives you a small custom tag on the mic stand with one permanent QR code. Nobody has to hear an announcement: people at the nearest tables see it, scan it, and your page opens in the browser. You can have the tag printed and delivered, or print the file yourself for free.
Following up: a text or a page
RequestNow's follow-up is the text message: a thank-you at the end of the night and promotions later, sent to the people who requested. GigTag takes the other route. It puts the information on the page the fan has already opened: your next gig, your weekly residencies with a way to add them to a calendar, and your links. The fan chooses to follow you, and the code on your stand is the same next week.
Where the booking goes next
At a private event, the people most likely to hire you are in the room. RequestNow's thank-you text carries your contact details to them. With GigTag, a guest can send a booking enquiry from your page while you are still playing, on the free plan. On Pro, you can then raise an invoice in your own design, and the client pays it online. Enquiry and payment stay in one place.
A night with GigTag
A wedding band's evening reception
You are set up by seven with the tag on the lead singer's mic stand. The first dance is agreed, but the rest of the night belongs to the guests. They scan the tag from the dance floor or the tables, your page opens in the browser, and they pick from your song list. Requests gather in the live queue on the phone at the side of the stage. The bandleader checks it at the end of each song and calls the next one.
Weddings are where function bands find their next weddings. A guest who is engaged scans the same tag and sends a booking enquiry while the band is still playing. Another sees your next public gig on the page and adds it to their calendar, so they can bring friends. On Monday the enquiry is waiting on the website. You reply, agree the details, and with Pro send an invoice in your own design for the couple to pay online. The rest of the band have joined the act on GigTag as members.
About RequestNow
What is RequestNow?
RequestNow is a song request platform for DJs, karaoke hosts, musicians and bars. The performer gets a dedicated local phone number and a QR code. Guests text the number or scan the code, and nothing has to be installed. Its site says the system detects the song and artist in each message and tidies them into a feed called Live View. Around that it offers tip links, canned replies, text games, a photo wall and requests collected before the event.
On the night you watch Live View and reply to guests as requests come in. Musicians can use a feature called SetList: you keep a catalogue of the songs you play, and guests who scan the code scroll through it and choose. After the event, RequestNow can send a thank-you text with your contact details to everyone who requested, and you can message that list again about future dates.
- Where
- United States
- Website
- requestnow.io
How RequestNow works
- 1
Get a number and code. The performer receives a dedicated local phone number and a printable QR code. Its site says this keeps requests away from the performer's own personal phone number.
- 2
Guests text or scan. Guests text a song to the number or scan the code, with no app. The system works out the song and artist from each message and adds it to the feed.
- 3
Watch Live View. During the event the performer follows requests in Live View and can answer guests, using canned replies for speed. Confirmed tips also show there, according to its site.
- 4
Follow up afterwards. After the event a thank-you message with the performer's contact details can go to everyone who requested, and the same list can be messaged again about later events.
Who RequestNow is for
Mobile DJs at private events. Its site speaks first to mobile DJs working weddings, corporate events and parties. Guests can send requests before the event through a form, text or scan on the night, and receive a thank-you afterwards that carries the DJ's contact details for future bookings.
Bars and venues. Bar and venue owners are named too. A venue can take requests from customers, run raffles, trivia or other games by text, show a photo wall as a live slideshow, and message people later about promotions and upcoming nights.
Karaoke hosts and musicians. For karaoke DJs and live musicians its site describes SetList. The performer keeps a catalogue of songs, and guests who scan the code scroll through it and pick. Automatic replies can include details such as a social media handle.
The verdict
GigTag or RequestNow: which should you choose?
The bottom line
For a band or solo act, GigTag is the one to put on stage. Its strongest advantage is that a single quiet scan gives the audience your song list, your next date and a booking form, with nothing to announce and nothing to install. RequestNow is still a good choice for DJs and hosts in the United States who want requests by text and a list of guests to message afterwards, and the two can share a gig.
They can share a gig if you want both channels: the RequestNow number announced from the stage for requests by text, and a GigTag on the stand for people who want your dates, links and a booking form. Most live acts will not need two request routes, though. RequestNow is aimed mainly at the United States, so check with it if you play elsewhere.
- Step 1
Announce the number
If your crowd likes to text, read out the RequestNow number from the stage between songs and take the requests by message through Live View.
- Step 2
Leave the tag on the stand
Keep the GigTag on the mic stand for people who want your dates, links and booking form. It needs no announcement, only to be seen.
- Step 3
Agree where bookings go
Choose one route for enquiries. The form on your GigTag page keeps the enquiry and, on Pro, the invoice together, so you can find them later.
Choose GigTag if
You want a printed tag on your mic stand that opens a page with your song list, your next gigs and a booking form, with nothing to announce.
Start freeRequestNow may still suit you if
You want requests by text message to your own local number, and a way to text the crowd again after the night.
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.
Questions
RequestNow and GigTag: what people ask
Something else? Ask us. A person reads every message.
Is GigTag better than RequestNow for a wedding band?
For a band, GigTag fits the job closely. Guests scan the tag on the mic stand and choose from your song list, requests arrive in a live queue, and anyone planning their own wedding can send a booking enquiry from the same page. On Pro you then invoice the couple online. RequestNow is aimed first at mobile DJs.
Why choose a QR tag over a request line by text?
A tag asks less of you and of the audience. Nobody needs to hear an announcement or type a number: they scan with the camera and your page opens. That page also shows your gigs, residencies and links and takes booking enquiries. RequestNow's text line has its own strength, which is messaging guests again after the event.
How does RequestNow work?
The performer gets a dedicated local phone number and a QR code. Guests text a song to the number or scan the code, with no app to install. RequestNow's site says it detects the song and artist and lists requests in a Live View. Afterwards the performer can send a thank-you text to everyone who requested.
Does RequestNow work for live musicians as well as DJs?
Its site names musicians and karaoke hosts alongside DJs and bars. For musicians it describes SetList: you keep a catalogue of the songs you play, and guests who scan your QR code browse it and choose. GigTag works in a similar way for requests, with the act's own song list on the page fans open.
Can I use GigTag in the UK or the UAE instead of RequestNow?
Yes. GigTag works in every country for song requests, gigs, residencies, links, booking enquiries and invoices. Printed tags are delivered free in Dubai and in the UK, or you can print your own. Tips through GigTag work there too, into your own Ziina account in the UAE or your own Stripe account in the UK. RequestNow is aimed mainly at the United States, so ask it directly about other countries.
What happens to my GigTag code after the gig?
You keep it. Each act has one permanent QR code, printed on its tag, and it does not change from gig to gig. If you rename the act, old links still open the page. The fan who scanned you at a wedding can open the same page later to see your next gig or send an enquiry.
Can RequestNow collect song requests before the event?
Yes, according to its site. It describes pre-event requests, where guests submit songs through a form before the event begins. That fits a wedding or a school dance, where the organiser wants a say in advance. GigTag's code is permanent, so your song list, dates and booking form are on your page whenever someone scans.
Does RequestNow have a photo wall?
Its site describes a Photo Wall: guests send in photos, they show as a live slideshow during the event, and the performer receives an album afterwards. It sits alongside the request tools, text games and thank-you messages. GigTag keeps its page to the act itself: requests, gigs, residencies, links and a booking enquiry form.
Is a printed QR tag delivered free?
In Dubai and in the UK, yes: GigTag delivers the printed tag free. The tag costs AED 100 in the UAE and £24.99 in the UK. Anywhere you can also print your own at no cost, because the custom tag design and print file are part of the free plan.
How do I see song requests while I am playing?
With GigTag, requests arrive in a live queue. You can have it open on the website or in the GigTag phone app, on a device near you on stage. Fans send requests by scanning your tag and choosing from your song list. You look at the queue between songs and decide what comes next.
Looking for RequestNow itself?
This page is GigTag's. RequestNow's sign-in, prices, reviews and support are on its own site.
Apps like RequestNow: more song request apps compared
- Rockbotvs GigTag
- Tell the DJvs GigTag
- TouchTunesvs GigTag
- CrowdFuelvs GigTag
- DJ Intelligencevs GigTag
- djrequestsvs GigTag
RequestNow is the name of its owner's product; GigTag is not connected with it. What is said about RequestNow here comes from its own public website, 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.