People used to write requests on pieces of paper and send them over, and plenty of people felt too nervous to shout one out amongst everybody. These days there's a QR code by my mic, and if you're thinking of doing the same at your gigs, here's how it works and what it's changed for me.
Why requests matter so much
Requests are a big part of how my gigs go. Roaming around with the acoustic guitar, chatting with people and playing requests from table to table is one of my favourite kinds of gig, and at The Eight Bells in Ewell people turn up armed with requests before I've even finished setting up. They also spread through a room. I played a corporate event once where I unplugged from the speakers and moved around the room taking requests, and when one person saw that someone else had made a request and got their song sung for them, they wanted to be in on that too.
What the QR code changed
I've streamlined all of this by creating a QR code system with all the songs I sing listed. When people scan the QR code they can send requests directly to me, and they come up on my phone as I'm performing. People don't feel so nervous about shouting out amongst everybody when they have a request. I've actually found I've got so many requests at the end of a gig that I can't even get through them all.
The same idea is built into fave.rocks, the site I've been building, so any artist can have it at their own gigs. When someone scans your code on a gig night, the page tells them where you're playing, taken straight from your calendar. They tap Request a song, search your song list, and pick one. If what they want isn't on the list they can ask anyway and take their chances, and they can add a first name if they'd like a shoutout.
On your side, the request lands on a screen you keep open on your phone by the mic stand. It refreshes itself while you play, and each request has two buttons, Played and Skip, so when you've done one you tap it and it drops down the list.
Not every request gets played straight away
Having a list doesn't mean you play everything the second it arrives, and it shouldn't. I'll often get requests for Mr Brightside at the beginning of the night and I have to politely decline. I make a joke about it and tell them it's a second-half song, because it's completely wasted in the very first set. And when you ask for requests, someone will joke by asking for Far Away, in which case it's worth having a few prepared lines. Saying "I'm sorry, I don't know that one" politely, with a smile on your face, as though it's gone completely over your head, hopefully puts the joke back on them.
The difference with the phone is that the request waits on the screen until the moment's right.
Tips, by card
People have often said they'd like to support me and asked for different ways to do that. The nicest way I found was a GoFundMe page that allows people to bring a little bit of money over to buy me a drink at a gig. On fave.rocks that idea is built into the same QR code.
After someone sends a request, they're asked if they'd like to leave a tip. The tip is put in terms of drinks rather than a bare sum of money: buy the musician a pint (or whichever drink you pick), one for the road as well, enough to sort their night out, or any amount they like. They pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay or a card, so nobody needs cash on them. You can set what a drink costs where you play, and if you leave it blank the site estimates it for your area.
Card tips switch on after a quick check that the page is really yours, and then it takes about five minutes with Stripe, who handle the payments. You give them your name, your date of birth and the bank account you want the tips to land in. If an artist earns nothing through fave.rocks, fave.rocks earns nothing from them. When a tip comes in, fave.rocks keeps 5% of it, and Stripe's card fee comes off before it's paid out to you. Requests cost nothing, and neither does the page.
Getting set up
Once you've made a free artist page, your dashboard gives you the QR code and an A4 sign with your photo on it, ready to print. If you'd rather not print anything, you can show the code on a phone or an iPad and prop it up where people can reach it with their own phones. Mine goes by the mic, and the dashboard's advice is a good one: put it where people can see it and mention it out loud once a set.
You don't need a song list to start. It still works without one, because people can ask for anything and you decide what you play. When you've got a minute, paste your set into the repertoire section and people can search it.
There are actually three codes on the dashboard, and each does a different job. One takes requests and tips. One takes tips only, for the nights you're playing a set list and don't want requests. The third goes on posters and opens your page, where people can fave you and see where you're playing next.
If you want a feel for what people actually ask for, I wrote about the most requested songs at my gigs, and if the code has you thinking about getting more gigs to put it on, start with how I actually get pub gigs.