LiveGig User Guide

LiveGig is a song request platform for live musicians. Your audience scans a QR code, browses your repertoire, and submits requests. You see them appear in real-time and manage your queue from your phone or tablet.

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Quick Start

Get up and running in five steps:

1. Create your account at livegig.app and verify your email
2. Create your band with a name and URL (e.g., the-wedding-crashers)
3. Add your songs individually or import via CSV
4. Start a show from your dashboard when you're ready to accept requests
5. Share your QR code so your audience can start requesting

Your audience visits livegig.app/the-wedding-crashers/request to browse songs and submit requests. You'll see them appear instantly in your queue.

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1. Getting Started

1.1 Creating Your Account

Visit livegig.app and click Sign Up. Enter your email address and choose a password (minimum 8 characters). You can optionally add your name.

After signing up, check your email for a verification link. Click the link to confirm your account and you'll be redirected to create your first band.

1.2 Creating Your First Band

When you first sign in, you'll be prompted to create a band. Enter:

• Band Name: Your band's display name (e.g., "The Wedding Crashers")
• Band URL: A unique identifier for your request page (e.g., the-wedding-crashers). This becomes part of your audience link: livegig.app/the-wedding-crashers/request
• Description (optional): A brief description of your band

Your band URL is permanent once created. Choose something memorable that's easy to type and share.

1.3 Your Dashboard

After creating your band, you'll land on your bands dashboard. This is your home base for managing everything. For each band, you'll see quick-access buttons:

• Queue: View and manage incoming requests during a show
• Songs: Add and organize your repertoire
• QR Code: Download a QR code linking to your request page
• Settings: Configure your band's preferences

If you have multiple bands, they'll all appear on this dashboard.

1.4 Team Management

LiveGig supports two roles:

• Band Owner: Full control over the band, including settings, members, and the ability to delete the band
• Band Member: Can manage songs, shows, and the queue, but cannot change band settings or manage other members

Currently, adding band members requires contacting support. Email support@livegig.app with the email address of the person you'd like to add and which band they should join.

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2. Building Your Repertoire

Your repertoire is the list of songs your audience can request. Building a comprehensive list helps your audience find songs they know and love.

2.1 Adding Songs

Navigate to Songs from your band's dashboard. Click Add Song to create a new entry.

Required fields:

• Title: The song name
• Artist: The original artist

Optional fields:

• Category: Group songs by genre, decade, or any system that works for you (e.g., "Rock", "Country", "80s Hits", "First Dance")
• Performance Notes: Private notes visible only to your band members. Use this for key changes, arrangement notes, or reminders (e.g., "Start with acoustic intro" or "Skip bridge live")

Performance notes are never shown to your audience.

2.2 Bulk Import via CSV

If you have a large repertoire, use CSV import to add many songs at once. Click Import CSV on the songs page.

CSV format:

Title,Artist,Category
Don't Stop Believin',Journey,80s Rock
Uptown Funk,Bruno Mars,Top 40
At Last,Etta James,First Dance

The first row should be headers. Category is optional - leave it blank or omit the column entirely if you don't use categories.

After selecting your file, you'll see a preview of the songs to be imported. Review the list, then confirm to add them all at once.

2.3 Managing Your Song List

Active vs Inactive Songs

Every song has an active/inactive toggle. Only active songs appear on your audience's request page. Use this to:

• Temporarily remove songs you're not currently performing
• Hide songs that aren't appropriate for certain venues
• Control your requestable repertoire without deleting songs

Inactive songs remain in your database and can be reactivated anytime.

Search and Filter

Use the search bar to quickly find songs by title, artist, or category. This is helpful both for managing your list and for quickly locating songs during a show.

New Song Badges

Recently added songs display a "New" badge on the audience request page. This highlights fresh additions to your repertoire. You can configure how long songs show this badge in your band settings (default: 14 days).

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3. Configuring Your Band

Access your band's settings by clicking Settings (gear icon) on the dashboard.

3.1 Basic Information

• Band Name: Update your band's display name
• Description: A brief description shown on your request page
• Location: Your general location (helps with discoverability)

3.2 Request Settings

These settings control how your audience interacts with the request system.

Cooldown Policy

Cooldowns prevent the same song from being requested repeatedly. Choose the policy that fits your style:

When a song is on cooldown, it appears grayed out on the audience's request page with a message indicating when it becomes available again.

Unlisted Requests

When enabled, your audience can request songs that aren't in your repertoire. They'll enter a song title manually instead of selecting from your list.

This is useful if you:

• Play a wide variety of songs and can't list them all
• Want to gauge interest in songs you might learn
• Are comfortable taking requests outside your usual set

Unlisted requests appear in your queue with the requested title. You can play them, decline them, or use them as feedback for what to add to your repertoire.

Request Instructions

Add custom instructions that appear at the top of your audience's request page. Use this to:

• Set expectations ("We'll do our best to get to your request!")
• Explain your process ("Requests are played in the order received")
• Add venue-specific notes ("Tonight we're focusing on dance music")
• Thank your audience

Maximum 1,000 characters.

3.3 Display Settings

New Song Threshold

Control how many days a song displays the "New" badge after being added. Default is 14 days. Set to 0 to disable new song badges entirely.

3.4 Tip Jar

Add a link to your payment platform (Venmo, PayPal, CashApp, etc.). When configured, a tip button appears on your audience's request page.

Enter the full URL to your payment page. The button will be visible to your audience when you have an active show.

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4. Before the Show

A little preparation ensures your show runs smoothly.

4.1 Preparing Your Song List

Before your show:

1. Review active songs: Make sure only the songs you want to perform tonight are active. Deactivate anything that doesn't fit the venue or event.

2. Check performance notes: Refresh your memory on any special arrangements or notes you've added.

3. Consider your cooldown setting: A wedding reception might warrant "end of show" cooldowns (one play per song), while a bar gig might be fine with shorter cooldowns or none at all.

4.2 Downloading Your QR Code

Your audience needs an easy way to find your request page. Click the QR Code button on your dashboard to download a high-resolution PNG image (512x512 pixels).

Print this QR code and display it where your audience can see it:

• Table tents
• Standing signs near the stage
• Handouts at the entrance
• Projected on a screen

When scanned, the QR code takes your audience directly to your request page at livegig.app/[your-band]/request.

4.3 Checking Settings

Before starting your show, verify:

• Your cooldown policy is appropriate for this event
• Your request instructions are up to date
• Your tip jar link is correct (if using)

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5. Running a Live Show

5.1 Starting a Show

From your dashboard, click Queue to open the queue interface. If no show is active, you'll see the option to start one.

Select a duration:

• Preset options: 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours
• Custom: Up to 8 hours

Name your show (optional): Give it a descriptive name like "Smith Wedding Reception" or "Friday at The Blue Note". If you skip this, it will be named automatically based on duration.

Once you start the show:

• Your audience can immediately begin submitting requests
• The queue interface becomes active
• A timer shows elapsed and remaining time

5.2 Queue Interfaces

LiveGig provides two ways to view your queue. Both show the same data and update in real-time.

Queue View (/bands/[your-band]/queue)

A traditional list interface. Good for detailed queue management when you're not on stage.

Now Playing (/bands/[your-band]/now-playing)

A large, stage-friendly display optimized for visibility from a distance. Text is larger and the interface is simplified for quick glances between songs.

Multiple Devices

Open the queue on multiple phones or tablets and they'll all stay in sync. This is useful for:

• Larger bands where multiple members need visibility
• Giving your sound engineer a view of upcoming songs
• Having a backup device in case one runs out of battery

Any action taken on one device (marking a song played, declining a request) appears instantly on all others.

5.3 Handling Requests

When requests come in, you have two options:

Mark as Played

Use this when you perform the requested song. The request is removed from your queue, and if you have cooldowns enabled, the song enters its cooldown period.

Decline

Use this when you can't or won't play the request. The request is removed from your queue, but no cooldown is triggered (the song can be requested again immediately).

Common reasons to decline:

• You don't know the song (for unlisted requests)
• It doesn't fit the current moment
• You've already played it and want to move on

Batch Actions

When multiple people request the same song, you can handle them all at once. The interface consolidates duplicate requests and offers batch "Mark All Played" or "Decline All" options.

5.4 Connection Status

In the bottom-right corner of the queue interface, you'll see a connection indicator:

If you notice requests aren't appearing, tap this button to sync. This can happen if your phone's screen was off for a while or your network connection was interrupted.

5.5 Queue Order

Requests appear in the order they're received (first in, first out). New requests always go to the end of the queue.

You're not required to play songs in queue order - it's a guide, not a rule. Skip around as the moment dictates, and mark songs played when you get to them.

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6. Ending a Show

6.1 Ending Early

If you finish before your scheduled end time, click End Show in the queue interface. This immediately closes the show and stops accepting new requests.

6.2 Automatic End

Shows automatically end at their scheduled time. You don't need to do anything - when time runs out, the show closes and requests stop.

6.3 After the Show

Once a show ends:

• Your audience sees a "no active show" message if they visit your request page
• All request data is preserved for analytics
• Any requests still in the queue remain in your history (they'll show as unplayed in analytics)

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7. Analytics & Insights

Access analytics from your band's dashboard to see how your shows are performing over time.

7.1 Overview

At the top of the analytics page, you'll see lifetime statistics:

• Total Shows: How many shows you've run
• Total Requests: All requests across all shows
• Unique Page Viewers: How many different people have visited your request page

7.2 Request Outcomes

• Acceptance Rate: Percentage of requests you played (vs. declined or left unplayed)
• Breakdown: Total counts for Played, Declined, and Still Queued requests
• Average Wait Time: How long requests typically waited before being played

7.3 Most Requested Songs

See which songs your audience requests most often. The list starts with your top 10 and can be expanded to show your top 50.

Use this to:

• Identify crowd favorites
• Decide which songs to keep polished
• Spot trends in what your audience wants

7.4 Engagement

• Tip Jar Clicks: If you have a tip jar configured, see how many times people clicked it
• Unique Page Viewers: Track how many people visited your request page

7.5 Show History

Scroll down to see statistics for individual shows:

• Date and time
• Show name and venue
• Total requests
• Requests per hour
• Top songs for that show

Use show history to compare performance across different venues or events.

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8. Managing Multiple Bands

8.1 Creating Additional Bands

If you play in multiple bands, you can manage them all from one account. Return to the onboarding page to create additional bands, each with its own:

• Song repertoire
• Settings
• Request URL
• Analytics

8.2 Switching Between Bands

Your bands dashboard shows all your bands. Click on any band's buttons to manage that specific band. Each band is completely independent.

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9. Troubleshooting

Getting Help

For issues not covered here, email support@livegig.app. Include:

• Your band name
• What you were trying to do
• What happened instead

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Appendix: URL Reference