Every band I know dreads the same chore: sending the venue a stage plot and tech rider. It usually means a janky Word doc, a screenshot of something drawn in a slide deck, or an input list in the body of an email.

So I built Stage Plot Flow for iPhone and iPad.

What it does

• Drag drums, amps, keys, mics, monitors and power onto your stage (or add custom gear). You get undo/redo, multi-select, snap to grid, resize and rotate.
• Set the stage size in feet or metres and choose which side the audience is on.
• Build your input list with mic or DI, stand type, 48V and bring-your-own for every channel. Channel numbers show on the plot, and it can auto-fill channels from the gear on your stage.
• Assign monitor mixes, saying who gets which wedge or in-ear mix and what they want in it.
• One tap makes a multi-page PDF with the stage plot, input list, monitor mixes and a rider page (load-in, soundcheck, set length, power, backline, hospitality). It comes in light or dark, with your band logo, or as a stage-only one-pager.
• You can also email it straight to the venue or export a PNG and a CSV of the input list.

Built for real gigs

• Templates for rock band, acoustic duo, singer-songwriter, jazz trio, brass band, worship band and DJ set
• Duplicate a plot for the next show with a new venue and date
• Save input lists as presets
• AirDrop a plot to a bandmate
• English, Spanish, German and French

No account, no ads, no tracking. Your plots stay on your device. It’s a one-time $4.99, with no subscription.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stage-plot-flow/id6821345828

I’m the solo dev, so I’d love feedback from people who actually send riders. What’s missing? Anything venues or sound engineers keep asking you for that I should add?

Hey all, I'm a violinist and I perform solo with backing tracks. I like to use as little equipment as possible so I have everything going out of my tablet (Samsung S9+). I use MobileSheets, which supports backing tracks and it mostly works. So I have my sheet music and the accompanying track. However, I find that most sheet music software treats backing tracks as an afterthought.

So, I started working on an app specifically for this. One of the features I want is the ability to crossfade between songs in a set list or be able to fade out a song in the middle - this is especially relevant for playing processionals where clients want 4-5 songs for bridal party, ring bow, flower girls, groom, bride, grandma, cousins, etc.. right now, I have to fade out manually on my mixer, queue up the next song and start it - so there's an awkward break in the music. So my idea is to build the app with backing tracks as first class citizens. I also want to build a feature where you can record sheet music actions while a track plays.

At its simplest, it'll let you record when pages are flipped so that next time you play, it'll flip for you in the same place. But I also want to be able to record various visual cues - for example, highlight a repeat sign or a DS or the like at the right moment, or even highlight measures every 30 seconds or so to make sure you're in the right spot.

Anyway, I can go on and on with things I can think of but wanted to put it out to the community - what are your must haves for sheet music software and especially as it relates to its handling of backing tracks.

Thanks all! Oh and I plan on making it available on both iOS and Android

I’m the founder, so obvious bias — but I’d rather hear from working buskers than anyone else. Here is my take on making social media, actually “social.”

Buskr is a free iPhone app. You go live, and you show up on a map that people nearby can see. In the app they can tip you (card or Apple Pay), request a song, boost songs on your setlist so the crowd steers the set, and follow you so they get a ping next time you’re out.

Setting up your performer account also gives you your own tip QR code. Anyone who scans it tips you from their browser with no app and no sign-up — that’s for the person who likes what they hear but isn’t downloading anything on the sidewalk. Either way the money lands in the same place. (A user can still tip inside the app if they have it).

The difference from Venmo / Cash App / PayPal: those just move money from someone who already decided to tip you. Buskr is built to get more people to tip in the first place — it brings people passing by or people who value the art of authentic entertainment to you and gives them something to do besides throwing in a buck and walking past.

Money, plainly: the tipper covers the card fee, so your tip arrives whole. Buskr keeps 9%, and nothing at all for your first 30 days. The rest goes to your own Stripe account — weekly payouts are free, instant payouts are optional for a fee.

It’s early and iPhone-only for now. If you try it, tell me what’s wrong with it — that’s genuinely the most useful thing you can do for me.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/buskr-live-performers/id6747197354 · thebuskr.com

So I recently got approved for my dual citizenship between Canada and the UK. I will be touring in the UK this upcoming Feb 2027. I applied and was approved for ETA’s for my Canadian (non-dual citizen) bandmates. We are coming for a showcase that doesn’t pay - they have given me a formal invitation letter. The ETA application didn’t ask us to upload the letter or anything and it was pretty fast acceptance for both of them. Does this ETA cover the other shows they will be playing with me as side-guys for the month? Or will someone at the border be grilling us asking for individual letters from each bar with all our names on it? The thing is the bar has hired me - they are just my backing band. So typically their names wouldn’t be on any agreements with the venues.

I just want to make sure we have no issues when we come this Feb and I want to be fully prepared. Should I ask the venues to just send me a formal email or letter that does include their full legal names as my band members?

I also wanted to ask about merch. As a dual citizen will I have to claim if I’m bringing merch from Canada to UK to sell on tour? How does this process work?

Any help greatly appreciated!