Upload your repertoire.
Piano players average 200–400 songs they can play by request. Paste the list into Encore, set prices ($5 standards, $10 deep cuts, $20 priority for the “our song” moment).
Built for the piano residency
A brandy snifter's worth of class. A QR's worth of revenue.
Piano bar tipping culture goes back a century. The QR just speeds it up. One scan, Apple Pay, $10 tip or $20 request for the wedding anniversary song. Fits on the piano without looking like a tip jar.
Piano bar flow, upgraded.
Print the piano-top card.
4×6 matte-laminated card on the piano top. Minimalist design — serif type on cream stock. Fits the aesthetic; nobody calls it a tip jar.
Play. Watch the queue.
Requests arrive in a hidden dashboard on your phone, visible only to you. Between songs, check what came in, play the one that fits next. Tips accrue silently in the background.
$60+/hr
average piano-bar tip rate with QR + Apple Pay
200–400
songs in a typical piano bar repertoire (requestable)
$20
priority-tier request for the anniversary couple
Features that fit the piano.
Repertoire-as-menu.
Your song list is what the audience can request from. 300 songs, per-song pricing, searchable on their phone. No yelled requests; they scroll the menu themselves.
Mono/minimal theme.
Pro tier unlocks a neutral theme — black serif on cream, no bright accents. Blends into any upscale room without screaming “TIP JAR”.
Tips + requests on one card.
A guest can tip $5 or request a $10 song with equal ease. Same QR, same page, same 10-second flow. No toggling between apps.
Priority tier for the bachelorette.
Priority at $20 bumps a song to next. Works beautifully for “please play our anniversary song NOW” moments. Hidden queue, capped price — classy, not auction-y.
Auto-refunds at set's end.
Paid requests you don't get to auto-refund within 24 hours. Guests aren't out money; you're not stuck dealing with refunds by hand.
Follower list for residencies.
Tuesday-night residency at a hotel lounge? Every guest who tips or requests gets the option to follow. Email them next month's schedule.
Common questions.
Does this feel right for an upscale piano bar?
Depends on the design. A plastic bucket on the piano is out. A small matte-laminated card with serif typography is in. The aesthetic choice matters more than the functionality choice; get the design right and it's invisible.
Can I handle a 400-song repertoire?
Yes. No soft limit on catalog size. The audience page uses search; guests type a song name and instantly see it in your list.
What if a guest requests something I don't know but is similar to something I do?
They can only request songs on your menu. Nothing outside your list can be requested. This prevents “do you know Fly Me to the Moon as a jazz waltz in 7/8” awkwardness.
How do I handle the regulars who tip in cash?
Keep the cash jar. Put the QR next to it. Most piano bars run both in parallel — older regulars use cash, younger and tourist crowds scan. The QR flow doesn't replace cash; it captures the audience that wouldn't have tipped otherwise.
Does this work for cruise ship piano lounges / hotel residencies?
Yes. Cruise and hotel crowds skew international, cash-averse, and QR-friendly. Hotel lounge pianists using Encore report 3–5× higher tips than cash-only peers.
The brandy snifter, 21st-century edition.
Free to start. Add your repertoire, print the card, play Tuesday.