requestdeck.com

What It Is

Request Deck is a QR-code song request and payment tool for live musicians. Musicians create an account, add a setlist, and print QR code table cards; audience members scan the code on their phones, choose a song from a personalized list, submit their request, and pay. The platform emphasizes that no app download is required for the audience, making it suitable for bars, restaurants, resident performers, and small live gigs.

Core Features and Payment Flow

Its core offering is not a general-purpose payment gateway, but a lightweight payment product built around “paid song requests.” According to the site, musicians can manually add songs or upload a CSV setlist, after which the system generates a QR code. Audience members scan the code to request a song and complete payment. Requests then appear in the dashboard, where the musician can decide when to play them, or accept/reject songs that are not appropriate. The platform also provides SMS and email notifications, along with dashboard data such as real-time earnings, request volume, popular songs, and recent requests.

Pricing and Fees

The pricing model is relatively clear: free to join, no subscription fee, no monthly fee, and no contract. The platform adds a $1 platform fee at checkout for each song request, while the musician keeps the rest. The site provides examples of potential extra nightly income from $5, $10, and $20 requests, but these are revenue estimates rather than guaranteed earnings. The underlying payment methods, payment processing fees, withdrawal fees, and tax handling are not disclosed.

Compliance, Settlement, and Risk Controls

The site states that “requests and payments appear in the dashboard in real time,” but it does not specify when funds can be withdrawn, bank settlement timelines, supported currencies, or covered countries/regions. It also does not disclose its payment provider, licensing status, KYC requirements, refund policy, chargeback handling, or anti-fraud arrangements. From a risk-control perspective, the only clear point is that musicians retain control over song selection and can reject unsuitable requests.

Pros, Cons, and Best-Fit Users

The advantages are simple deployment, scan-and-use convenience, and no subscription cost, helping turn live audience interaction into small-ticket revenue. The drawbacks are limited transparency around payments and compliance, as well as a highly vertical use case. It is better suited to live musicians in U.S. bars/restaurants, independent singers, and small bands, and less suitable for merchants that need multi-currency support, enterprise-level reconciliation, or complex payment integrations.

Access from China and Alternatives

The site does not state whether it is accessible from mainland China, so actual availability is unknown. For Chinese audiences or domestic venues, alternatives such as WeChat Pay, Alipay collection QR codes, mini-program-based song request payments, or combinations with Buy Me a Coffee, Ko-fi, PayPal.me, and Stripe Payment Links may better match local payment habits.