Karaoke Queue App — Run the Singer List from the Bar

Run the karaoke rotation from your phone — no paper slips

The singer list is the heart of karaoke night, and it should not live on a napkin. Add singers to a live rotation from your phone, hand each one a private link showing exactly where they are in line, and keep the mic moving all night. The walk-in queue is free — no signup, no per-singer fees.

Try the free app →No signup. Works offline.

Why the singer list breaks down on paper

Anyone who has KJ'd a busy Friday night knows the moment the system falls apart: a stack of crumpled slips, a singer who swears they signed up an hour ago, and a whiteboard that hasn't been updated since the third song. Paper is passive — it can't tell a singer they're up next, it can't reorder itself when someone steps out for air, and it definitely can't survive a spilled drink.

The moment you move the rotation to a live digital list, three things happen immediately. First, singers stop hovering near the stage because they can check their position from their seat. Second, you stop fielding the constant "how many more until me?" questions that break your concentration mid-song. Third, reordering the list — when a singer misses their turn or you want to balance the pace — takes a single drag-and-drop instead of a full whiteboard erasure.

What "live rotation" actually means in practice

When you add a singer to the queue, they receive a private status link — a short URL they can open on any phone browser without downloading an app. That link shows their name, their song, and a live position count that updates automatically as the night progresses. When the singer two spots ahead of them finishes, the number ticks down on its own. No refreshing required.

From the KJ side, the host dashboard gives you a single scrollable list of everyone waiting. You can see the song each person requested, move singers up or down, mark a turn complete with one tap, or temporarily park someone who stepped outside. The list reorders in real time for everyone watching — the singer sitting at the bar sees the same updated queue as you do backstage.

The mic keeps moving

Dead air between singers is the enemy of karaoke energy. When singers know exactly when they're up, they're already at the stage or walking toward it before you call their name. That transition tightens from a minute or more of awkward silence to a smooth handoff. Over a four-hour night with dozens of singers, those saved seconds add up to noticeably more songs performed — and a crowd that stays engaged rather than drifting to the bar and forgetting to come back.

The free walk-in queue handles the core rotation with no account required and no per-singer charges. If you need additional features — multiple simultaneous queues for a two-room night, display output for the venue TV, or saved guest history across events — those are available on paid tiers. But for a single-room karaoke night with one mic, the free version is fully functional from the moment you open it.

What you need to get started

One phone or tablet for the host dashboard — that's the only device you need to manage.
A way to share the status link with singers — show it as a QR code on a small sign at the stage, text it directly, or read the short URL aloud.
Nothing else. No dedicated hardware, no software installation, no account creation for singers.

The system is deliberately low-friction because karaoke nights move fast and you don't have time to troubleshoot technology between songs. Open the dashboard, start adding names, and the rotation is live.

The karaoke-specific problems we solve

No more lost slips. Add each singer to a live list from your phone the moment they hand you a song. Nothing gets buried under empty pint glasses.
Everyone sees their spot. Each singer gets a private link to their place in the rotation and an estimated wait, so nobody crowds the KJ asking "am I next?"
Drag to reorder. Bump a regular up, slide a no-show down, or balance the rotation so the same three people don't sing back to back. Reorder the list with a tap.
Self-add by QR. Drop a QR code on the tables and singers add themselves with their name and song — the list fills itself while you run the booth.
Multiple rooms or rotations. Running two rooms, or a singers list plus a duets list? Keep several lines going at once and switch between them instantly.
Your KJ and bar staff stay in sync. Everyone on the team sees the same rotation update in real time, so the bartender knows who's up without shouting over the speakers.

How it's different from a paper singer slip, a whiteboard, or a KJ laptop rotation

A stack of paper slips is fast to lose and impossible for singers to see — they have to keep asking how long. A whiteboard is public but you're constantly erasing and rewriting to reorder, and it doesn't tell anyone their wait. A KJ laptop rotation lives on one screen behind the booth, so only you can see it and the rest of the team is guessing.

This runs from the phone already in your pocket. The rotation is live, singers watch their own spot on their own phones, and reordering is a drag instead of an eraser. Your whole crew sees the same list at once.

And it keeps working when the venue Wi-Fi drops mid-set. The app is a PWA that runs offline on your phone, so a dead connection never freezes the rotation.

Common setups

Weekly bar karaoke with a KJ

The KJ takes song requests and drops each singer into the live rotation, reordering to keep the night flowing. Singers scan a QR at the bar to see their spot and estimated wait, so the booth stops fielding "how many until me?"

Two-room or private-party nights

Run a separate rotation for each room or booked party. Switch between lines in a tap, and let each group self-add from its own QR without the lists ever colliding.

Open-mic and community singalongs

Post a self-add link so performers queue themselves before they even reach the stage. You just reorder for balance and pacing while the list manages itself.

Free vs paid — what you get

The whole singer rotation is free: adding singers, private links to each spot, self-add by QR, reordering, multiple lines, real-time team sync, a TV display board, per-person notes, and offline mode. You can also text singers yourself from your own phone at no cost. The only thing on a paid plan is managed, automated texting — where the app sends "you're up next" SMS or WhatsApp messages for you from a business number instead of you tapping them out.

Karaoke queue FAQ

Is it really free?

Yes — the singer rotation is genuinely free, with no signup and no per-singer charge. Adding singers, private links, self-add, reordering, multiple lines, the TV board, and offline mode all cost nothing. Only managed, automated texting (the app sending messages for you from a business number) is on a paid plan.

Do singers need to download anything?

No. Each singer opens a private link in their normal phone browser to see their spot and wait. There's no app to install and no account to create for them.

Does it work without Wi-Fi?

Yes. The app is a PWA that keeps running offline on your phone, so if the venue connection drops you can still add singers and reorder the rotation without missing a beat.

Can singers add themselves?

Yes. Print or display a QR code and singers add their name and song themselves. The rotation fills up while you stay focused on running the booth.

Can I show the rotation on the venue TV?

Yes. There's a public TV display board you can put on any screen so the whole room sees who's up next and who's on deck.

Try it at your next karaoke night

Getting started takes less time than writing out a paper list. Before your first singer steps up to the mic, you can have a live rotation running, a public link ready to share, and your phone set as the control panel — all without creating an account or handing over a credit card.

Your first night in three steps

Open the app and create a queue. Give your rotation a name — something like "Friday Night Karaoke at The Rusty Anchor" — and your queue is live. This takes under a minute.
Share the join link or QR code. Display it on the bar TV, print it on a table card, or simply tell singers to ask you to add them. The link works in any mobile browser with no download required.
Call singers and manage the list from your phone. Mark singers as current, move them up if they're ready early, or bump someone to the back if they've stepped outside. Every change updates instantly for anyone watching the public view.

What to expect on a busy night

Once the room heats up and you have twenty or thirty singers in the queue, you'll notice the real difference. On a paper list, crossed-out names and margin notes make the rotation hard to read at a glance. With a digital queue, the list stays clean no matter how many changes you make. Singers who wander over to ask "how many more until me?" can check the public link themselves, which means fewer interruptions during your busiest moments.

If you're running back-to-back sets — a full rotation, then a second pass for everyone who wants another song — the app handles that naturally. When the first singer reaches the bottom of the queue, you can loop them back to the top in seconds rather than rewriting the whole list.

Tips for a smooth first run

Post the QR code somewhere visible early. Stick it near the song binder or on the bar top so curious guests can scan it before they've even decided to sing. Familiarity with the system reduces questions mid-show.
Keep the TV view open on a secondary device. A cheap tablet or a spare phone connected to the venue screen gives singers a passive, always-on view of the rotation without tying up your main control device.
Add a note field for song titles. Entering the song name alongside the singer's name means you can call the next person and cue up their track simultaneously — no back-and-forth conversation needed.
Test offline mode before the night starts. If your venue has unreliable Wi-Fi, open the app while you still have a signal so it caches locally. From there, you can manage the queue even if the connection drops, and changes sync automatically when you're back online.

After the night is over

One underrated benefit: you have a record of who sang and in what order. If a regular asks whether they got two songs last week, or a venue owner wants to know how many unique singers came through, that history is already there. It's a small thing on any single night, but over a season of weekly shows it becomes a genuinely useful record of how your karaoke program is growing.