Get Paid for Song Requests
Set the price, keep control of the set, and capture payment only when you accept.
DJ Request turns a guest's QR-code song request into an organized, optional paid workflow. Guests can submit from their phone, while you decide what belongs in the queue before any authorized payment is captured.
How paid DJ song requests work
The payment step does not take away your editorial control. It gives guests a clear way to request or add priority while preserving your decision about what gets played.
- 1
Set the event price
Choose the base amount guests see before they submit. Use a price that fits the event and the value of priority access to your queue.
- 2
Share one QR code
Guests scan your poster or open the event link on their phone. They can search for a song without downloading a guest app.
- 3
Review the request
The song, guest note, payment status, and optional boost arrive in your dashboard. You keep accept-or-decline control.
- 4
Capture only on acceptance
Accepting captures an authorized paid request. Declining releases the hold, so guests are not charged for a song you reject.
Approval is the charge decision
- Accept a paid request only when you intend to play it. That is when Stripe captures the authorization.
- Decline anything that fails the event, the library, or the timeline. Declining does not keep the guest's money.
- A boost or tip is optional on eligible checkouts and does not carry the DJ Request app fee.
Full first-event setup, including Stripe connect, is in the How to use DJ Request guide.
What the DJ controls
Request price
Set the event's base price and change it for future requests as your event needs change.
Queue decisions
Review, accept, or decline each request without promising that every paid submission will be played.
Optional boosts
Let interested guests add an optional tip or priority boost without applying the app fee to that extra amount.
Payment timing
Use authorization first, then capture only after you approve the song in the dashboard.
Understand the fees before the event
DJ Request charges a 15% app fee on the base amount of each accepted paid request. The app fee does not apply to tips or boosts. Stripe's processing fee applies separately to the payment total.
Payout availability is controlled by Stripe and can vary by connected account, country, verification status, and payout schedule. DJ Request does not promise instant bank deposits.
- 15% app fee: accepted base request amount only
- No DJ Request app fee on tips or boosts
- Stripe processing: charged separately
- Declined or free requests: no captured-payment fee
Plan eligibility for free and paid requests
Whether a guest pays depends on your plan and the event setting, not on a per-request toggle. Here is the rule set the dashboard enforces.
Who pays, and what it costs
- The Standard subscription is free. On Standard, guest song requests are paid (minimum $1). On Pro Pass and Max Pass, you can set requests to free or paid per event.
- During the 30-day trial for new accounts, every guest request is free. After the trial, Standard needs Stripe payouts to be ready before requests can be switched on. Pro Pass and Max Pass can use a $0 request price; paid requests always need Stripe payouts to be ready.
- Guest payments are authorized when the request is submitted and captured only when the DJ accepts. Declining releases the hold.
- DJ Request charges a 15% app fee on the accepted base request amount. Tips and boosts have no DJ Request app fee. Stripe processing fees and payout timing are separate.
- Guests can add an optional boost of $2, $5, $10, $20 at checkout to move their request up the DJ's queue. Boosts are optional and never required to submit.
Current plan details are always on the pricing page.
Practical paid-request pricing
Treat pricing as an event decision, not a guaranteed revenue formula. A lower price can encourage participation at a casual bar night; a higher price may fit premium priority at a club or private event. Tell guests that payment is for submitting an accepted request—not a guarantee about the exact play time—and keep a free option when the event calls for it.
Start simple
Use one clear base price so guests understand the offer.
Set expectations
Explain that the DJ keeps final say over fit, timing, and explicit content.
Review results
Compare accepted requests, tips, and crowd response after each event.
Paid song request FAQ
- How do paid song requests work for DJs?
- A guest opens the DJ's request page from a QR code, chooses a song, and authorizes payment. The DJ still decides whether the song fits. Payment is captured only when the DJ accepts; declining releases the authorization.
- Can a DJ set the price for song requests?
- Yes. DJs set the base request price for an event, and eligible plans can also allow free requests. Tips and boosts are optional additions only when the guest completes an eligible paid-request checkout.
- What fees apply to an accepted paid request?
- DJ Request charges a 15% app fee on the accepted request's base amount only. DJ Request does not charge its app fee on tips or boosts. Stripe processing fees also apply to the payment total.
- When does the DJ receive the money?
- An accepted request is captured in the DJ's connected Stripe account. Bank payout timing depends on Stripe's schedule, the connected account's status, and any applicable review or reserve requirements.