Free to start · A Squaresmile app

Every song. Every set. Everyone on the same list.

A setlist builder for bands, musical directors and the players who sub in five of them. Keep every song once, with its key, BPM, energy, notes, lighting cue and writers. Build the set on a timeline, give the crew one link, and prepare the royalty report from the same list.

Start free Unlock the full version – €29, once

Pay once. Updates included.plus VAT where applicable, added at checkout

9 rights societies Buy once, no subscription Free plan — no card, no time limit
SetlistForge on a laptop, a band’s main set in the timeline view: the energy and BPM arc with each song’s key above the rows, each row with its start time, title, BPM, key, Camelot badge and length. The fifth song is dragged by its handle up to second place; the start times below it and the arc follow at once.
SetlistForge on a laptop, a band’s main set in the timeline view: the energy and BPM arc with each song’s key above the rows, each row with its start time, title, BPM, key, Camelot badge and length. The fifth song is dragged by its handle up to second place; the start times below it and the arc follow at once.
SetlistForge in Show Mode on a phone: nothing but the set — big song titles with the band’s notes and lighting cues, key, Camelot badge, BPM and length, the first song on, and one large Next button at the bottom for a thumb or a foot pedal.
SetlistForge in Show Mode on a phone: nothing but the set — big song titles with the band’s notes and lighting cues, key, Camelot badge, BPM and length, the first song on, and one large Next button at the bottom for a thumb or a foot pedal.

Why I built it

Before a show there were always five or six setlists: the band’s, the one taped to the wedge, the light op’s with their own notes, the one in the tour manager’s email. Someone changes the order in the green room, and half of them are wrong. I wanted one list. Every song with everything I know about it, a set I can see on a timeline before we play it, and one link that every department reads.

How it works

Simple on the night. Powerful underneath.

  1. 01 The catalog

    Every song you play, written down once.

    Key, BPM, energy from 1 to 5, length, a stage note, the lighting cue, composer, lyricist and ISWC. Play in three bands or sub for five? They all live in one catalog: filter it by key, tempo or energy, search it by title or artist, and every setlist pulls from it.

    SetlistForge on a laptop, the Library tab: the energy filter is set to 4 and up and the song list narrows. A song opens for editing: title, performing artist, composer, lyricist and ISWC, then BPM, key, mode and duration, the energy level 1 to 5, the lighting cue “Full disco rig, mirror-ball + lasers” and the stage note “Extended outro jam ~30s.”
    SetlistForge on a laptop, the Library tab: the energy filter is set to 4 and up and the song list narrows. A song opens for editing: title, performing artist, composer, lyricist and ISWC, then BPM, key, mode and duration, the energy level 1 to 5, the lighting cue “Full disco rig, mirror-ball + lasers” and the stage note “Extended outro jam ~30s.”

    Entered once, used every gig

    • Key, BPM and energy
    • Stage note and lighting cue
    • Writers and ISWC
    • Paste a setlist from any document
    • Unlimited songs full

  2. 02 The timeline

    See the set before the room hears it.

    Every song gets its start time, the Energy Arc draws the shape of the night, and the keys run along the top. Type the slot length and the set tells you it is 7:43 over. You see where the energy sags, where a break fits, and where the key changes, so maybe three guitars on stage will do instead of five.

    SetlistForge on a laptop, a band’s main set in the timeline view: the Energy Arc and BPM line with each song’s key, then the songs with their start times. “50” is typed into Set length; the total runtime at the foot now reads 00:57:43 and “+07:43 over”.
    SetlistForge on a laptop, a band’s main set in the timeline view: the Energy Arc and BPM line with each song’s key, then the songs with their start times. “50” is typed into Set length; the total runtime at the foot now reads 00:57:43 and “+07:43 over”.

    Over by 7:43, before soundcheck

    • Start times and set subtotals
    • Energy Arc and BPM line
    • Camelot key badges
    • Breaks and slot length

  3. 03 The green room

    Change it in the green room. Everyone has it.

    Swap two songs, cut one. The band, the light op and the stage manager open the same link on their phones, with no account and no app, and the light op sees every lighting cue. Your change reaches the link a few seconds after you make it, and every phone that has the set open shows the new order by itself, with no reload. No more six printouts with six different sets of notes.

    The read-only setlist on a crew phone, opened from the link with no account: 13 songs, 57:43 playing time, each song with its key, BPM and the lighting cue after “LX”, Static Hearts second. The owner cuts Static Hearts from the set in the app; nobody touches the phone, and the open page swaps in the new set by itself: 12 songs, 53:55, Midnight Circuit now second, and a banner at the top, “The setlist was just updated.”, with a Reload button beside it.
    The read-only setlist on a crew phone, opened from the link with no account: 13 songs, 57:43 playing time, each song with its key, BPM and the lighting cue after “LX”, Static Hearts second. The owner cuts Static Hearts from the set in the app; nobody touches the phone, and the open page swaps in the new set by itself: 12 songs, 53:55, Midnight Circuit now second, and a banner at the top, “The setlist was just updated.”, with a Reload button beside it.

    One link for every department

    • No account for the crew full
    • Lighting cues for the light op full
    • Open phones update by themselves full
    • Writers and report fields never shared

  4. 04 On stage

    Big type, one button, a foot pedal.

    Show Mode locks the set, keeps the screen awake and shows each song with its note and lighting cue. Turn the page with a Bluetooth pedal or the keyboard. A change made on another device never jumps the set you are playing.

    SetlistForge in Show Mode on a phone: the set in big type, each song with its stage note, its lighting cue after “LX:”, the key with its Camelot badge and the BPM. Next is tapped and the highlight moves from Neon Rivers to Static Hearts to Midnight Circuit.
    SetlistForge in Show Mode on a phone: the set in big type, each song with its stage note, its lighting cue after “LX:”, the key with its Camelot badge and the BPM. Next is tapped and the highlight moves from Neon Rivers to Static Hearts to Midnight Circuit.

    Hands stay on the instrument

    • Show Mode full
    • Pedal and keyboard page turns full
    • Screen kept awake full
    • Stage PDF, one page per set

  5. 05 After the show

    The royalty report is already half done.

    The set you played is the performed-songs list, with writers, ISWC and length on every row. Tick your society and fill in the few fields it asks for. It is a preparation aid you check, then enter in the society’s portal yourself. For Buma/Stemra it fills in their own Excel sheet.

    The Royalties tab in SetlistForge on a laptop, with the note that it creates no official document and the list is a preparation aid. GEMA is ticked; PRS for Music is ticked as well. The page scrolls to the song list for the reports: event, date, venue and artist, then all 13 works with composer, lyricist, ISWC and duration.
    The Royalties tab in SetlistForge on a laptop, with the note that it creates no official document and the list is a preparation aid. GEMA is ticked; PRS for Music is ticked as well. The page scrolls to the song list for the reports: event, date, venue and artist, then all 13 works with composer, lyricist, ISWC and duration.

    From setlist to report

    • GEMA, PRS, ASCAP, BMI and more
    • Medleys split into their songs
    • A “reported?” mark per show
    • Every show saved with its date

full = in the full version. Everything else is on the free plan.

Everything in it

One list, every department.

The SetlistForge share dialog on a phone, “Read-only link for band and crew”: band and crew open the setlist without an account and can’t change anything; the link follows the set and open phones update by themselves. Stage notes unticked, lighting cues ticked, then the link with a Copy link button, a large QR code with “Bandmates can scan this with their phone camera to open the set.”, the note “Link created — send it to the band.” with the expiry date, Update link and Stop sharing.
The SetlistForge share dialog on a phone, “Read-only link for band and crew”: band and crew open the setlist without an account and can’t change anything; the link follows the set and open phones update by themselves. Stage notes unticked, lighting cues ticked, then the link with a Copy link button, a large QR code with “Bandmates can scan this with their phone camera to open the set.”, the note “Link created — send it to the band.” with the expiry date, Update link and Stop sharing.
  • A song library with key, BPM, energy, length, stage note, lighting cue, writers and ISWC
  • Filter by key, BPM range and energy; search by title or artist
  • Paste a setlist from any document (Word, Pages, Notes, an email): every line is checked before anything is saved
  • Import songs from a CSV; import and export the whole library
  • Drag-and-drop setlists with set breaks, subtotals and the total runtime
  • Start times on the timeline and a slot length that shows over or under
  • Camelot key badges and the Energy Arc
  • Show Mode with page turns from a Bluetooth pedal (full version)
  • A stage PDF with one page per set; your logo and your own layout and columns in the full version
  • A read-only link for band and crew with lighting cues and stage notes; open phones update by themselves (full version)
  • Royalty report prep for 9 societies; Buma/Stemra’s own sheet filled in
  • Every show saved with its date, upcoming and past
  • Backed up to your account and merged across your devices (full version)
  • Set lengths feed the schedule in RiderSmith
  • 11 interface languages

For working bands and cover bands, musical directors, session players and subs, songwriters who are society members, and the crew who need the running order.

Royalties

The gig is over. The report isn't done yet.

If you wrote the songs and you belong to a collecting society, a show you never report can be money that never reaches you, and the paperwork is why it gets skipped. SetlistForge already knows what you played and for how long, so it prepares the report: a list with the fields your society asks for, and for Buma/Stemra their own Excel sheet, filled in.

GEMA
Germany

Musikfolge — the performed-songs list, with composer, lyricist and ISWC
SUISA
Switzerland

Tariff K: revenue or costs, event details, PDF language
AKM
Austria

Program report — a PDF plus a copy-ready list for the service portal
ASCAP
USA

ASCAP OnStage, with performance time and a copy-ready list
BMI
USA

BMI Live, with venue phone and a copy-ready list
PRS for Music
UK

Member number, venue postcode (or the country abroad), a copy-ready list
SABAM
Belgium

Ticket revenue or performer pay, PDF language
SOCAN
Canada

Promoter phone, PDF language, a copy-ready list
Buma/Stemra
Netherlands

Their own opgave live Excel sheet, filled in — you upload it

These are preparation aids, not filings. For 8 societies SetlistForge produces a formatted PDF of the performed songs — composer, lyricist and ISWC on every row, each part of a medley on its own — plus the fields that society asks for, and for the portal societies a copy-ready list to paste field by field. It is not an official form: you enter the details in their portal or form yourself. For Buma/Stemra it fills in Buma's own published Excel sheet, which you upload in MijnBumaStemra. Nothing is sent to any society, and no society has endorsed SetlistForge. Songs missing required fields are flagged before you export, with an "export anyway" override that marks the gaps — and a "reported?" mark per show keeps track of what is done.

Pays for itself

How many gigs until it’s paid back?

Put in your own numbers: the time that goes into writing the set out again, sending versions around and typing the royalty report by hand.

Per gig: the band’s copy, the wedge copy, the light op, the stage manager, the late change.
Per gig: titles, writers and lengths into the society’s portal. Zero if you don’t report.
Your fee, or what you’d rather be doing.
The sheets band and crew no longer need once they read the link. Keep the wedge copy if you like it.

Paid back after 5 gigs

Time saved per gig
15 min
Worth per gig
€6.25
Time saved per year
10 h
Worth per year
€250
Paper saved per year
240 sheets · 1.2 kg

Your numbers, not a promise. The full version is €29 once, plus VAT where applicable. The free plan costs nothing.

Free plan

  • Up to 30 songs and 2 saved setlists
  • Timing, set subtotals, breaks, the timeline, Camelot badges and the Energy Arc
  • The stage PDF and print, with a small “Made with SetlistForge” line
  • One society report
  • Your library stays on this device — save a backup file any time

Full version — €29 once

plus VAT where applicable, added at checkout
  • Unlimited songs and setlists
  • Show Mode with pedal page turns
  • The read-only set link for band and crew
  • PDFs without the line, with your logo and your own layout and columns
  • Reports for every show, to every society
  • Account backup that merges your devices

Pricing

€29 one-time · via Gumroad
plus VAT where applicable, added at checkout

Bought once — no subscription. Your license unlocks SetlistForge on your Squaresmile account, alongside every free tool the platform ships.

Free: 30 songs, 2 setlists and one society report.
Full version: unlimited songs, Show Mode with pedal, the band and crew link, reports for every show and the account backup.

Unlock the full version – €29, once I have a key

Pay once. Updates included.

Also in the Advance Pack with Stage Plot Generator, RiderSmith and PatchSmith — €89 for all four. plus VAT where applicable, added at checkout

FAQ

Quick answers.

Does SetlistForge file my GEMA report automatically?

No — and be wary of anything that claims to. SetlistForge prepares the performed-songs list and the fields the society asks for, formatted for you to check and enter in the society's own portal. It files nothing and sends nothing to any society.

Why not just use the GEMA portal?

You still do: the GEMA portal is where the report is filed, and you can build the list of works there too. SetlistForge starts from the setlist you already built for the stage and its timing, and prepares the report in the society's format from it — no second list to type. You submit it in the portal yourself.

Which performance-rights societies are supported?

Nine: GEMA (Germany), SUISA (Switzerland), AKM (Austria), ASCAP (USA), BMI (USA), PRS for Music (UK), SABAM (Belgium), SOCAN (Canada) and Buma/Stemra (Netherlands). Every report lists composer, lyricist and ISWC and carries the territory's own fields, in the society's language with regional variants (de-CH, fr-CH, it-CH, nl-BE, fr-BE, en-CA, fr-CA).

Does it fill in the society's own form?

Only for Buma/Stemra: SetlistForge fills in Buma's own published "opgave live" Excel sheet, which you check and upload in MijnBumaStemra. For the other societies it prepares a PDF and, for the portal societies, a copy-ready list — you enter the details in their portal or form yourself.

Will I get paid for the songs I report?

Only for songs you wrote, as a member of the society: performance royalties go to the writers and publishers of the songs played. Playing covers? The report credits the original writers, and the money goes to them.

What about medleys?

Mark a song as a medley and list its parts: every report then gives each part its own row, so every writer in the medley is credited.

Can I turn pages with a foot pedal?

Yes, with the full version. Show Mode runs full screen and listens to the keys a Bluetooth page-turner pedal sends — Page Down and Page Up, the arrow keys and the space bar — so you move through the set without touching the screen.

Can the whole band and crew use it?

Licenses are per account, so it is your library on your login. With the full version, bandmates and crew get a read-only link to a setlist and open it in their browser without an account or a license of their own. Change the set and the link follows: the address stays the same, and every phone that has it open shows the new version by itself within seconds. Lighting cues go along unless you untick them, stage notes if you tick them; writers and everything in the royalty reports never do. The printed stage sheet works too.

What happens with two devices, or a shared computer?

On the free plan your library stays on the device you use (you can save a backup file any time). With the full version, your library is backed up to your account automatically while you are signed in. A new device loads your library before it saves anything, and edits from two devices are merged song by song and setlist by setlist. The data in a browser belongs to the account that made it: if someone else signs in on a shared computer, your library is neither shown to them nor copied into their account. Logos and audio files stay on the device. To keep the library on one device only, switch the backup off in its settings — that also deletes the copy in your account.

Does it show chord charts or lyrics on stage?

No. SetlistForge is the production side of the gig — timing, print and paperwork. Pair it with your chart or teleprompter app of choice.

Does it work on an iPad?

Yes — it is a browser app, so there is no App Store and no install. It is built for tablet and laptop screens, and it works on phones too with a layout adapted to small screens.

Can I try it before paying?

Yes — start on the free plan: the real app, with no time limit. It holds up to 30 songs and 2 saved setlists and includes one society report; timing, set subtotals, breaks, the timeline, Camelot badges, the Energy Arc and the stage PDF (with a small "Made with SetlistForge" line) are all there, and your library stays on your device. The full version (€29 once) removes the limits and adds Show Mode with pedal page turns, the read-only band link, PDFs with your logo and your own layout and columns, reports for every show and the account backup across your devices.

Is SetlistForge a subscription?

No. One purchase through Gumroad, claimed to your Squaresmile account and yours to keep.

Ready when you are

One list. Up to date with everyone.

Start on the free plan with a free Squaresmile account, unlock the full version once when you need it, and stop writing six setlists for one show.

Start free Unlock the full version – €29, once I have a key
plus VAT where applicable, added at checkout

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