Trusted by musicians across Australia Trusted by musicians across AustraliaBuilt by a working musician, for working musicians. ShowTime handles the tech so you can focus on the music.
The master device is the conductor. Change songs, start the backing track, trigger the slideshow or visualiser — everything fires simultaneously across every connected device. Each musician turns their own pages independently with realistic page-curl animations, foot pedal, or swipe. The band just follows. No lag, no confusion.
Transpose any chart up or down with one tap — the new key persists per song. Or set an instrument mode across the whole setlist, so Eb, Bb, F and G players always read their own key automatically.
Eb · Bb · F · G setlist transpose
Link videos or still images to any song — with cinematic transitions, Ken Burns zoom, and fade effects. Or let the built-in visualiser set the mood, pulsing and throbbing to the beat of the music in real time. This area is expanding significantly in the coming years.
Run open mic nights with ease. Manage guest performers, track the running order, and provide backing charts to walk-up artists — all from the same system your band already uses.
Just four buttons — up, down, left, right — that adapt to whatever's on screen.
In a list like your playlists or search results, up and down move through it, right opens the selected song or playlist, and left steps back out.
On the menu bar, left and right move across the toolbar buttons while up or down run the one you've landed on — so up and down turn the page by default (next and previous), and on the transpose control they shift the key up or down.
And Home is smart: tap down to jump straight back to where you were in the list, or up to start a fresh search — the box clears and the on-screen keyboard appears, ready to type.
Works with any Bluetooth foot pedal or keyboard, so your hands stay on the instrument and your eyes stay on the stage.
Add personal notes, cues, and reminders right where they're needed — pinned to specific parts of a song, with instrument-specific colour coding. Go further and drop in music notation, from a few bars to nail an exact riff all the way to full-page sheet music. And like everything in ShowTime, the notation transposes with you — notes and key signature shift to match. Drag any annotation anywhere and it stays put.
Musicians join with a single QR code scan — no app install, no account. Every chart is instantly available on their device, in their key, synced to the master in real time.
Send colour-coded alerts to your sound engineer, lighting tech, or stage manager mid-show. They acknowledge with one tap — you see it confirmed instantly. No shouting across the stage.
HTML chord charts, PDF fakebook pages, and MusicXML sheet music all in one song. Switch between arrangements in one tap — jazz chart, simplified chart, or the full score.
Attach useful links to any song — YouTube tutorials, Spotify reference tracks, chord diagrams, backing track sites. Band members tap through to practice material straight from the chart screen, before and after the gig.
Attach audio files directly to a song. When the show starts, ShowTime automatically routes the backing track to whichever device is nearest the mixing desk — no cables, no fuss. The sound engineer confirms their device as the audio output with one tap.
Interactive Circle of Fifths popup for quick key reference, chord relationships, and transposition guidance — right there on your performance screen when you need it.
Paste from Word, import RTF files, link PDF fakebook pages, or type directly. Your existing chord charts work perfectly — 3,000+ song libraries are no problem.
Organise songs into playlists for each gig. Drag to reorder on the night. Add pre-show images and intermission slides to each playlist.
ShowTime runs on your laptop or Raspberry Pi. Band members connect via their phone or tablet browser — no app install, no accounts. You control, they follow.
Navigate with 4 buttons — foot pedal, keyboard, or touch. The roadie runs the projector from their phone. Everyone stays in sync. Focus on the music.
Go fully offline with your own gear, or let the cloud handle your library — your choice.
At the gig, a Cloud account still runs on your local Wi-Fi like Standalone for the band's screens — the cloud just holds your library & billing.
Start free, upgrade when you're ready. Every licence is perpetual — buy once and the app is yours to keep. The price covers your free-update window (1 year on Band 4 & 8, 3 years on Band 12 · Pro); after that it keeps working on your current version and you can renew updates anytime.
| Band 2 up to 2 players Free | Band 4 up to 4 players $99/yr | Band 6 up to 6 players $124/yr | Band 8 up to 8 players $149/yr | Band 12 · Pro up to 12 players $249 / 3 yrs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song Library | |||||
| SongsMaximum number of songs in your library | 25 | ✓ Unlimited |
✓ Unlimited |
✓ Unlimited |
✓ Unlimited |
| Playlists / Setlists | 3 | ✓ Unlimited |
✓ Unlimited |
✓ Unlimited |
✓ Unlimited |
| PDF Fakebook PagesAttach PDF chart images to any song | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| MusicXML Sheet MusicFull notation via OpenSheetMusicDisplay | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Performance | |||||
| Instant TransposeAny key, one tap — persists per song | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Eb / Bb / F / G Instrument ModesHorn and transposing players see their own key automatically | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AnnotationsDraggable notes — transpose automatically in sync with chords | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Band & Crew Sync | |||||
| Connected MusiciansMusicians viewing charts over Wi-Fi. Crew & roadies connect free and don't count toward this. | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 12 |
| Crew AppSound, lighting, stage manager, roadie on phones — free on every plan, never uses a musician slot | ✓ Free |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Crew Messaging with AcknowledgementSend alerts mid-show — crew taps to confirm, you see it instantly | ✓ Free |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multiple Band ProfilesSeparate setlists and settings per band | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Open Mic / Backing Band ModeManage guest performers and running order | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Projection & Media | |||||
| Pre-Show SlideshowImages and video on the projector before the show | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Intermission & Post-Show Media | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Per-Song Video & ImagesLink videos or stills to any song — transitions, Ken Burns, fade effects | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Backing Track to PAAudio routed to the device nearest the mixing desk — one tap to claim | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Beat-Sync VisualiserReal-time visuals that pulse to the music — kaleidoscope, fire, particles & more | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced & Coming Soon | |||||
| DMX Lighting Control | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | Coming soon |
| MIDI Control | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | Coming soon |
| Support & Updates | |||||
| ShowTime WatermarkRemoved when you upgrade to a paid plan | Shown | ✓ Removed |
✓ Removed |
✓ Removed |
✓ Removed |
| Free UpdatesLicence is perpetual — this is how long free updates run; the app keeps working after | ✓ Always (Cloud) |
1 year | 1 year | 1 year | 3 years |
| Support | Community | ✓ Priority |
✓ Priority |
✓ Priority |
✓ Priority |
| Start Free | Get Band 6 | ||||
AI Assistant — optional, and not a subscription.
ShowTime's AI helper runs on your own Anthropic (Claude) account — you pay Anthropic directly, pay‑as‑you‑use at their standard rates, only for the questions you actually ask. No monthly fee, no lock‑in. It helps you learn the app, build setlists, and tidy up charts.
Standard on every plan — including Free: HTML chord charts · Song metadata (key, BPM, time sig, notes) · Page-view modes · Mirror mode · Circle of Fifths reference · Master / Slave sync · QR-code band onboarding · Foot-pedal & keyboard navigation · Rehearsal & practice links
Perpetual licence — yours to keep. Install the app and it keeps working forever, even after your free-update window ends; renewing simply unlocks the latest features and priority support. The optional Cloud (SaaS) version is hosted for you, so it needs an active plan to keep running (and stays on the latest version automatically) — we'll remind you a month before it lapses so nothing stops mid-season. Your songs and media live on your own device — no storage caps; Cloud plans include hosted storage.
Schools, studios & large ensembles: running a class of 30, a choir, or any group bigger than Pro's 12? Get in touch for a custom education / multi-seat key — we'll set you up directly.
Real screenshots from live performances and rehearsals
2-Page landscape view — full chord chart spread across the screen with lyrics, complete toolbar, and ring binder spine. Perfect for larger tablets and desktops.
Portrait single-page view — optimised for phones and portrait tablets. Swipe or use foot pedal to turn pages with a smooth page-curl animation.
Hybrid view — MusicXML sheet music displayed side-by-side with the chord chart. Switch between simplified chart, full notation, or both with one tap.
Song search — instant search across your entire library. Connect band members via QR code — no app install, just scan and open in any browser.
Annotations — add colour-coded sticky notes for each instrument: keys, bass, guitar, drums, vocals. Notes float over the chart and are only visible to the relevant player.
Setlist builder — drag and drop songs into setlists, reorder on the fly, and navigate the whole show in sequence. Build multiple setlists for different venues or nights.
Song metadata — store key, BPM, time signature, drum machine pattern, piano setting, genre, and personal notes alongside every song.
Media Manager — Slideshow — upload images for Pre-Show, Intermission, Post-Show or per-song projection. Set transition style, duration, and Ken Burns zoom effect.
Visualiser & Backing Track — real-time visuals that pulse and throb to the beat of the music. Choose from kaleidoscope, fire, particle storm, starfield and more. Assign a backing track MP3 per song. The device with the PA claims audio output with one tap. Expanding significantly in future updates.
Crew messaging — send pre-defined colour-coded messages to your sound, lighting, and stage crew in real time. Crew members join from any phone by scanning a QR code.
Circle of Keys — interactive music theory reference built in to the app. Instantly see related keys, modes, and chords for any key you're playing in.
Improvisation guide — scales, modes, and soloing ideas for the current key, displayed as a popup reference panel during performance.
2-5-1 Progressions — instant reference for the most common jazz and pop chord progressions in every key, always a tap away during a performance.
6-2-5-1 Improvisation — extended progression reference with scale and soloing suggestions for each chord, helping you stay musical through complex changes.
"Finally, software that understands what performers actually need. The master/slave sync alone has transformed our rehearsals and gigs."
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The Free tier runs entirely in the cloud — sign up and start immediately, no download needed.
Paid licenses include the desktop app — Windows & macOS (Linux & Raspberry Pi too) for running ShowTime as your own local server on stage.
The desktop app runs on Python + Flask locally — Windows, macOS, Linux or a Raspberry Pi — and your band connects from any browser via WiFi. No internet required on stage.
Database is file-based (SQLite) — store it in your OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox for automatic backup and cross-device sync using your own cloud service.
ShowTime runs a local web server on your main device (the Master — typically a laptop or Raspberry Pi). Other band members open a browser on their phone or tablet and type in your device's IP address. When you change songs, transpose, or turn the page, every connected screen updates instantly over your local WiFi network. No internet required, no accounts, no app installs.
The Master device (where you run ShowTime) can be any Windows, Mac, or Linux machine — or a Raspberry Pi 5 for a compact, silent stage solution. Band members just need any device with a browser: phone, tablet, or laptop. For projection, connect any HDMI display or TV. A small WiFi router dedicated to the band is recommended for reliable sync at a venue.
No. ShowTime runs entirely offline. You just need a local WiFi network for band members to connect to your Master device — even a cheap travel router or mobile hotspot works perfectly. No cloud dependency, no lag, no relying on the venue's WiFi.
You can paste directly from Word, import RTF files, or type and edit in the built-in editor. PDF fakebook pages can be added as chart images. MusicXML files display as full sheet music via OpenSheetMusicDisplay. The editor preserves your chord colours (yellow chords, cyan section headers, etc.) and existing formatting.
Band 4 ($99/yr, up to 4 players), Band 6 ($124/yr, up to 6 players) and Band 8 ($149/yr, up to 8) are the same plan — pick the one that fits your line-up. All cover everything a gigging band needs: unlimited songs, instant transpose, wireless master/slave sync, foot-pedal navigation, annotations, and — unlike most apps — the full projection suite: pre-show, intermission and post-show slideshows plus per-song video and images.
Band 12 · Pro ($249, up to 12 players) adds multiple band profiles, MusicXML sheet music, and DMX/MIDI control (coming soon), and includes 3 years of updates.
The free Band 2 tier runs in the cloud — nothing to install — and supports 2 devices so you can try master/slave sync, with up to 25 songs.
Every licence is perpetual: you're paying for a window of updates and priority support, not renting the software. No per-musician fees on any plan.
You keep ShowTime — the desktop app doesn't lock you out and nothing is deleted. Your install keeps running at the version you have, and your songs and setlists stay yours (on your own machine or your cloud drive).
Every licence is perpetual; what your plan buys is a window of free updates and priority support (1 year on Band 4 & 8, 3 years on Band 12 · Pro). Let it lapse and you simply stay on your current version until you renew.
The one exception is the hosted Cloud (SaaS) version — because we run it for you it needs an active plan to keep running (and it's always on the latest version). We'll remind you a month before it lapses.
The Free (cloud) tier stores your data securely on our servers — accessible from any device, anywhere.
The paid Windows standalone app uses a local file-based database (SQLite) stored on your own machine. You own it completely. Point it at a folder inside your OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox and your songs automatically back up and sync across your devices — no subscription to us required for storage.
Why file-based? Musicians know how to copy files. Your entire song library is a single file — copy it to a USB stick, drag it to a new laptop, or let your cloud drive handle it automatically. No "backup and restore" wizards, no export/import headaches. Just files.
This makes the standalone app ideal for no-internet gig situations — everything runs locally, your data never leaves your machine.
Upload images or videos to any playlist and tag them as Pre-Show, Intermission, or Post-Show. When you're ready, hit the Pre-Show button next to that playlist (from any connected device — your roadie can do it from their phone). The slides play on the projector automatically with your chosen transitions and timing. When the band starts, selecting the first song stops the pre-show instantly.
After purchase you'll receive a license key by email. Enter it in ShowTime's settings and it activates immediately. Each license is tied to a machine ID for security, but you can transfer it if you change computers.
A professional karaoke system built for pubs, hotels, clubs and RSLs. CDG+MP3 playback, patron song requests via QR code, queue management, pitch shifting, and a dedicated host interface — all on your own hardware, no ongoing rental fees.
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