mobilepwapayments

Live

7 days

MVP

Tribute

When everything went digital, tipping local performing artists went with it. A fun way for fans to connect with artists during live performances.

The problem

Live performing artists lost their tip jar when the world went cashless. Nobody carries cash anymore. A musician playing at a restaurant or bar can't easily accept tips, song requests, or messages from the audience. Venmo and Cash App work but they're impersonal and awkward to set up mid-performance.

What we built

A mobile-first platform where fans scan a QR code at a venue and can instantly send tips, request songs, and send messages to the performing artist. The artist sees requests in real-time on their phone. Payments are processed instantly.

Built in 7 days. Tested at three live venues in Scottsdale with immediate artist adoption.

Screenshots

Features

What it does

QR code access

Scan and go. No app download, no account creation for fans.

Real-time messaging

Tips, song requests, and messages appear on the artist phone instantly.

Stripe Connect payments

Instant payouts to artists with Apple Pay and card support.

Venue-ready setup

Artists generate a QR code and place it on their table or stand.

Performance analytics

Artists see tip totals, request counts, and fan engagement per session.

Process

How we built it

Interviewed local musicians

Understood the pain: lost tips, no way to interact with audiences, clunky payment setups between sets.

Designed the QR-first experience

Scan and go. No app download, no account creation for fans. Instant access to tip, request, and message.

Built the real-time messaging system

WebSocket-based system so artists see requests and messages instantly on their phone during performance.

Integrated payment processing

Stripe Connect for instant payouts to artists. Fans can tip any amount with Apple Pay or card.

Tested at live venues

Three restaurants in Scottsdale. Artists reported 3x more tips compared to their physical tip jar days.

Reflections

What we took away from this project.

What went wrong

The first version required fans to create an account. Nobody did. Removing the signup requirement increased engagement by 10x.

What went right

The QR code approach was frictionless. Fans were scanning and tipping within 30 seconds of sitting down.

What we learned

Remove every barrier between intention and action. Someone who wants to tip an artist will change their mind in the 60 seconds it takes to create an account.

Want something like this for your business?

Tell us what you're working on. We'll tell you how fast we can build it.