How to Make a Setlist Online (And Display It on Stage)

Making a setlist online means more than typing a list of songs into a document. A proper online setlist lives in a tool where your full song library is stored permanently, you build setlists by pulling from that library, and the running order is displayable on any device at show time — phone, tablet, or laptop — without printing anything.

This guide covers how online setlist makers work, what to look for, and why the approach is significantly better than the printed sheet or the PDF on your phone that you can't see in stage lighting.

The Problem With Printed Setlists

A printed setlist is fine until it tears, blows away, gets wet, or you can't read it in the stage lighting. It also has no chords on it, so it's useful only as a running order — you still need a separate system for charts if you're running chord sheets for any songs.

A PDF setlist on your phone is better for readability but still has limitations: you're pinching and zooming to see chords, it doesn't advance automatically between songs, and getting it onto multiple devices means sending a file to everyone before the show and hoping they downloaded it.

An online setlist solves all of these: it's readable on any device, it can include full chord charts per song, it advances between songs with a tap, and sharing it with band members means they open the same tool — no files, no resending.

How an Online Setlist Maker Works

The core idea is a permanent song library that setlists draw from. You add a song once — with its title, key, BPM, capo position, and chord chart — and it lives in your library permanently. Every setlist you build pulls from that same library.

To build a setlist, you select songs from your library and arrange them in order. Change the running order for a specific show without affecting the library or other setlists. Build as many setlists as you need — a weddings set, a pubs set, a corporate function set — all drawing from the same underlying song data.

The result is that you only ever enter a song's details once. Every time that song appears in a setlist, it brings its chord chart with it.

Chord Charts in Your Setlist

A setlist that includes chord charts is a significantly more powerful tool than one that's just a running order. ChordPro is the standard format for this: chords are written inline with lyrics in square brackets, and the rendering tool displays them floating above the correct syllables.

Adding a ChordPro chart to a song in your library means every setlist that includes that song automatically has the chart available. You're not attaching a separate PDF per song — it's all in one place, on the same screen, in the same display.

More on ChordPro: what is ChordPro format and how musicians use it.

Live Mode: Displaying Your Setlist on Stage

Live Mode is a full-screen display designed for stage use. Open it on any device before you go on and the current song fills the screen with large, readable chords and lyrics. Tap to advance to the next song. No pinching, no zooming, no squinting at a printed list taped to the floor.

On a phone propped on a music stand or a tablet at the keyboard position, Live Mode replaces both the printed setlist and the chord sheet folder. One device, one app, everything you need for the whole show.

Sharing with band members is straightforward: they open the same tool on their own devices and see the same setlist and charts. Everyone is on the same page — literally — without any file sharing. More on using Live Mode: how to use Live Mode on stage.

Dashplan's Online Setlist Maker

Dashplan's Setlist Manager is a full online setlist tool — permanent song library, ChordPro chord charts, drag-and-drop setlist builder, and Live Mode on any device. It sits alongside your gig log, invoicing, stage plots and band tasks in the same dashboard.

There's no limit on song library size, no limit on the number of setlists, and no app download required — it runs in any browser. Try Dashplan's online setlist maker free, or read more about how to build a setlist that works every night.