Groups + invites

Overview

Groups are shared workspaces for your band, team, or ensemble. They keep songs and setlists in one central place so everyone works from the same material.

Instead of emailing charts back and forth or wondering which Google Doc is current, your entire team logs into the same group and sees the same songs, same arrangements, same setlists.

Personal vs group content

When you create a song or setlist, it lives in your personal library by default. Only you can see and edit it.

When you move something into a group, it becomes shared:

• Everyone in the group can access it
• Changes sync automatically to all members
• Permissions control who can edit vs view

You can have both personal and group content at the same time. Use personal for:

• Work-in-progress charts you're not ready to share
• Practice material just for you
• Songs you're transcribing

Use groups for:

• Rehearsal material the whole band needs
• Setlists for upcoming services or gigs
• Charts that multiple people maintain

Permissions

Groups have three permission levels, each with different capabilities.

Owner

The person who created the group. Owners can:

• Invite and remove members
• Change member roles
• Delete the group
• Transfer ownership to someone else
• Do everything editors can do

There's always exactly one owner. If you need to transfer ownership, do it before leaving a group.

Editor

Can contribute actively to the group's library. Editors can:

• Create new songs and setlists in the group
• Edit existing charts and arrangements
• Delete songs and setlists
• Add and remove songs from setlists

Editors are your core team members who actively maintain the library.

Viewer

Can see everything but not change it. Viewers can:

• View all songs and setlists
• Open charts and use practice tools
• Export PDFs
• Switch arrangements (for their own view)

Viewers cannot:

• Edit charts or metadata
• Create or delete content
• Change setlist contents

Use viewer access for:

• Sub musicians who need the charts but shouldn't change them
• Temporary collaborators
• People who just need to reference the material

Inviting members

Getting your band into your group is simple:

1. Open the group settings
2. Click "Invite member"
3. Enter their email address
4. Choose their role (editor or viewer)
5. Send the invite

They'll get an email with a link to join. If they don't have an Akordo account yet, they'll create one as part of accepting the invite.

Pending invites

You can see all pending invites in the group settings. If someone's invite expired or got lost, resend it from there.

Typical band onboarding

Here's how a typical band gets set up:

1. Create the group

The band leader or administrator creates a group with a clear name:

• "Grace Community Worship Team"
• "The River Band"
• "St. Mark's Sunday Service"

2. Move existing content

If you already have songs in your personal library, move them into the group:

• Open the song
• Change its ownership from "Personal" to the group name
• Repeat for each song

3. Invite band members

Invite each member with the appropriate role:

• Regular members: Editor (they need to update charts)
• Subs and guests: Viewer (they just need to read)
• Administrators: Also editors, or transfer ownership if they'll manage the group

4. Set up setlists

Create setlists in the group for upcoming events. Everyone automatically sees them.

5. Establish conventions

Agree as a team on:

• Who "owns" editing each song (avoid conflicting changes)
• How to name arrangements (e.g., "Guitar (Capo 3)" vs "Piano")
• Naming conventions for setlists

Best practices

One source of truth

Agree that the group's version is always the current version. If someone has an old PDF, they reference the group to get the latest.

Avoid:

• Keeping parallel personal copies that drift out of sync
• Making changes outside the group and forgetting to update
• Printing PDFs and marking them up by hand (instead, update the chart)

Use setlists for events

Create a setlist for each rehearsal or service, even if you're repeating most of the same songs. This:

• Locks in arrangement choices for that specific event
• Creates a record of what you played when
• Lets you label songs that need extra attention

Export for backup

Periodically export PDFs of your key setlists. Store them somewhere safe as a backup in case you lose internet access at a gig.

Clean up periodically

Archive or remove:

• Old setlists from past events
• Songs you no longer play
• Test or draft charts that made it into the group

Managing group settings

Changing member roles

Promote viewers to editors (or vice versa) in the group settings. Changes take effect immediately.

Removing members

If someone leaves the band, remove them from the group. They lose access to all group content, but their personal library stays intact.

Leaving a group

You can leave a group you're in. You'll lose access to all group content. If you're the owner, transfer ownership first or the group will be orphaned.

Limitations

• Each group has one owner (but ownership can be transferred)
• You can't have multiple permission levels per song — it's all or nothing per group
• Deleted content can't be recovered, so be careful with the delete button

Next steps

• Songs — the charts you'll share
• Setlists — organize songs for events
• PDF export — print charts for gigs