diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 98b47313d..03fd55622 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ addons:
     - liquidsoap-plugin-faad
     - liquidsoap-plugin-vorbis
     - liquidsoap-plugin-opus
+    - python3
     - python3-nose
     - python3-gst-1.0
     - python3-magic
diff --git a/python_apps/api_clients/api_clients/api_client.py b/python_apps/api_clients/api_clients/api_client.py
index 1fd9300c2..95ad844e9 100644
--- a/python_apps/api_clients/api_clients/api_client.py
+++ b/python_apps/api_clients/api_clients/api_client.py
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 ###############################################################################
 import sys
 import time
-import urllib.request, urllib.parse, urllib.error
 import urllib.request, urllib.error, urllib.parse
 import requests
 import socket 
@@ -21,26 +20,6 @@ from configobj import ConfigObj
 AIRTIME_API_VERSION = "1.1"
 
 
-# TODO : Place these functions in some common module. Right now, media
-# monitor uses the same functions and it would be better to reuse them
-# instead of copy pasting them around
-
-def to_unicode(obj, encoding='utf-8'):
-    if isinstance(obj, str):
-        if not isinstance(obj, str):
-            obj = str(obj, encoding)
-    return obj
-
-def encode_to(obj, encoding='utf-8'):
-    if isinstance(obj, str):
-        obj = obj.encode(encoding)
-    return obj
-
-def convert_dict_value_to_utf8(md):
-    #list comprehension to convert all values of md to utf-8
-    return dict([(item[0], encode_to(item[1], "utf-8")) for item in list(md.items())])
-
-
 api_config = {}
 
 # URL to get the version number of the server API
@@ -407,7 +386,7 @@ class AirtimeApiClient(object):
         # Note that we must prefix every key with: mdX where x is a number
         # Is there a way to format the next line a little better? The
         # parenthesis make the code almost unreadable
-        md_list = dict((("md%d" % i), json.dumps(convert_dict_value_to_utf8(md))) \
+        md_list = dict((("md%d" % i), json.dumps(md)) \
                 for i,md in enumerate(valid_actions))
         # For testing we add the following "dry" parameter to tell the
         # controller not to actually do any changes
diff --git a/python_apps/pypo/liquidsoap/liquidsoap_prepare_terminate.py b/python_apps/pypo/liquidsoap/liquidsoap_prepare_terminate.py
index 20766bebf..d40655fc9 100644
--- a/python_apps/pypo/liquidsoap/liquidsoap_prepare_terminate.py
+++ b/python_apps/pypo/liquidsoap/liquidsoap_prepare_terminate.py
@@ -14,6 +14,6 @@ try:
     tn.read_all()
 
 except Exception as e:
-    print(('Error loading config file: %s', e))
+    print("Error loading config file: {}".format(e))
     sys.exit()
 
diff --git a/python_apps/pypo/pypo/__main__.py b/python_apps/pypo/pypo/__main__.py
index 94c8af0b5..d9f3160a0 100644
--- a/python_apps/pypo/pypo/__main__.py
+++ b/python_apps/pypo/pypo/__main__.py
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ try:
     consoleHandler.setFormatter(logFormatter)
     rootLogger.addHandler(consoleHandler)
 except Exception as e:
-    print(("Couldn't configure logging", e))
+    print("Couldn't configure logging: {}".format(e))
     sys.exit(1)
 
 
diff --git a/python_apps/pypo/pypo/listenerstat.py b/python_apps/pypo/pypo/listenerstat.py
index 91a9e9487..e94c7f795 100644
--- a/python_apps/pypo/pypo/listenerstat.py
+++ b/python_apps/pypo/pypo/listenerstat.py
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ class ListenerStat(Thread):
         #Note that there can be optimizations done, since if all three
         #streams are the same server, we will still initiate 3 separate
         #connections
-        for k, v in list(stream_parameters.items()):
+        for k, v in stream_parameters.items():
             if v["enable"] == 'true':
                 try:
                     if v["output"] == "icecast":
diff --git a/python_apps/pypo/pypo/pypofetch.py b/python_apps/pypo/pypo/pypofetch.py
index 827346888..b04aab7f3 100644
--- a/python_apps/pypo/pypo/pypofetch.py
+++ b/python_apps/pypo/pypo/pypofetch.py
@@ -344,20 +344,21 @@ class PypoFetch(Thread):
                 media_item = media[key]
                 if (media_item['type'] == 'file'):
                     fileExt = self.sanity_check_media_item(media_item)
-                    dst = os.path.join(download_dir, str(media_item['id']) + str(fileExt))
+                    dst = os.path.join(download_dir, media_item['id'] + fileExt)
                     media_item['dst'] = dst
                     media_item['file_ready'] = False
                     media_filtered[key] = media_item
 
-                media_item['start'] = datetime.strptime(media_item['start'], 
+                media_item['start'] = datetime.strptime(media_item['start'],
                         "%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M-%S")
-                media_item['end'] = datetime.strptime(media_item['end'], 
+                media_item['end'] = datetime.strptime(media_item['end'],
                         "%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M-%S")
                 media_copy[key] = media_item
 
 
             self.media_prepare_queue.put(copy.copy(media_filtered))
-        except Exception as e: self.logger.error("%s", e)
+        except Exception as e:
+            self.logger.error(e)
 
         # Send the data to pypo-push
         self.logger.debug("Pushing to pypo-push")
@@ -365,8 +366,10 @@ class PypoFetch(Thread):
 
 
         # cleanup
-        try: self.cache_cleanup(media)
-        except Exception as e: self.logger.error("%s", e)
+        try:
+            self.cache_cleanup(media)
+        except Exception as e:
+            self.logger.error(e)
 
     #do basic validation of file parameters. Useful for debugging
     #purposes
@@ -408,7 +411,7 @@ class PypoFetch(Thread):
         for mkey in media:
             media_item = media[mkey]
             if media_item['type'] == 'file':
-                scheduled_file_set.add(str(media_item["id"]) + str(media_item["file_ext"]))
+                scheduled_file_set.add(media_item["id"] + media_item["file_ext"])
 
         expired_files = cached_file_set - scheduled_file_set
 
diff --git a/python_apps/pypo/pypo/pypoliquidsoap.py b/python_apps/pypo/pypo/pypoliquidsoap.py
index d9feca6d5..773879020 100644
--- a/python_apps/pypo/pypo/pypoliquidsoap.py
+++ b/python_apps/pypo/pypo/pypoliquidsoap.py
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ class PypoLiquidsoap():
             scheduled_now_webstream = \
                     [x for x in scheduled_now if x["type"] == eventtypes.STREAM_OUTPUT_START]
 
-            schedule_ids = set([x["row_id"] for x in scheduled_now_files])
+            schedule_ids = {x["row_id"] for x in scheduled_now_files]}
 
             row_id_map = {}
             liq_queue_ids = set()
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ class PypoLiquidsoap():
         return media_item["type"] == eventtypes.FILE
 
     def clear_queue_tracker(self):
-        for i in list(self.liq_queue_tracker.keys()):
+        for i in self.liq_queue_tracker.keys():
             self.liq_queue_tracker[i] = None
 
     def modify_cue_point(self, link):
diff --git a/python_apps/pypo/pypo/recorder.py b/python_apps/pypo/pypo/recorder.py
index 24850e7cc..6ed3f301d 100644
--- a/python_apps/pypo/pypo/recorder.py
+++ b/python_apps/pypo/pypo/recorder.py
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ def api_client(logger):
 try:
     config = ConfigObj('/etc/airtime/airtime.conf')
 except Exception as e:
-    print(('Error loading config file: %s', e))
+    print("Error loading config file: {}".format(e))
     sys.exit()
 
 # TODO : add docstrings everywhere in this module
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ class ShowRecorder(Thread):
 
         self.logger.info("starting record")
         self.logger.info("command " + command)
- 
+
         self.p = Popen(args,stdout=PIPE,stderr=PIPE)
 
         #blocks at the following line until the child process
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ class ShowRecorder(Thread):
         register_openers()
 
         # files is what requests actually expects
-        files = {'file': open(filepath, "rb"), 'name': filename, 'show_instance': str(self.show_instance)}
+        files = {'file': open(filepath, "rb"), 'name': filename, 'show_instance': self.show_instance}
 
         self.api_client.upload_recorded_show(files, self.show_instance)
 
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ class ShowRecorder(Thread):
             recorded_file['title'] = "%s-%s-%s" % (self.show_name,
                     full_date, full_time)
             #You cannot pass ints into the metadata of a file. Even tracknumber needs to be a string
-            recorded_file['tracknumber'] = str(self.show_instance)
+            recorded_file['tracknumber'] = self.show_instance
             recorded_file.save()
 
         except Exception as e:
@@ -246,11 +246,11 @@ class Recorder(Thread):
                 self.logger.debug("Next show %s", next_show)
                 self.logger.debug("Now %s", tnow)
         return out
-    
+
     def cancel_recording(self):
         self.sr.cancel_recording()
         self.sr = None
-    
+
     def currently_recording(self):
         if self.sr is not None and self.sr.is_recording():
             return True
@@ -278,23 +278,23 @@ class Recorder(Thread):
                 start_time_formatted = '%(year)d-%(month)02d-%(day)02d %(hour)02d:%(min)02d:%(sec)02d' % \
                     {'year': start_time_on_server.year, 'month': start_time_on_server.month, 'day': start_time_on_server.day, \
                         'hour': start_time_on_server.hour, 'min': start_time_on_server.minute, 'sec': start_time_on_server.second}
-                    
-                
+
+
                 seconds_waiting = 0
-                
+
                 #avoiding CC-5299
                 while(True):
                     if self.currently_recording():
                         self.logger.info("Previous record not finished, sleeping 100ms")
                         seconds_waiting = seconds_waiting + 0.1
-                        time.sleep(0.1)   
+                        time.sleep(0.1)
                     else:
                         show_length_seconds = show_length.seconds - seconds_waiting
-                        
+
                         self.sr = ShowRecorder(show_instance, show_name, show_length_seconds, start_time_formatted)
                         self.sr.start()
                         break
-                    
+
                 #remove show from shows to record.
                 del self.shows_to_record[start_time]
                 #self.time_till_next_show = self.get_time_till_next_show()
diff --git a/travis/python.sh b/travis/python.sh
index 477d277a0..28ac33a6b 100755
--- a/travis/python.sh
+++ b/travis/python.sh
@@ -4,11 +4,12 @@ set -xe
 
 [[ "$PYTHON" == false ]] && exit 0
 
+python3 --version
+
 pushd python_apps/airtime_analyzer
-pyenv local 3.7
+pyenv local 3.4
 pip3 install -e .
-nosetests -a '!rgain'
-echo "replaygain tests where skipped due to not having a reliable replaygain install on travis."
+nosetests
 popd
 
 echo "Building docs..."