diff --git a/picard/tagger.py b/picard/tagger.py
index a46520d1e..1180ce853 100644
--- a/picard/tagger.py
+++ b/picard/tagger.py
@@ -18,6 +18,11 @@
 # along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
 # Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA.
 
+import sip
+
+sip.setapi("QString", 2)
+sip.setapi("QVariant", 2)
+
 from PyQt4 import QtGui, QtCore
 
 import getopt
diff --git a/tagger.py b/tagger.py
index bf423dee3..57c7ebcd7 100755
--- a/tagger.py
+++ b/tagger.py
@@ -2,10 +2,6 @@
 
 import os.path
 import sys
-import sip
-
-sip.setapi("QString", 2)
-sip.setapi("QVariant", 2)
 
 sys.path.insert(0, '.')
 from picard.tagger import main