Pre-prepared playlist or happy dancing party people: you can't have both
How can all this be reconciled? When planning a company party or business event, there is a fixed budget and at the same time numerous points that need to be covered. Location, food, shuttles, gimmicks, entertainment ... the question quickly arises as to how everything can be cleverly managed financially. I know it's tempting: This is where the idea of simply replacing live entertainment - whether a band or DJ - with a mobile phone and a playlist often comes up.
I often hear real-life stories during small talk at the DJ booth where exactly this decision was made, the party never took off, and everyone went home relatively quickly. Far from the ideal scenario of all party organisers: Our party will be legendary! Hand on heart – how many parties have you been to where the party segment was conducted with a playlist and was fantastic at the same time?
Here are 8 reasons to convince your boss that a DJ is far better than a playlist:
This is especially true for business and corporate events: The party crowd here is so heterogeneous that it would border on clairvoyance to determine in advance on a playlist the songs that will make everyone equally happy. After all, events with a business background are attended by very different generations, all of whom have their own taste in music. And even within the generations, there are great differences in what is musically loved - or not. This means that a pre-made playlist will most likely not appeal to most guests. An experienced DJ, on the other hand, reads the party guests like a book and quickly finds the common denominator that makes everyone happy.
A business party always consists of different parts, for which different music genres are in demand. A DJ plays completely different music for the reception/guest arrival, later for the meal, and then for the party, each fulfilling very specific needs. A DJ is here able to flexibly adapt the music to the respective sections of the Corporate events to adapt and pick up the pace at the right moment to lead into the party.
Even if the party is to take place without a DJ and a playlist is used: Nevertheless, it is essential to have an excellent sound system on site that someone is familiar with and that can be managed correctly. A DJ can liaise with the venue operator in advance, check the sound conditions, and, if in doubt, recommend additional equipment, which, in the best case, can also be booked through them. Because a good party also depends on the sound.
One music streaming provider potentially offers more than 100 million songs. Admittedly, even I, as a professional DJ, don't know all of them 😉 . But as a party organiser and non-DJ, how are you supposed to select 160-200 songs for a playlist in advance that are guaranteed to make all the guests happy and get them on the dance floor? This is highly unlikely, whereas a DJ at every party individually selects exactly the right songs that perfectly suit the guests of the evening.
That's what a professional DJ offers and gets the party guests celebrating wildly. Who doesn't love an excellent transition into a song you wouldn't have expected? With a ready-made playlist, there are no mixed transitions, and in the worst case, there are even songs that run out very slowly, causing guests to sneak off the dance floor in unison.
The topic of music requests itself harbours many dangers, which I outlined in my blog post on "7 tips for dealing with music requests" But a DJ can - in contrast to a pre-prepared party playlist - fulfil spontaneous song requests and integrate them into the party flow so that they go hand in hand with the central theme. And if necessary, politely decline song requests if they don't fit the party vibe. In addition, with a playlist, there is always the danger that party guests will intervene in the playlist from the spot and play very individual songs that drive others away from the dance floor instead of towards it.
A professional DJ quickly gets to know his party guests well during the evening - he sees how the guests react to certain songs and can tell from experience which songs they will like. Again and again, he will sprinkle in moments of musical surprise, which will first be met with incredulous amazement, recognition, and then a big, laughing "Yeah". Guests will remember these surprise moments and make the party a legend. On the other hand, a pre-made playlist is a corset that many party guests won't fit into that evening and won't recognise themselves in the song selection.
Naturally, the first and most important task of a professional DJ is to take care of the perfect soundtrack for your event. However, it's also not uncommon for many lighting components to be booked with a DJ, in order to give the party the perfect look with a focus on corporate identity. This is definitely something a playlist cannot achieve.
