You’ve reached the party planning stage where it is time to decide on entertainment. Do you go with a live band or a DJ?
That is a big question with many pros and cons on either side. Both have their benefits, both can have their drawbacks.
As lovers of music, DJs are often big fans and supporters of live music, but when trying to entertain a wide variety of age groups and demographics, is a band the right choice for your party?
Some bands are fantastic for playing many genres of music, however their song knowledge will vary from band to band. How do they handle requests? Do they know the latest songs that came out online this past Tuesday? If the lead singer is sick, do they have another singer to fill in? Bands can also take up a considerable amount of space, especially in a smaller venue.
There are definitely some cool things a band can provide because they are live. The right band can provide great interaction and very high energy with a crowd. Because the music isn’t prerecorded, they can also do fun things like change the words around and change names in the songs to personalise details for the wedding couple or company they are performing for. Some bands also have the ability to seamlessly play groups of hit songs together in non-stop medleys.
When it comes to a DJ, they are generally quite versatile with many music genres and seldom take up a lot of space. DJs can be very interactive with the crowd and can play almost any request because a DJ usually carries over 10,000 popular songs (and sometimes upwards of 50,000+!) that could be played at the drop of a hat! If your DJ comes down sick, they generally have a solid backup plan in place where another DJ in their company can come to the rescue or they belong to an association where a network of other DJs can fill in last minute. If the music isn’t working right for the dance floor, a DJ can change the genre in a heartbeat. In addition to spinning your tunes, DJs can also be your MC for the evening, helping to keep the flow of your event running smooth.
Some DJs have event been fortunate enough to play with bands at weddings and corporate events. The key to making that succeed is for the DJ to play close attention to the band during their sets and if someone requested a song the band didn’t know, there is the first song for the DJ start their next set with!
It is up to you to decide how versatile your entertainment needs to be for your specific event. The energy of a live 8 or 10 piece band can be tough for a DJ to compete with, but the music selection and mixing ability of a DJ might more than make up for that.
Ask yourself which of these two options will appeal to your guests in the best way possible. This will help to ensure your guests are happily remembering the celebration long after your event.
Happy planning!
The DJ Alliance Australasia along with our international not-for-profit partner Associations, the Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association (Canada) and the National Association of Disc Jockeys (UK) are publishing a series of articles designed to help the general public better utilise the industry our collective Associations represent. We hope these articles are helpful and function to assist everyone achieve greater event success with mobile DJ & MC entertainment.
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This was originally published by the DJAA (embed link to original article here) and has been republished here with permission.