Whether you’re looking to host a relaxing or energetic social event – music is key! The perfect playlist will set the mood for your guests so it’s important to be mindful when curating the playlist for your event.
If you don’t know where to begin, we have some helpful tips for you to create the perfect playlist.
Variety is key
It’s important to include a variety of music genres for everyone to enjoy. Keeping your playlist diverse caters to all of your guests. Include different genres, artists, tempos, and intensities. Order your playlist in a way that makes sense with timing. For example, slow songs or love songs should be saved for the end of the evening.
Even if you are tempted to play golden oldies that everyone loves, you shouldn’t ignore new songs. The world is flooded with amazing songs nowadays. They will be found on your streaming platform homepages and in music forums.
Know your audience
Make sure you carefully select and customise your playlist based on your audience. Think of the audience that will attend your event. Are they outgoing, part of a group and what age are they? Knowing your target audience age range helps you decide what kind of music they’ll enjoy.
If you’re unsure you can always ask them what type of music they enjoy! Your event will become more engaging this way as you can prepare to incorporate those songs into the playlist. This can be done through a survey, social media or directly.
Know your event
If you’re hosting your event in an arts centre, event centre, exhibition centre then it’s important to do your research. Ask the venue’s team what their music facilities are like and if you can use them, as well as any other bonus features like catering options for the event. If you already have music equipment then it is wise to check with your venue if you can use it.
In addition, you need to check that the venue allows music to be played, especially if it’s going to be loud. Consider the people who live in the same area as the venue if the event is taking place in a residential area.
Finding your music
When creating your playlist make sure you are using legal forms to download your audio and avoid ad-based music platforms. You can use a platform like YouTube converter to convert YouTube music to Free mp3 files and play them from your computer. But be careful downloading YouTube videos as you shouldn’t download the whole videos themselves. If they’re copyrighted, you can get into a lot of trouble. You can use your own or companies streaming services, if they have them, or set one up on platforms like Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music Unlimited and so on.
To get a sense of what people are listening to and engaging with today, you can visit local live shows in your area or the area of the event. Such as Brighton festivals or live music in Brighton.
Coordinated playlists
Rather than putting all of your selected tracks into a playlist and making it shuffle, you should coordinate your playlist and let it play each track one at a time. Essentially, you are making things easier on yourself by planning beforehand. Your playlist should be tailored to specific event times, if your event ends late in the evening there may be less restrictions on the kind of music that can be played.
Personal preference
You also need to avoid creating a playlist for your own enjoyment rather than that of your guests. Your favourite songs seem to naturally be a great match when creating a playlist, but this isn’t always the case for everyone. As suggested earlier, you may wish to request some of your guests’ preferences.
Now you’ve read our tips you should have all the tools you need to create a great playlist for your event. Needing help in other areas? We have many articles dedicated to helping you engage with your social event guests.
Read more about the world of event planning here…
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