How to choose best music for upcoming events

Planning an event often requires organizing and managing many different aspects. From large and obvious needs, to the smaller, more nuanced decisions, your planning checklist can be quite lengthy. For example, booking the catering, decorating the event space, and hiring the necessary staff are just a few of the most understood requirements. These details must happen for the event to take place. Additional smaller details, like how to organize the seating, often become the keys to the overall success of the event.

One of the biggest, yet often overlooked aspects of an event, is how good music plays an important role at events. The mood and vibe you set is critical for capturing the right energy and crowd engagement. Too much music or an overpowering sound can drive people away, but an underwhelming output is also a detractor to your production.

So, how do you determine what the right sounds are for your event? Luckily, there are some different choices which can meet almost any budget or needs. Let’s explore some options to see how to choose the best background music for events.

Know your crowd

One of the best pieces of advice for planning any event is to understand who you’re trying to attract. It may seem cliché, but age groups are often the best all-purpose sorting method. an audience primarily of a certain age range will often have similar tastes in their music. Know what type of crowd you'll primarily receive and choose the sounds, accordingly.

Create playlists

If you are already a music fan, you may be able to create your own playlist. Popular streaming services, such as Spotify and Apple music allow users to create playlists of their own. Your pre-curated playlists can follow certain genre paths or may be more of a collection of tunes at a certain speed, sound, or intensity. You can even let some services create playlists for you, based on your listening history. This automation may initially help you to learn how to choose the best background music for events.

If choosing popular or current music, Billboard charts or other music news publications and websites often feature playlists of certain artists or lists of frequently played songs. Trending music lists may ensure your younger crowds will hear more recognizable songs and spend more time at your event, accordingly.

Hire a professional curator

If you’re not able to create your own playlists, there are also professional playlist curators you can hire to make them for you. These

keep a sharp focus on what music appeals to certain crowds as well as which up and coming artists deserve more exposure.

You can set certain genre parameters with the curator or just settle with their best judgement for your needs. And working with a professional means you can take one more task off your event planning list.

Hire a DJ

With so many music streaming options, many event planners will have more than enough background and crowd-friendly tunes to fill up your time. But, if you want a centerpiece to your event and an interactive element which ignites a crowd, a professional DJ can be the perfect fit.

A DJ will not only pick great songs, but will sequence and mix the songs together for a seamless journey. And, if the DJ is also prolific on the mic, they can command attention and connectivity with the crowd. Just like a curator, you can also plan with a DJ ahead of time to play certain songs or dictate the “feel” of the whole event.

Hire a live band

Not to be overlooked, a band can also be the perfect ambiance for your event. Whether you choose a solo singer, a duo, a trio, or a full band, you’ll be sure to get a personable and live feel to your music that a playlist or DJ just won’t achieve. Sometimes, a cool and mellow jazz trio in the corner conveys greater style and panache. Each event is different, as the musical styles should be.

No matter what type of musical output you choose, ask to see some past event responses, available playlists of mixtapes, or go see your possibilities at an event of their own. It’s best to know what they normally sound like before hiring them for your special production.

No matter your final choice, a little pre-planning and research is important in deciding how to choose the best background music for events