Greens festival pill testing dj band

Should you book a DJ or live band for your next event?

Weddings and functions are back…for now. When you’re planning an event, you’re normally left with the make-or-break choice of picking either a band or DJ. 

Both options are viable and we are not here to tell you which to pick, but here at Chattr, we have thought about what both options offer and are here to present them to you. 

PRICE:

When it comes to price, you can’t go wrong with a DJ, it’s one person with a DJ set up, nice and simple. On the other hand, a band is minimum 3-4 people who all need to be working together like clockwork for the musical aspect of your event to go off without a hitch, while a DJ curates a play list and does their magic.

A Live band could possibly cost you upwards of three to four grand, do you really need that in 2022? The alternative is booking a DJ and one company that I have come across is Sydney/Melbourne based DJ service, Ministry of DJ’s, which reiterates that price is a huge factor and the more band members, the deeper you have to go into your pockets.

MUSIC GENRE FREEDOM:

This point is obvious, a live band will offer you incredible music and incredible vibes for you and your guests, however, they will be limited to the one genre they specialise in and offer covers of classics songs all sang the same way, while on the other hand a DJ will curate a playlist with all your favourite pop hits and make sure you get the variety between genres that your guests will enjoy the most. 

Requests are also a factor, and when it comes to that department, there is a clear winner: DJs who can simply go on Spotify and find that very specific song you or your drunk uncle wants to hear. 

CREATING A VIBE THROUGH MUSIC:

As stated, a live band will offer you an amazing vibe, but that vibe is limited to their skill set and usually a live band comes with a planned set list and will not sway away from that aforementioned list. 

However, a DJ can be given guidelines and genres to stick with and if they read the room on the night and your planned setlist fails, they can mix it up and win the crowd back with a simple artist change.

Live mixing is undoubtedly also an art form for DJ’s and Ministry of DJ’s believes this. With DJs the silence between two songs can be drowned out with a clever mix between two tracks, avoiding an abrupt ending to a song, which may be the case with a live band. 

The choice in 2022 for your next event is definitely yours, we’ve offered three clear points which highlight the differences between a live band and a DJ.