Live Musician VS Booking a DJ: Which is better for my event?

I love live music. I love it so much I went to university and completed my Bachelor of Music. For over a decade now, I’ve gigged with bands across Canberra and beyond. Often in a night, we’d play 4x45 minute sets. Two quiet sets over dinner, and then two big party dance sets after dessert has finished and people are ready to party.

All that being said - I love being a DJ. I love the creativity - so much more than just pressing start and stop on tracks, I leverage all of my experience working with bands and transitioning live music when I mix. And I’m a singer - I love added a unique live music flair to my DJ work.

So with this perspective, I have a lot of thoughts as to what is best for events. There are a few factors at play. Book a band if you can, they’re awesome. But keep these things in mind:

Firstly - what’s your budget? Musicians are talented professionals and deserve to be paid. With larger bands comes a larger cost. With a DJ - you’re paying one person. Each musician you add is additional cost.

Second - how much room do you have? A small DJ setup will not take up much space. If you have a 10 piece band - you need a stage!

Third - do you have any noise restraints? Is your room boomy, full of echo, with lots of glass and hard floors? A drummer is going to absolutely tear into your ambience during dinner. Do you want people to be able to hear clearly over dinner? If you’re in a ballroom or a barn, it’ll sound very different to a hard floored room with glass windows.

Fourth - how accurate do you want the music re-presented? A DJ will play the tracks. Every band will have their own unique style when they recreate songs. I sing Love Story by Taylor Swift, and people love it. But I don’t sound like Taylor - if you want Taylor.. book a DJ! (or book Taylor herself if you are absolutely loaded..)

I love gigging with bands. Love love love love it. As a musician who DJs, I’m a “best of both worlds” option for those looking for a bit of column A, and a bit of column B. But hopefully the thoughts above help you if you have to pick one or the other.