Your "Do Not Play" List

“Oh!!! I HATE that song!!!”

We’ve all said it, right? Whether it’s because it’s annoying to you, or it reminds you of someone you’d rather forget, or because nobody who’s cool likes it or because, well, “it was an ok song I guess but it got SO overplayed that I’m just done”, we get it here at Sound In Motion!

So now it’s time to plan your party, and you’re thinking about all the songs you would like to be played and/or all the songs you definitely would rather skip. Regarding the ones you’d rather not have played, it’s time to consider a few things:

Why don’t I like this song?

Even if I’m not crazy about it, is it a good party song and will most of my guests like it if it were played?

What if one of my guests were to go up to the DJ and request it?

What if my mom were to go up to the DJ and request it?

This is where it gets interesting, right? At Sound In Motion, we have two separate categories of Do Not Play requests that we ask our clients to use: the Do Not Play Unless Requested and the Do Not Play No Matter What.

The Do Not Play Unless Requested category is the one that is a nod to your guests: the people you have invited because they are important to you and the people who you are trying to show a good time. In this case, you are saying that the song is not one you would choose or have the DJ choose, but if a guest, especially an important one like your mom, requests it, well, go ahead and make that person happy.

This is a really good place to be as a party planner. It allows for flexibility, and if you have a DJ you trust with your music and he/she has listened to you and cares about you, he/she will try to make sure that besides these requests, the music will really stick closely to the stuff you personally like.

The Do Not Play No Matter What category has its place too. This is for songs that remind you of someone you’d rather not be reminded of on the day of your party or perhaps of a time in your life that brings back a sad memory. In our opinion, there is no reason at all that this type of song should be played at your celebration regardless of guest requests: your reason and your party trump all other causes in this case. And again, if you have the right DJ manning the music at your party you will not have to worry about him or her betraying your trust.

I personally have turned down hundred dollar “tips” to “play it anyway” as a joke because one of your guests knows you hate the song but thinks it would be funny. Yeah, some guest, right? No way. Not on our watch!

So, there you have it. We could write a lot more on this subject but the main points are there.Just one last thing: always spend way more time on preparing and communicating to your DJ what you DO like rather than what you don’t. It is far more important in making sure you get what you want at your party rather than just letting the DJ guess at it and just giving him or her a minefield of Do Not Plays to try to navigate around : )

Adrian Cavlan

Adrian CavlanFebruary 25, 2015