Risks with Spotify Wedding Music
You don’t need yet another DJ trying to convince you Spotify will ruin your wedding.
But hold on, because chances are you’ve made up your mind, you have your reasons for going with Spotify for wedding music. This article is meant to help you plan ahead for some of the common pitfalls of using a Spotify playlist for your reception.
As a professional wedding MC, I’ve seen plenty of Spotify receptions. In this article about the upsides of Spotify wedding playlists, I state “As long as you know the risks, then Spotify weddings can be everything you need with a bit of careful planning and preparation.“
The more you know, the better you can prepare. Knowing what to plan for is how you can reduce the chance of unpleasant surprises.
Spotify wedding music downsides:
- Easy to add the wrong version of a song to your playlist, maybe you don’t want the Spanish one, or the one with expletives. Or – maybe you do?
- Spotify can’t discourage guests from trying to take over.
- Spotify can’t think for itself when the songs you were sure would go off – don’t.
- Spotify doesn’t come with a sound system included or set up the sound system.
- Spotify doesn’t bring a backup sound system.
- Spotify doesn’t know what your parents’ wedding song was to play it at a key moment.
- Spotify doesn’t have cues to play the hook of the song as part of a grand entrance introduction.
- Spotify doesn’t know how to extend a song in the ceremony in case things take longer than rehearsed.
- Spotify doesn’t know how to build to a finale, or how to execute a memorable finale.
To be fair, that list can easily apply to plenty of “professional” DJs or wedding bands in New Zealand as well. It’s no surprise so many couples choose Spotify for wedding music, and it’s not fair to assume it’s a budget-related decision either. There are no criteria, restrictions or regulations that govern who can market themselves as a wedding professional, so very little can be done after the fact if the wrong DJ turns up, the band is drunk, the sound system fails and they don’t have backup.
Is Spotify right for your wedding?
The more questions you ask before making that decision, the more informed you will be. Before deciding Spotify is easier, check the list above and then work out how to avoid the potential bumps in the road.
I hope this helps!
