I get it, having Spotify is cheaper than a band or DJ and it seems as soon as you mention the "W" word, suddenly prices go up significantly - but can Spotify work? You might be surprised by my answer.
So the short answer to that question, can Spotify work is "YES" - BUT not without a number of things going your way.
Time & Song Selection
Do you have time to go looking for playlists and curating a playlist that is specific for you and your guests. It's easy enough to adapt someone else's playlist, but it can also take a fair amount of time trying to even look at playlists and work out what will or wont work for your guests.
The right order of music is important as well and how those songs fade in and out is important. Fortunately most songs sit around the 3.5min mark, but there are a lot of songs that are 4.5mins+ and the issue with those songs is that a song that is too long, can actually steal energy from your dance floor because it becomes too repetitive and monotonous. There are also songs with long wind ups and breaks in the middle which can detract from the energy of the floor. DJ's and bands can omit these parts of the songs and maintain the energy on your dance floor.
This doesn't even account for the wrong song popping up while your playlist is on shuffle and absolutely killing the dance floor.
Responsibility
Doing it yourself means delegating the task of managing the music for you to someone who is reliable. Someone who can play your key songs on cue, but also ensure that nobody else randomly gets hold of your Spotify account and jumps out of your playlist to put Mo Bamba on when Nana is mid-Twist & Shout.
Equipment
Most venues don't have speakers designed for parties, if they have any speakers at all. Most of them will be designed for background music. This means that you will probably have to hire speakers (and maybe lights) in, if you want a party later in the evening. Party speakers from the likes of Noel Leeming etc may do the trick, but you might need a few of them - and THEN you are spending almost as much on buying as you would on a DJ. Those party speakers are also designed for home use so if you have 100 or so people and a medium to large venue, those speakers will struggle to get loud enough.
You could hire, but again, you may end up spending a reasonable amount hiring and still doing a lot of work yourself.
Most DJs and bands also come with lighting, which is a bonus to help create atmosphere on your dance floor.
DJ vs Band
Because I am both a musician and a DJ, I appreciate that they have their differences. Bands have the ability to create energy just by singing, DJ's have to work much harder but we can create a similar level of energy through careful song selection. DJs can play any song you want (within reason) and dance music like Avicii- Levels and similar, are of course within our repertoire where they probably are not with a band.
DJ's are also somewhat cheaper and take up a lot less space than a band - so if you have a venue where space is tight, that is worth considering.
Finding good DJ's is much harder than finding a good band. Fortunately bands are easy to find video and content for, which displays them performing. DJ's cannot do this as easily without breaking a few rules (and sometimes laws).
Summary
What you choose has to be right for you. Spotify can absolutely work with the right consideration and planning to avoid the pitfalls.
Bands are great and do an amazing job as well, I'd like to think that the bands I play for are amazing.
DJs, we're not all built and made the same and we don't all perform the same either, so that can make picking a DJ hard.
What I can say categorically however, when it comes to comparing ME personally with Spotify ... Spotify doesn't care anywhere near as much as I do, about Making Music Memorable - and that's where my worth is. I strive to deliver your vision and your vibe for your day.
