About BYODJ Night

A crowd-voted dance night built in Nashville. Queer-owned, women-built, and made for every crowd that deserves a dance floor.

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What it is

BYODJ Night is a live event where the crowd controls the playlist. Guests join on their phones, no download required, add songs to a shared queue, and vote on what plays next. Most votes wins. The host keeps full control and can skip or pause at any time.

There's no DJ, no karaoke. Everyone in the room has a vote, and the playlist goes wherever they take it.

What makes it different

A DJ reads the room and makes the calls. That's a real skill. At a BYODJ Night, the whole room makes the calls together. Songs you forgot existed suddenly appear. One night can go from indie pop to country to musical theater to darkwave goth because that's what different people in the room actually wanted, all at once.

Our story

Abigail is a girl in Nashville who loves to dance. Going out with friends, she kept running into the same thing: great venue, great crowd, wrong music. Sometimes it was house all night. Sometimes hard country and nothing else. If you've spent a Saturday on Broadway waiting for a banger that never came, you know exactly what that feels like.

She wanted to go out consistently, to her music, without waiting for the right themed night to line up. So she built something for her friend group. Everyone joins on their phones, adds songs to a shared queue, the crowd votes on what plays next. No waiting. No hoping. Just the people in the room deciding together.

About Abigail

By day, Abigail works in SEO. She spends a lot of time thinking about how people find things online and what they actually want when they search. By night, she builds apps that solve problems that bother her enough to do something about.

She codes, she problem-solves, and she has strong opinions about playlists. BYODJ Night is where those things overlap.

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nights like these
Abigail dancing at the first BYODJ Night
Dancing at BYODJ Night
BYODJ Night
BYODJ Night
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I just wanted to dance, and that can be tough when you like a pretty specific type of music. What I love is that one night can go from indie pop to country to musical theater to dark wave goth because that's what my friends wanted. That's the whole thing.

What we believe

Every body deserves a dance floor. BYODJ Night was built by and for queer folks, BIPOC communities, and anyone who's felt like the playlist wasn't made for them. Women-owned, queer-owned, queer women-built. We say it plainly because it matters.

Read our safe space commitment →

Pricing

Pricing is worked out with each venue based on what the event looks like. For nonprofits, we're offering it free while we get our name out there. Reach out and we'll figure out what makes sense.

Ready to bring it to your event?

Get in touch

Common Questions

When did BYODJ Night get started?

BYODJ Night started as a personal project in 2025. Abigail built it for her friend group in Nashville — a way to go out dancing without waiting for the right themed night to land on the right weekend. After a few private nights, it became clear it worked, and it grew from there.

Has this actually happened at a real event?

Yes. BYODJ Night has run as a real event with real crowds. Guests joined from their phones, added songs, voted in real time, and the playlist went wherever they took it. It works exactly the way it sounds. Check upcoming nights to see what's next.

Who actually built the app?

Abigail Carroll built it. She's a Nashville-based developer and SEO professional who built BYODJ Night to solve a problem she kept running into personally. The whole thing — concept, design, code, and event production — is hers.

Is BYODJ Night queer-owned and women-owned?

Yes. BYODJ Night is queer-owned and women-owned. That matters to us and to the communities we build for. It shapes how we think about what a safe and inclusive dance night actually looks like. Read our full commitment →

Can BYODJ Night happen outside of Nashville?

The app works anywhere. We're based in Nashville and most of our events have been here, but the format doesn't require anything location-specific. If you're somewhere else and want to bring it to your venue or community, reach out — we're open to it.

How many people does it take to make a night work?

It can feel alive with as few as 15–20 people actively on the app. The voting dynamic kicks in quickly and the queue fills up fast. It gets better as the crowd grows — more votes, more competition, more surprises — but it doesn't need a packed house to be a good time.

Bring it to your event

Bars and venues

A recurring event night that gives your crowd something to do together. Works with whatever sound system you already have.

For bars →

Nonprofits and community orgs

Low overhead, real participation, and a playlist that reflects whoever's actually in the room. Free during our soft launch.

For nonprofits →

Private events

Birthdays, backyard parties, friend group celebrations. Everyone picks the music.

For private events →
Host a BYODJ Night