For Bars & Venues

A recurring event night where your crowd builds the playlist and stays because of it.

If you run a bar in East Nashville or the Gulch or anywhere on Music Row, you already know the problem. Great room, good crowd, wrong music. People check out. They finish their drink and leave instead of ordering another round. A preset playlist doesn't give anyone a reason to stay.

BYODJ Night does.

Guests join on their phones, add songs to a shared queue, and vote on what plays next. The room hears what the room wants. When your song might come on in two minutes, you don't close your tab.

How it works

Guests join on their phones, no app download required. Here's what they see once they're in.

See what's playing and vote it up or down

Search any song and add it to the queue

Vote songs up or down to shape what plays next

A live leaderboard tracks who's running the dance floor

What makes it work

The format is built around a few ideas that, taken together, give guests a reason to stay and give you a night worth repeating.

The format actually repeats

Trivia night works until it doesn't. Themed nights depend on who walks in. BYODJ Night is different every time because the crowd is different every time. One night it's 90s R&B and disco, the next goes somewhere nobody planned. That's the format working exactly right.

A weekly or monthly BYODJ Night gives your regulars a standing reason to show up, and gives new people something specific to tell their friends about.

You keep control of the room

The crowd votes. You run the night. Before the event starts, you set the vibe: genre range, tempo, whatever fits your space. During the night, you can skip a song, pause playback, or reset the queue entirely.

Guests feel like they're in charge. They are, within the limits you set. Nobody's going to tank your crowd with something that clears the floor.

More dwell time, more sales

Participation keeps people at the bar longer than passive listening does. When guests are watching the queue, voting songs up, waiting to hear what wins, they order another drink. They pull their friends closer to show them the app.

They stay for one more round because their song is coming up. More dwell time, more beverage sales. That's the whole pitch.

Setup is genuinely simple

One Spotify account. One phone. Your existing sound system. Guests join through their browser, no app download, no friction at the door. Your staff doesn't manage the queue. The system runs the music. You run the bar.

If you can stream Spotify through a speaker, you can run a BYODJ Night.

The crowd it draws

BYODJ Night was built by queer women in Nashville for people who've felt like the playlist wasn't made for them. That community is loyal, it's social, and it's actively looking for bars and venues where it feels at home.

Hosting a BYODJ Night in SoBro or Five Points or Church Street isn't just a fun format swap. For a lot of guests, it signals something real about your space.

Read our safe space commitment →

Works well for

Bars running weekly or monthly event nights.
Listening rooms and coffee shops with evening hours.
Restaurant back rooms and rooftop spaces.
Any night in Nashville where you want the crowd participating, not just drinking in the dark.

What it costs

We price each event individually based on what the night looks like. We'd rather run a first event at a number that works for both of us than not run one at all.

Reach out and we'll talk through it.

Book an event night

Common Questions

What does my venue need to host a BYODJ Night?

One phone with a Spotify account, a wifi connection, and whatever sound system you already have. No additional equipment. If you can stream music through a speaker, you can run a BYODJ Night.

Can I still control what plays, or does the crowd have full control?

You always have full control. The crowd votes on what rises to the top of the queue, but the host can skip any song at any time, pause playback, or reset the entire night. The crowd suggests. You decide.

How often can we host one?

As often as you want. A weekly or monthly recurring format is actually ideal. It gives your regulars something to look forward to and builds a crowd over time.

Does my bar need a specific sound system or Spotify setup?

No. It works with any existing Spotify account and any speaker setup. The host phone connects to your sound system the same way you'd normally play music.

How much does it cost for a venue?

Pricing is worked out with each venue based on what the event looks like. Reach out and we'll figure out something that works for both sides. We'd rather do a first event than not.

Is this the same as a DJ night?

No. A DJ curates the night for your crowd. BYODJ Night is what happens when the crowd curates for itself. It's a different format, not a replacement for a DJ. Full breakdown here.

Also worth reading

How it works

The full guest and host experience, what setup looks like, what a night actually feels like, and how it differs from a DJ night.

How it works →

For nonprofits

We also work with community orgs and nonprofits. Currently free during our soft launch for founding partners.

For nonprofits →