DJ Music Questionnaire: How to Fill It In (Template)

You fill in a DJ music questionnaire well when you give the DJ a few clear instructions and a lot of direction: the exact songs for fixed moments, two to five true must-plays, 10 to 20 further requests, a short do-not-play list, two or three notes on styles and decades, and a rule for guest requests. That is all it takes. A list of 150 songs takes away the very thing you booked a DJ for: reacting to the dance floor. This guide goes through the form section by section, shows a completed example and explains how the briefing works afterwards.

What a music questionnaire is and what it is for

The music questionnaire, also called a music form, planning form or request sheet, is a document the DJ sends after you book: a PDF, an online form or a page in a client portal. It collects everything the DJ needs to know about your taste and your guests before you settle the details in a planning call.

It does three jobs:

• Prevent mistakes at fixed moments. The wrong song or the wrong version for an entrance cannot be repeated.
• Set the direction. The DJ sees what you like and builds the night from it.
• Draw the lines. Only you know what must not be played.

The form is not a contract and not a playlist. It is a working document, and the DJ may ask when something is unclear or does not fit together.

The typical sections at a glance

Section	What goes in	How binding
Fixed moments	Exact song with artist and version for each moment	Binding
Must-plays	Two to five songs that have to be played	Binding
Request list	10 to 20 songs for the dance session	A direction, not an order
Styles and decades	What you like, what your guests like	A direction
Do-not-plays	Songs, artists or styles to avoid	Binding
Guest requests	Open, filtered or none	A rule for the night
Guests and mood	Age mix, backgrounds, how keen they are to dance, volume	Background knowledge
Announcements and names	Who is introduced and how names are pronounced	Binding

How to fill in each section

Fixed moments: as precise as possible

For every moment with its own music, enter the title, the artist and the version. "Our song" is not enough when there is an album version, an acoustic version and a duet. A link to the exact recording is the safest option.

Add what should happen with the song:

• Start: from the beginning or from a certain point, for example "from 0:45, when the vocals come in".
• Length: in full, or faded out after about two minutes.
• Cue: who gives the DJ the signal to start.

Typical fixed moments at a wedding are the processional and recessional, the cake cutting, the grand entrance, the first dance and the last song. Our wedding DJ timeline shows how they spread across the day. At a birthday or a company event it is often just an entrance song, a "Happy Birthday" or the music for an award.

Must-plays: few, but real

Must-plays are the songs you would be disappointed not to hear. Two to five is a good range. If you like, add when they fit best: "early, while the grandparents are still there" or "at the peak".

Request list: 10 to 20 songs as a compass

A quick calculation shows why more does not help: four hours of dance music at an average of three minutes per song is about 80 songs. With 20 requests, a quarter of the night is already fixed; with 80, the DJ has no room left and cannot react to an empty floor. The numbers for other lengths are in how many songs in a DJ set.

How to make the request list useful:

• Mix it up. Include songs from different styles and decades, not 20 from one genre.
• Check danceability. A favourite song for listening fits dinner better than the dance floor. Mark those as "background".
• Do not set an order. The DJ sorts by tempo, key and mood.
• Send a playlist link instead of typing. A link avoids typos. Say which songs on it really matter.

Styles and decades: be honest about you and your guests

There are two questions here: what do you like, and what gets your guests dancing? The answers almost always differ. Notes such as "we love indie and house, our families dance to 80s pop and Motown, please cover both" are useful. Do not tick everything: if every style is "fine", the DJ knows no more than before.

Do-not-plays: short, with a reason

The do-not-play list is the section DJs read most carefully. Enter what really is off limits: single songs, artists or whole styles. A word on the reason helps with borderline cases, such as "no novelty party songs, even on request" or "this song is tied to a bad memory".

Keep the list short. If you rule out three pages of music, you usually rule out what gets your guests dancing as well. Also decide whether the do-not-plays apply when a guest asks for the song.

Guest requests: one clear rule

Rule	What it means	Works well when
Open	The DJ plays requests as soon as they fit	You want everyone to have a say
Filtered	The DJ only plays what suits your style and the mood	The usual choice at weddings
No requests	The DJ declines politely	You have a clear musical concept

Some couples collect requests with the invitation. That makes sense if you go through the answers yourself and pass only a selection on to the DJ.

Guests, mood and volume

The DJ does not know your guests. Write down what they should know: the age range, whether many children or older relatives are coming, whether guests are travelling from other countries and which music brings them in, and whether your crowd dances early or needs a run-up. If a moderate volume during dinner or a quiet area matters to you, it belongs here too. The World Health Organization's standard for safe listening venues recommends, among other things, quieter zones and a limit on the sound level; for a private party that is not a rule, but it is a good reference point.

Announcements and names

Enter who the DJ should introduce and write difficult names the way they are pronounced. Also note what should not be announced, for example games you do not want.

A completed example

An invented example for a wedding with 80 guests:

Section	Entry
Processional	Instrumental version, from the start, cue from the officiant
First dance	Our song in the album version, bring guests in after two minutes
Last song	A sing-along for everyone, then lights up
Must-plays	Three songs, one of them early for the grandparents
Request list	Link to a playlist with 18 songs, four marked as background
Styles	Us: indie, house, 90s. Guests: 80s, Motown, current hits
Do-not-plays	No novelty party songs, no explicit lyrics, one specific song not at all
Guest requests	Filtered; do-not-plays apply to requests too
Guests	Aged 25 to 75, ten guests from Spain, keen dancers
Announcements	The couple's entrance, the buffet opening; no games

A DJ can work with this form: few fixed points, clear limits and enough freedom.

How the briefing with the DJ works

The questionnaire is the preparation; the briefing is where you agree the plan. A detailed call two to four weeks before the event is usual, by phone, by video or at the venue. It runs like this:

1. Send the form ahead. The DJ reads it before the call and notes questions.
2. Go through the schedule. Times, items and who gives each cue.
3. Confirm the fixed songs. Version, start point, length.
4. Talk about taste. The DJ sums up how they would build the night and you correct it.
5. Settle the limits. Do-not-plays, guest requests, games, volume.
6. Equipment and people. Setup time, microphones, the contact person on the day.
7. Written summary. The DJ confirms what was agreed; later changes go to a single address.

If you are at the very start and still looking for a DJ, begin with a complete first message; the template is in our DJ booking inquiry guide, and the whole booking process is in how to hire a DJ.

Who takes care of music rights

For a private celebration with family and friends you normally do not have to arrange anything because of the songs on your list. Company events and public events are different: in many countries they count as public use of music, and the organiser or the venue usually needs a licence from the local collecting society. In the United Kingdom, for example, GOV.UK points businesses and public venues to TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS. More on this in how to choose a corporate event DJ. This is general information, not legal advice; rules differ by country.

Common mistakes when filling it in

• Too many songs. A long list turns the DJ into a playback device.
• Only your own taste. The guests should dance, not just you.
• Vague entries for fixed moments. Without version and start point, a mistake is built in.
• Everything is a must-play. If 30 songs are mandatory, none of them is important.
• Handing it in too late. The night before, the DJ can no longer source missing tracks.
• Contradictions. "No 90s" and five 90s hits on the request list: read the form through once before sending.
• Several senders. If the couple and the best man each send lists, there are three versions in the end.

Checklist before you send it

• Every fixed moment has a title, artist, version, start point and length.
• Two to five must-plays are marked.
• The request list has 10 to 20 songs from several styles.
• Background songs are labelled.
• The do-not-play list is short, and you have decided whether it applies to guest requests.
• A rule for guest requests is chosen.
• The age mix and anything special about the guests are described.
• Names for announcements are noted with pronunciation.
• The form goes to the DJ two to four weeks ahead, from one person.

To see how many songs fit into your dance session, try the DJ set planner.

Sources

• WHO: Global standard for safe listening venues and events (2022)
• GOV.UK: Get a licence to play live or recorded music