Your wedding should be one of the most memorable days of your life, so it goes without saying that the music needs to be memorable too. Putting together your playlist will take careful thought and consideration, especially if you want to have something on it to please everyone.

Allow enough time to put your wedding playlist together. Think about the kinds of moods you want to create. Some wedding music can be cheesy, but you might also want to have some carefully selected love songs to create the right mood. If you have a live band, check what songs they can play and ask them well in advance about it, so that you can choose your songs with your partner. You also need to think about the all-important first dance: will this be to live music, or will you simply pick your favourite song, that means something to you as bride and groom?

Choosing a band or DJ for your wedding or event is an important decision as it will change the atmosphere and ambience significantly. A DJ will feel more like a party, whereas a band can be chosen to perform different music styles and change the nature of your event. Here are some pros and cons for each.

Bands: This is a versatile way of bringing music into your event and you can choose a band based on the styles they are best at performing. You might pay more though, as the best bands know their worth and will charge higher prices.

DJs: You can create a real atmosphere with a DJ, and you can still request songs you would like them to play. However, there won’t be as much versatility as you would get with a band, and some people might not like having music playing at a high volume all night.

You have an event or party coming up, and you know you want a band to play. So how do you go about choosing the right one? There are various routes you can take, to make sure you will choose the right band to suit your needs. 

1. Go with recommendations. If someone has said they have seen a band in action and they are good, then you know that they will play well live. 
2. Listen to them online. See if you can find samples of their music to see if you like their style. Listen to them as much as you can to check if they are to your taste, either online or by seeing if you can source their music on CD. 
3. Ask if they can take requests. If there are particular songs you would like, contact the band to see if they are in their repertoire, or if they could learn them for you. 

Christmas is creeping up on us and with only three months to go, you really need to be making arrangements for your Christmas party. Whatever shape or form that might take, music is guaranteed to get the festivities going, and as such, booking a band or some kind of music entertainment is often a top priority. Be warned, the most talented musicians are getting booked up fast, so you need to act quickly in order to secure the right musician for your party.

You can source a musician or band yourself, if you know people or if they have a website. You might also be able to speak to the venue to see if there are performers they work with who they would recommend. If you use an events planner, discuss your music options with them. They will have artists they are in close contact with who they can book, and they should be able to provide all equipment as well.

Streaming is one of the easiest ways to listen to music and consumers make use of it more than ever before. One of the main reasons for this is the price – streaming can be accessed for free when using non-premium versions of a streaming app. How does this affect the artists who are making music?

In terms of revenue, streaming is not always good news. It makes very little money indeed for artists and often their record labels will receive the payments. It is rarely going to make artists enough money on its own.

The positive part of streaming is that it can create more demand than ever before. More people are listening to music by a variety of artists because it is free, or very cheap, for them to do so. Artists can gain enormous popularity via streaming services, leading to sell-out tours and paid work through television and radio.

The BBC Proms have traditionally been a classical music festival held at the Royal Albert Hall. They were established to make music accessible for everybody by making it affordable to see world-class orchestras in a world-class venue. However, in recent years, the Proms have been branching out and now include a whole range of concerts and events for all types of musical consumers.

Jazz is now a big feature at the Proms and will usually appear in the form of Late Night Proms. These are held in a bar or more informal setting after another concert has taken place. Attendees can enjoy established and up and coming jazz singers and musicians in a relaxed environment.

More recently, the Proms have also celebrated artists from other genres. David Bowie’s music has been features and other artists are gaining more recognition and representation as well. Venues are also becoming more diverse, with one concert being held in a car park this year.

Bands are often very popular for wedding entertainment. At the reception, lots of couples will choose to have a live band playing rather than having a DJ for the whole evening. If you want to hire a band for your big day, here are some tips:

• Remember that a good band won’t be cheap. Musicians put in a lot of time practising to make the music they play sound good. They also have to invest in instruments and music, so don’t underestimate their costs. Some bands will ask for travel expenses as well.
• Ask for advice. Lots of people hire wedding bands and they will be able to tell you about the service they received and the quality of the music.
• Listen to a band’s music on the internet. They will usually have their own website or YouTube channel where you can hear some of their music and see if you like it.

Festival season is just a few months away, so it’s time to start planning out your festival diary for this summer. Here are some of the top UK festivals to help you decide on the ones you want to go to:

• Glastonbury. This is one of the most well-known festivals in the UK and it always features a diverse line-up of well-established artists and new up-and-coming performers. It’s huge – there are multiple stages to visit. Some of this year’s top acts include Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Ed Sheeran.
• Reading and Leeds. Known as more of an indie festival, artists this year will include Two Door Cinema Club and The Pretty Reckless. These festivals happen later on in the summer at the end of August.
• Green Man Festival. Green Man bills itself as being set in one of the most beautiful and inspiring locations in the world. Visitors can enjoy music and arts as well as the surrounding Welsh countryside.

The music industry in the UK is going strong. New artists are emerging all the time and making names for themselves, with many going on to have long and successful music careers. Often, this is down to the fact that these artists have lots of platforms to be heard. From their local pub to nationwide radio stations, the UK music scene is very much geared up to promoting good new music.

Another factor is that in the UK, people are big music fans. There is an enormous market for new music, with many people spending their time listening to up-and-coming artists and local gigs. This paves the way for new and exciting artists to be heard on a larger scale and is very promising for the future of live music.

Hip-hop specifically has been in the spotlight recently, with the famous producer Swizz Beatz claiming that the very best hip-hop music is currently being made in the UK.

He’s made hits for Drake, Jay Z & Kanye. But @THEREALSWIZZZ says the talent is here in the UK https://t.co/5pV69d8FbD

— BBC Newsbeat (@BBCNewsbeat) December 16, 2016

He has been talking to BBC Radio 1 about the strength of hip-hop in the UK at the moment and he has a lot of praise for the music that is being produced. He has gone so far as to say that the hip-hop currently being made in the UK is stronger than that coming from the US. He says that this is down to the uniqueness of it. He makes frequent trips to the UK in order to record and use the new sounds that are being produced.

This is very promising for UK artists, especially in genres like hip-hop and grime which haven’t always enjoyed as much prevalence as other types of music. With such a receptive audience, the trend is hopefully set to continue.

Finding a record deal is the dream for many bands and solo artists. It means that you have backing for your finances and publicity, and the simple fact that somebody believes in you enough to sign you is a great confidence boost. Finding that elusive record deal is no mean feat though, so here are some of the things you can do to help you along the way:

• Make sure your music is heard. You need to promote yourself to get noticed initially, and before you have a record label behind you, it’s essential that you learn to do this for yourself. Find local gigs that you can play and offer to do performances at small festivals and events.
• Get experience performing live. If you want to succeed in the competitive world of music, you need to make sure you are an excellent live performer. If you get a little bit nervous on stage, the only real way to overcome this is practice. Perform to as many people as you can to get used to the situation and to develop your stage presence.
• Be confident in your sounds. Every band develops – of course they do. If you like the music you’re making now though, you need to be able to tell the world about it. Unless you’re willing to back yourself and indulge in a little bit of shameless self promotion, you’re not going to get the results you want.
• Be persistent. Contact records labels, enter competitions, send your music in to radio stations… and then do it all over again. Success in the music industry probably won’t just fall in your lap. You’re going to have to tell people about your music – probably more than once.

There is never any guarantee of success in the music industry and there will always be a degree of luck. There’s a lot to be said for being in the right place at the right time but there’s also a lot to be said for passion, talent, grit and determination. Working hard on your music is much more likely to land you that coveted record deal.