What equipment do you need to run party music from an app?

The short answer

A phone or laptop, one decent speaker, and Wi-Fi — that's the whole rig. The app handles queueing and requests; the only hardware decision that matters is the speaker.

The details

  • One good speaker beats several small ones fighting each other
  • A spare phone as the dedicated host device saves your main phone's battery
  • Wired beats Bluetooth for the host connection if you can manage it — zero dropouts

How it works in practice

DopaBeat costs nothing to host with: guests scan a QR code, request from their own phones, and you approve what plays — all on YouTube’s full catalogue.

The host creates an event, shares the QR code or invite link, and the shared queue does the rest: guests request from their own phones, votes order the queue, and the host approves what plays. The whole setup takes about a minute — most of which is picking the event name.

Related reading

More depth on this topic: our full guide.

Get DopaBeat — free on iOS and Android

One DJ, everyone adds songs, every phone in sync. Set up your first party in under a minute.

Download DopaBeat on the App StoreGet DopaBeat on Google Play

Frequently Asked Questions

What equipment do you need to run party music from an app?

A phone or laptop, one decent speaker, and Wi-Fi — that's the whole rig. The app handles queueing and requests; the only hardware decision that matters is the speaker.

Does this work for both iPhone and Android guests?

Yes — the DopaBeat app is on both stores, and web joining works in any phone browser regardless of platform.

Is there a cost involved?

No — hosting and joining DopaBeat events is free, with playback on YouTube’s catalogue.

Keep reading