What should be playing when guests first arrive?
The short answer
Familiar, mid-energy, conversation-friendly — songs people recognise within two bars but can talk over. The arrival set's job is to say 'the party has started' without demanding anything.
The details
- Recognition beats intensity for the first forty minutes
- Volume at 60% — arrivals need to greet, coat-drop, and get a drink
- Watch for the first head-bob; that's your cue to start the climb
How it works in practice
DopaBeat is free, guests join by QR code without installing anything, and playback runs on YouTube’s catalogue — so nobody is locked out by a subscription.
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
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Frequently Asked Questions
What should be playing when guests first arrive?
Familiar, mid-energy, conversation-friendly — songs people recognise within two bars but can talk over. The arrival set's job is to say 'the party has started' without demanding anything.
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.