65% of UK DJs Don’t Play Their Favorite Music Genres at Gigs

More than half of British DJs don’t play their favorite music genre at gigs. According to a survey by Pirate, for 65% of the music heroes behind the audio decks, their go-to tracks didn’t match their work playlists. 

After the much-awaited Spotify Wrapped feature dropped, Pirate surveyed 260 DJs from across the UK about their 2022 listening habits and favorite genres, as well as the music type they play while DJing.

Although the findings keep the interviewees anonymous, they highlight that for a techno DJ, alternative rock band The Who was among the top Spotify artists. Likewise, a jungle DJ has been on a Lana Del Ray songs binge this year. 

Besides showing that 65% of DJs don’t necessarily vibe with the tunes they play on company time, the results show that the music taste changes with their surroundings for 63% of the surveyed artists.

One UK bass music DJ said his listening habits change depending on the time of day. 

“I wake up to shoegaze/dream pop every morning. During the day I’ll listen to soft acoustic or jazz records and tune in to my local station. At night, I’ll listen to lyrically powerful music (Nick Cave, Kate Tempest etc.) or fully emotive electronic music (Burial, Ross From Friends etc.).”

But Spotify is far from being the only music platform that DJs tap into. While radio, records, and live performances are few of the alternative sources, 75% of DJs said they discover new music in other DJ sets, many praising SoundCloud. 

Beyond streaming, 60% of the surveyed artists affirmed they find new music through friends.