I recommend recruiting drummers instead of trying to do canned music. They love it and it's so much easier in a variety of ways and more fun too. Here's some info I wrote for the city of Charlotte when they were thinking of starting a regular hoop jam. (Note this was written back at the beginning of our hoop jam process. It's so much bigger now and no longer requires me to attend every week, which is kind of a relief. Also, we found a gym that let us carry it over through the winter so it is a year round hoop jam):

Hoop jams are an excellent way to build hoop community. We recently started a weekly hoop jam in Raleigh and it is an amazing success. We've been doing it for six weeks and we have from 4-8 drummers each week and 15-25 hoopers. I want to tell you how I organized it so you can do it too if you'd like.

First, I had to find a place. My friend Rebecca and I went to several public parks and we ultimately chose Pullen Park. Pullen Park is a park that has a lot of kids during the day but is pretty quiet in the evenings, which is when we'd like to get together. It has a big, flat place where we can hoop and no houses around to complain about the drumming. There are picnic tables, a water fountain and a big shady space. There is also a restroom nearby. I asked the manager of the park if it would be okay if we had some drummers and hula hoopers meet there each week and he gave us his okay.

Then I solicited drummers. I contacted the Raleigh Drum Circle as well as local drummers I knew and asked them to help out. Turns out, they loved it! They love drumming for dancers and were anxious to get together and, so far, there have been more every single week.

Then I posted an announcement on the Raleigh at Play tribe, the Raleigh Hoops tribe, the yahoo groups for Carolina Bellydancers, Raleigh Drum Circle, Caro Burn and on Craig's List. I also put up posters around town at the colleges, the Whole Foods, places like that. You could solicit:
Charlotte Soul: tribes.tribe.net/charlottesoul
Charlotte, NC: cltnc.tribe.net/
Charlotte, North Cackalaka: charlottenc.tribe.net/
Best of Charlotte: bestofcharlotte.tribe.net/
plus Carolina Bellydancers and Caroburn. I'd also post to the Transformus tribe.

(I'd also recommend putting up a poster at the World Dance Center as well as other dance studios, yoga studios, art studios, colleges, natural food stores, gyms, etc.)

I also take flyers with me to any music thing that I take my hoop with me to hoop. I gave out 30 last Saturday at the Budweiser Outdoor Music Series, which brought out at least 10 new hooprs this past week. Also, bring fliers to each jam so that people who come can give them to their friends. Make sure you invite passers-by to play too.

I also recommend bringing some beater hoops to share. At least 10 of various sizes. This way, people in the park can play. But be prepared to sell people hoops or tell them how to make them when they get into it. I didn't do this to sell hoops but I've sold a lot of hoops since turning people onto hooping at the Hoop Jam.

The Raleigh Hoop Jam is Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30. It's nice to have something to do during the week. Also, folks travel a lot on the weekends so it's harder to get people to come then I think. Plus, the parks are full of kids! I love kids but I prefer to hoop with at least as many adults as kids.
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These days our jam has at least 10 drummers each week and 20-40 hoopers. It's really grown and is self-sustaining now. The drummers love to see their beats interpreted and the hoopers love to dance to drummers. I take a lot more hoops because there are more people but that's the only way the responsibility has grown.

Love,
Carolyn

Sorry, I've been idle for a while now...I just started an Etsy business, and it's taken up so much of my free time that I haven't picked up my hoop in weeks. Shameful, I know.

Anyhoo, I am looking at probably hosting a jam on Sunday, without much active preparation. This will be interesting. I'll let you know how it goes.