You must have loved a track that you recently heard a DJ playing in the club, but ever wondered where do the DJs get their music from? There are free and paid services where the DJs get their music from. Some DJs buy songs from popular sites or get songs sent to them in subscriptions. Some DJs also make their own music on music production software which they perform live. They’re also labels that send DJs tracks way before its released.
From Record Pools
It’s a legitimate place where labels and artists send music. DJs can listen to music, rate, and maybe give feedback and once it is done they can download the file and play it. The Record Pools charge subscription fees to be accessed. These pools also get updated on a daily and weekly basis and are really useful for any working DJ out there. Citing two popular pools below
One of the most popular ones to use is DJ City; they have multiple versions from radio version to club-ready versions of the hottest releases and tracks including some of the most exclusive remixes in the Record Pool where you won’t find anywhere else.
Another hit among the DJs. They offer membership packages with extra features. They have curated set off playlists that one can download. It comes with an easy interface and the tracks are easy to download.
From Music Streaming Services
Look at music from playlist services/music streaming services. For instance, by clicking on the genre or the artist you follow, you can then go to the sets or playlists that they have uploaded. This is one of the best and easiest ways to get access to the latest tracks. The music here is curated and updated on a regular basis.
Beatport | Spotify & SoundCloud are also integrated into new DJ Software allowing DJs to play music straight from the website.
Through Free Downloads
Soundcloud & YouTube are also a great way to search for good music, there are tons of communities that put out tons of good unreleased and released tracks that you can find simply by following them and being notified whenever they upload music, some of them will have links that will lead you to websites where you can buy the track from, but they’re also a lot where you can download the track for free simply by reposting and leaving a comment on the track to access the download link.
The Artist Union is a website where all tracks are collated in one place. Upcoming producers can sign up to this web site and upload their tracks and share it with their fans.
Get Invited via Record Label Mailing List
A good club DJ or working DJ can get themselves invited to be able to subscribe to the labels. Services like these add the DJs to their mailing list. allowing DJs to get access to new music.
Finally, Buy the Music
Beatport: A DJ based service and popular with buying and downloading music.
iTunes: Buy singles, download, and import them into your DJ software and one is ready to go!
Bandcamp: It is a great website to find and buy a lot of fresh new music which not many would have heard.
Junodownload: This is another website where you can buy music from.
So these are some of the legitimate sources that the DJs get their music from and build their music library. Hint: The best option for finding music is to keep one’s ears open and note down whatever catches your attention. This is the basis of finding music.
This post was really helpful for me as I just started my Music Career. Highly recommend for beginners to go through this.