Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Trending
    • Anyma Releases Third Album, ‘The End Of Genesys’
    • Sync’d Up: Waves Audio Releases Sync Vx
    • PhaseOne Delivers Sophomore Album ‘TERRANOVA’
    • Destination City Brings DJ Big Benefits: DJ Michael Bowman
    • Multi-Purpose Modules: PK Sound/ACT Entertainment Launches Tx Series
    • Roland Joined Techno Producer Juan Atkins to Celebrate Detroit Music Scene
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    DJ Life Magazine DJ Life Magazine
    • Home

      Anyma Releases Third Album, ‘The End Of Genesys’

      May 30, 2025

      Sync’d Up: Waves Audio Releases Sync Vx

      May 30, 2025

      PhaseOne Delivers Sophomore Album ‘TERRANOVA’

      May 30, 2025

      Destination City Brings DJ Big Benefits: DJ Michael Bowman

      May 29, 2025

      Multi-Purpose Modules: PK Sound/ACT Entertainment Launches Tx Series

      May 29, 2025
    • Magazine
      1. Issues
      2. Buy Print Issue
      3. Subscribe
      Featured

      DJ Life Magazine Issue Vol.5 No.2

      By Mark MancinoApril 18, 2025
      Recent

      DJ Life Magazine Issue Vol.5 No.2

      April 18, 2025

      DJ Life Magazine Issue Vol.5 No.1

      February 26, 2025

      DJ Life Magazine Issue Vol.4 No.6

      December 23, 2024
    • Interviews
      1. Interviews
      2. Mobile DJ Profiles
      Featured

      David Guetta: Giant Steps [Interview]

      By Mark MancinoMay 13, 2025
      Recent

      David Guetta: Giant Steps [Interview]

      May 13, 2025

      Restricted: Face 2 Face [Interview]

      May 9, 2025

      Booka Shade: Making ‘For Real’ [Interview]

      May 7, 2025
    • Tech
      1. Tech News
      2. Tech Reviews
      Featured

      Sync’d Up: Waves Audio Releases Sync Vx

      By Mark MancinoMay 30, 2025
      Recent

      Sync’d Up: Waves Audio Releases Sync Vx

      May 30, 2025

      Multi-Purpose Modules: PK Sound/ACT Entertainment Launches Tx Series

      May 29, 2025

      JetPack Pulse: A Game-Changing Crossbody Sling Bag Built for DJs

      May 22, 2025
    • Music
      1. Music
      2. DJ Playlists
      3. Mixes
      4. DJ National Club Charts
      Featured

      Anyma Releases Third Album, ‘The End Of Genesys’

      By Mark MancinoMay 30, 2025
      Recent

      Anyma Releases Third Album, ‘The End Of Genesys’

      May 30, 2025

      PhaseOne Delivers Sophomore Album ‘TERRANOVA’

      May 30, 2025

      Marlon Hoffstadt Releases New Single “Supersonic / Hands Up In The Sky,” Signs to Capitol Records

      May 23, 2025
    • Events

      CRSSD Festival Unveils Fall 2025 Lineup

      May 20, 2025

      Better Together Brings 2-Night Open-Air Event to Phoenix

      May 15, 2025

      Same Same But Different Festival 2025 Unveils Phase One Lineup

      April 29, 2025

      Cascade Equinox 2025: See the Stacked Lineup for Third Annual Edition

      April 25, 2025

      Groove Cruise to Set Sail in 2026, January Lineup Announced

      April 24, 2025
    • Tips
      1. DJ Tips
      2. Business Tips
      3. DJ Life Lessons
      Featured

      Email-Marketing Refresher: Drip Campaigns & More

      By Jordan St. JacquesApril 11, 2025
      Recent

      Email-Marketing Refresher: Drip Campaigns & More

      April 11, 2025

      Tech Tips with DJ JAS: Creating Wireless Speakers

      March 12, 2025

      DJ Idea Sharing: Really… Who Cares?

      February 27, 2025
    • Mobile DJ
      1. Mobile DJ Profiles
      2. Mobile Monday Spotlights
      3. Wedding DJ
      4. Business Tips
      5. DJX Subscribe
      Featured

      Destination City Brings DJ Big Benefits: DJ Michael Bowman

      By Jim TremayneMay 29, 2025
      Recent

      Destination City Brings DJ Big Benefits: DJ Michael Bowman

      May 29, 2025

      Mariah Hay [Mobile Monday Spotlight]

      May 26, 2025

      Jeremy Bates [Mobile Monday Spotlight]

      May 19, 2025
    • DJX Show
    DJ Life Magazine DJ Life Magazine
    Home»Tips»Where Do I Get My Music? by DJ HAPA
    Tips

    Where Do I Get My Music? by DJ HAPA

    By DJ LifeAugust 8, 2023
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

    The modern DJ & nXt @ DJX ’23 coach has more options than ever — here’s a rundown from “The DJ Coach” by DJ HAPA

    As a DJ, there is a constant quest to discover and acquire music and this has remained relatively the same since the 1970s. However, as we know, the media platforms have changed, as we’ve gone from cassette tapes and vinyl records to CDs, MP3s, and other digital files to now streaming services. 

    At the time of writing this article, we, as DJs, are probably some of the only people in the world who are still downloading actual MP3 and WAV files – and I can’t help but feel a bit like a dinosaur waiting for the meteor to crash into the Earth. Whether you are a brand-new DJ, or a veteran, I wanted to share some different ways that you can add more to your library:  

    Streaming Services (Beatport, Beatsource, TIDAL, Soundcloud Go+)
    I’m an avid Spotify user and that’s my go-to when listening to music at my desk, in the car, on a run, and everything in between, outside of DJing. Several years ago, algoriddim djay had a Spotify integration that allowed us to spin with music from Spotify playlists, but unfortunately, that came to a halt. In my opinion, the next best thing is TIDAL. While I am a fan of Beatport and Beatsource’s offline locker feature, which allows you to be able to play select songs, even when there’s no wi-fi, I still find that TIDAL has the closest selection to my beloved Spotify.  My workflow when preparing for a gig is to start to make a playlist inside of Spotify. I check for user-generated playlists that may match what I am looking for and whittle down to tracks that make the cut. I also will use the “Go to Radio” feature when I find a song that I like to see what the algorithm identifies as being similar. Once I have my playlist, I use a third-party program, Soundiiz.com to transfer and sync that Spotify playlist to a TIDAL playlist. Now I essentially have a Spotify playlist inside of my Serato or rekordbox software!  

    Subscription Service DJ Record Pools (DJCity, BPM Supreme, DMS, Headliner Music Club, ClubKillers, Pitch the Tempo, ZIPDJ, MyMP3Pool, Promo Only, and more)
    A majority of the music that I have in my library has come from one of these record pools. The concept of a record pool dates back to the vinyl era when radio DJs and select club DJs would be invited to be members of an exclusive group of jocks that were serviced promo records from major and independent labels looking to get their newest releases spins on air or in heralded clubs. Back then, most labels were only servicing a select number of promos (usually in quantities of 30 since that was the most common quantity of vinyl records in a box) and, in exchange for the free promos, DJs would provide feedback on the tracks and would also pay a nominal monthly fee to help with the administration costs of the pool.   

    Today, the digital pools don’t have the same limitation of only being able to service 30 DJs, and instead have hundreds or even thousands of members. Many pools still require DJs to apply for membership, pay monthly dues and provide feedback on tracks that they pass on to their contacts from promotional departments at a variety of record labels.  The pools also offer curation from their members, extended intros and outros, alternative “unofficial” edits, remixes, and mashups that are great for DJs, produced by fellow DJs. Once you download the MP3s, you own them, even if you no longer are a member of the pool, and you could also create your own re-edits of these tracks as well. In line with the service that record pools provide, most of them offer more of the newer, club-friendly, mainstream tracks with a fraction of the amount of songs you would find on Spotify or any of the other streaming services.   

    In my opinion, every working DJ should have at least one record-pool subscription with the current state of DJing. 

    Purchasing Individual Tracks (iTunes, Amazon MP3 Store, Beatport, Traxsource, Bandcamp). About 10-percent of my library is made up of music that I have purchased-per-track from a variety of sources. There are definitely times where I am preparing for a gig and need to have songs that I cannot find on any of the DJ pools, and I can’t risk an unreliable wi-fi connection. In these instances, I opt for purchasing the actual MP3s. I also like to support artists that I like and will purchase albums or singles from Bandcamp or other stores.   

    Another option that I would highly recommend and encourage any of the DJs or readers out there to revisit is popping into a local record store! I used to own a record store in Los Angeles (R.E.H.A.B. Projects) many years ago and there is just something magical about crouching down on a semi-clean floor and digging through a dollar bin of wax. You can purchase records and record them into your DJ software. You can purchase CDs and burn them into your laptop with an external CD drive (since the computers don’t come with them anymore). There’s actually a decent amount of music that never made it to the digital stores and this is a great way to discover forgotten gems. 

     In a world where most have access to every song ever made, curation becomes incredibly important. The music that you bring into your DJ software, and then inherently through the speakers onto dancefloors matters. I hope this helps demystify where you can get music, but also challenges all of us as DJs to “dig deeper.”  

    By: DJ HAPA

    Dubbed “The DJ Coach,” HAPA has found a way to blend his 20-plus years of experience as a DJ with his passion for teaching, to deliver informative and digestible concepts in the classroom. He’s also shared stages with artists like Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars and Drake, and spun for clients that include Microsoft, ESPN, and The Grammys. 

    DJ DJ Hapa DJX featured nXt

    Related Posts

    Anyma Releases Third Album, ‘The End Of Genesys’

    Destination City Brings DJ Big Benefits: DJ Michael Bowman

    Mariah Hay [Mobile Monday Spotlight]

    Marlon Hoffstadt Releases New Single “Supersonic / Hands Up In The Sky,” Signs to Capitol Records

    SOFI TUKKER Releases Silky New Album, ‘butter’

    CRSSD Festival Unveils Fall 2025 Lineup

    Comments are closed.

    Latest Posts

    Anyma Releases Third Album, ‘The End Of Genesys’

    May 30, 2025

    Sync’d Up: Waves Audio Releases Sync Vx

    May 30, 2025

    PhaseOne Delivers Sophomore Album ‘TERRANOVA’

    May 30, 2025

    Destination City Brings DJ Big Benefits: DJ Michael Bowman

    May 29, 2025
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    • About
    • Digital Editions
    • Subscribe
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    © 2025 DJ Life Magazine

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.