Whether you’re looking for the latest tracks and acapellas or searching for new avenues to expose your own productions, digital record pools are a great dj tool. Record pools, now more commonly known as music or dj pools, are symbiotic arrangements between professional djs and record companies. Djs get access to a large pool of new music for minimum or no cost and the record companies get feedback and exposure. This concept has been in effect since the mid 70’s and, more specifically, since disco club pioneer David Mancuso and others created The New York Record Pool. Over the past 5 years, digital music pools have become more popular and with all the new options it can be a bit confusing which ones are worth your time or money. Read on for our thoughts and breakdowns of some the top options available today.
IDJPOOL
The people at IDJpool did away with the frills and get to the straight dope by offering their services through an ftp client. A large selection of top 40 hip hop and RnB are available as well as an extensive dance collection. Price ranges from 30/ mo for hiphop, 30/mo electro or 50/mo for both. This service suits best the DJ who wants to download an entire directory of high quality files over night and review them the next day. Picking and choosing through the collection is hindered by slow download speeds and no previewing. That said, the selection is very good and in particular they have access to some great remixes and edits of old and new pop.
PROS
- Good mainstream and independent selection
- High quality files
CONS
- Very slow downloads
- Can only download one directory per session/login
- No preview
8th Wonder
8th wonder has easily the largest and most varied selection of tracks of all the pools we have reviewed. Their hip-hop and dance sections are updated daily and total over 5 thousand which makes the price tag of $10/mo almost unbelievable. The site is well-organized and easily searched. Files from 8th wonder can be previewed and downloaded singly or in a queue, all very fast. This is in part due to the fact that the majority of the collection is stored in 192 kbps (“near CD quality”) as opposed to the standard 320 kbps mp3s. There is also an extensive video section, that like the rest of the site, is relevant and useful.
PROS
- Large indepedent/dance selection
- Video selection
- Queued downloads
- DJ remix uploading
CONS
- Most of the collection is 192 bitrate
DJ City
This record pool is a subscription service for $90/3mo for a large top40 and dance collection. The site is easy to navigate through genres but here the search function is lacking. File quality is the highest possible; however, those looking for indie/dance music other than top40 remixes will be left wanting for more. DJcity is one of the few record pools that offer a small latin music selection and also have a store that seems designed for the controllerist in mind.
PROS
- High quality files
- Extensive DJ tools in the store
- Latin music section
CONS
- Small dance section
- Must rate before download
Whitelabel.net
Serato’s promotion arm casts a wide-net and with arguably well rounded selection of tracks. For a free service, the access is to top 40 hits and underground genres is extensive. This, however, is no free lunch. The files have to be played with Serato hardware connected or else your tracks will sound like they are being played out of a tin can. Tracks can be previewed in full quality on the website, but because the files are encoded in a proprietary format, they also cannot be edited or used with at least one harmonic mixing program. In conclusion, whitelabel is a banquet for the choosy beggar who is enslaved to their Serato set-up.
PROS
- Free
- Good selection from wide variety of genres
CONS
- No mixing in key
- Proprietary, can only be used with Serato software
My 12 inch
This provocatively named record pool offers a fairly standard slew of top 40 and dance tracks for $50 a month. Unique features include video downloads and a small salsa and bachata section. The files are high-quality (320 kbps mp3 and H.264 mp4 files) but unfortunately this quality is sparingly shared across underground/remix tracks. The interface on this website is fairly small and provides a challenging search. My12inch has some of the most features of any record pool we have reviewed, but users may feel differently about substance.
PROS
- Video service
- Latin music section
CONS
- Small indy/dance section
- Must rate before download
- Can’t queue downloads
Digiwaxx
This free promotional service takes no shorts in narrowing down its audience. The top 40 hip hop and mixtape crowd should be more than pleased with the selection, should you get through it, and even the odd throw-backs make an appearance. The interface is unintuitive; users have to go into “my tracks”, a list of the entire catalog that is pending your reviews, looking more like a grocery list than the hottest new tracks. Unfortunately, the search feature is also very limited, so browsing this collection is a pain.
PROS
- Free
- Extensive Top 40 selection
CONS
- No indie/dance section
- Extensive reviewing process
CONCLUSION
Joining a digital record pool can provide you with a lot of new pop tracks or a small pool of specialty tracks depending on what you are into. Whatever the case, choose wisely and you could end up saving quite a bit of cash in the long run. All levels of djs can benefit from this type of service: a beginning dj gets to acquire tons of tracks quickly and an expert can acquire all the newest tracks, acapellas, and instrumentals from major and indie labels alike.
Imitation bvlgari B.zero1 collier
Hello, you used to write fantastic, but the last few posts have been kinda boring… I miss your great writings. Past few posts are just a bit out of track! come on!”In politics stupidity is not a handicap.” by Napoleon Bonaparte.
[…] Digital Record Pool Round-up […]
Lossless or lose.
2010!!? Wtf! I must be high
Checkout CrateConnect.net
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150967209024232.440106.632114231&type=1
CrateConnect Has Exploded with New Types Of Music and Tons of Old Classic Promos VLS and CDS Singles
I use Zipdj . its got all the cool tunes and its like a promo only but your batch file is close to 300 mb for 18 tracks. and the quality is super. I joined about a few weeks ago and i got house galore!
I’m looking for latin pool with remixes, intros
When you hear from record labels ”release supported by: Dubfire, Sharam, Hawtin, etc..” how do these labels get their tracks to the top djs, and how do they get the feedback like that?
through pools? or digital music distributors? or their own personal list of contacts?
When you hear from record labels ”release supported by: Dubfire, Sharam, Hawtin, etc..” how do these labels get their tracks to the top djs, and how do they get the feedback like that?
through pools? or digital music distributors? or their own personal list of contacts?
This Blog Is great it helped me a lot but I’m still in search of Spanish music for example Duranguese, Banda, El moviemento Alterado, Reaggton I have almost all i need but since im Hispanic and I know alto of Mexican ppl i get those kind of gigs and I’m left with no choice but to buy Cd’s and i lack the knowledge
Email me at MixMasters@live.com and I am sure we can work something out. I have a great selection of reggaetón and Latin plus its all Dj ready.
anybody know of a good pool for hardcore badass Electro/House remixes and tracks? I need about 2 hours of it to hang for a 6 hour gig coming up…. stressing!
try traxsource, beatport or juno records website…..they cater to house music, electro, dance
Anyone know a good pool for house/tech house/techno? All of the sites previously mentioned are for “DANCE” which is commercial and not what i play at all. Thanks.
Anyone know a good pool for house/tech house/techno? All of the sites previously mentioned are for “DANCE” which is commercial and not what i play at all. Thanks.
franchise record pool has it all. I live in NY and they got everything i need.
[quote comment=”26556″]I don’t get why people are so against “pop” or top 40 songs. What would you do if one of your songs you produce makes it to the top 40?[/quote]
I don’t see why I should play something which is being played on the radio 20 to 25 times a day, often I play songs and peoples say I never heard that song before BUT it sounds good, that what’s wrong with peoples here in the States now theirs taste in music is VERY LIMITED
I have been supplying alot of you pools over a decade. I miss vinyls but I dont miss the cost of pressing!! =D
RADIO RECORDS – NMB STUNNAZ – GOING FOR ADDS – BDS & MEDIABASE ENCODED
http://burn.at/NMBRADIO
thank you for the support! I will not play favoritism! I respect all pools that allow me to do my job!
nice little blog man..u helped me find exactly what i was looking for! a decent dj blog
thnks…
Hey Mr Brightside, CrateConnect.net is the best for that. They have full promos going back to 1980. I just received an email with 100+ promos from 1992 alone. HIGHLY Recommend them !
I recently started hosting a night called Flashback at my club- and literally just started DJing a few months ago (and just got a Dicer thanks to Ean :p)
Anyway- I play 80s and 90s exclusively on this night and I’ve got every 80s and 90s song I could possibly want BUT quality is an issue (I ripped most of the music from my own CDs ages ago before I understood quality)
Any DJ pool sites you know of that have a big selection of 80s/90s rock/pop/hiphop/etc?
I recently started hosting a night called Flashback at my club- and literally just started DJing a few months ago (and just got a Dicer thanks to Ean :p)
Anyway- I play 80s and 90s exclusively on this night and I’ve got every 80s and 90s song I could possibly want BUT quality is an issue (I ripped most of the music from my own CDs ages ago before I understood quality)
Any DJ pool sites you know of that have a big selection of 80s/90s rock/pop/hiphop/etc?
BPM Supreme…I’m surprised it’s not listed here! http://bpmsupreme.com/store/
What about cicana.com how does that rank against these dj pools?
I am now part of Next Music Pool in Los Angeles, great pool. Awesome service, which comes right to my inbox of my email. All the files are fast downloading, and great quality. Many dance music which is nice, and I get around 20-30 titles a week with all the mixes. Only $60 a month and way worth it, and get stuff before the bad quality mixes show up on the blogs.
There website is doesn’t say much, so you need to send them an email. Check out nextmusicpool.com
CrateConnect is the BEST, Hands Down. Free To Join !
http://www.gigacrate.com
CrateConnect is the shit. Been on that since HipHopHits.net days.
Anyone try exclusivegrooves.com? The guys from stacks vinyl started this dj pool a few years ago and man it is all good for urban hip hop and ol skool.other genres may be available
check it out……………Peace people..me dj
Videotoolz and 8thwonderpromos have now merged, I used 8thwonder religiously to get my videos and now it’s even better
CrateConnect is one of the best I found so far.
[quote comment=”26642″][quote comment=”26634″][quote comment=”26574″]Damn, i didnt know there are country dj’s…atleast not in my definition of a dj,LOL :D[/quote]
if theres a venue and a genre that has to be played then i’ll play it. don’t hate on other genres of music a paying gig is a paying gig. i’m not so vain or full of myself that i can’t play other music that i may or may not like. hating on other genres is to me like hating on the dj that is digital over the one that plays vinyl. do your thing and make some money so you can focus on the thing you love most. the most flexible get more gigs, more gigs more money,more money more opportunities to get new gear and pay for that record pool. peace, love and music![/quote]
I never said anything hatefull about other or any type of music…
What I ment is that somehow I find that dj-in a country music is pretty impossible by my opinion, to be a country dj…come on…lets move on a bit…there are dj’s and there are people who play songs, theres no way you can mix country music,not for 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 minutes anyway…
And a word about digital and vinyl…I play both for more than 10 years so lets say I got a couple clues about all that hows goin,savi’?
Have a nice day :)[/quote]
sorry zender thin skin? what i meant to say is their are many different types of dj’s and here in nashville if you cant mix in a hank song or some patsy cline or the latest carrie underwood well and any music can be mixed with the right prep and imagination and i’m glad you use both turntables and the digi world. not an attack on anyone just remember theres someone out their spinning or button pushing making people happy playing what they want.
WRONG… There are very talented DJ’s out there that spin Country. I myself have been doing it for nearly 17 of my 23 years as a pro DJ. I can literally go all night doing it, and doing it very well. Some of the top DJ’s today do it regularly. In fact the top DJ right now on Crooklyn Clan produces & spins Country regularly (DVDJ BIGGIE). It is pretty easy to spin Hip Hop & Mainstream top 40/dance. It takes a really seriously talanted DJ to be capable of mixing All genres on the fly, & make it sound good.
Country (in some markets) is a very viable market that should not be overlooked.
great article, you forgot about a site called ZIPDJ, WHICH I USE .
THEY ARE VERY GOOD SPEED EXCELLENT, THEYCOVER A WIDE SELECTION IN EVERY GENRE AND THEY R CANADIAN, WHICH MEANS YOU GET A WIDER SELECTION OF REMIXES AS WELL. THEY GIVE YOU CD QUALITY FILES AS WEL.
Hey to all you VJ’s out there, you cannot beat this site especially for the price, for the guy that had the customer support issues, I don’t know what happenned because I have never had not 1 issue with them and the just merged with videotoolz. GREAT SITE
Most of the digital record pools i’ve come across carry mainly recent tracks 2007 – To Date. Hard to find for example hiphop/top 40 tracks from 2001-2005. Other than paying for it on itunes options seem slim. Any other ideas ??
Franchise Record Pool try it 20$ a month plus they have breakers and the lab witch i think is neat so you can throw acapella on top of instrumentals plus the Party remixes! big plus way worth my 20$
I have come across a free download site that I am not sure of the legitimacy of it. houselegends.com
My main reason for the post is to find out if anyone has used this site or knows the legitimacy of it????
We have 1,000s of DEEP HOUSE songs. A record pool is not just for top 40.
Our Dance package provides all formats of house music / dance music
[quote comment=”26554″]I would/will never ever play a top 40 song, especially in club… Unless “The Twelves” go TOP 40… or soulwax….LOL[/quote]
Yeah, “The Twelves” true dat playa true dat !
we provide the rock and country because of the DJs that do high school dances, college dances and weddings etc….
Funkmaster flex runs Franchise record Pool. Im very satisfied with it.
@ R0bus,
If you become a member of one of the DJ associations you get a discount on your AVLA license.
Here is a list of current MP3s we have here at iDJPool
URBAN MP3 List 2009
http://www.idjpool.com/urbansingleslist2009.html
DANCE MP3 List 2009
http://www.idjpool.com/dancesingleslist2009.html
URBAN MP3 List 2010
http://www.idjpool.com/urbansingleslist2010.html
DANCE MP3 List 2010
http://www.idjpool.com/dancesingleslist2010.html
[quote comment=”26817″]anyone who is looking for real dance music should go to check out http://www.zipdj.com. they get mostly electro, techno, minimal, vocal house, plus all the regular top40, urban pop etc etc.
plus they have an AVLA licence in Canada so I think they’re legal[/quote]
So if we subscribe to zipdj.com then us canadian djs don’t need to buy an AVLA license. I’m so down for that because it’s 331$+25$ administator fee+applicalbe taxes a year for a freakin’ dj license, which I’m not down for!
I like gigacrate.com. It’s not a subscription site, some songs are free (you have to leave a rating and comment) some songs you can buy for about the same price as on beatport. There is a lot of underground, Mashups, electro, baltimore club, indie dance/nu disco tracks. There is also a lot of rap stuff that is usually pretty poor production quality. Most tracks are 320 and download in seconds. I would say that its definately not a one stop shop, but I’ve found a few gems there.
[quote post=”4413″]Damn, i didnt know there are country dj’s…atleast not in my definition of a dj,LOL :D[/quote]
What about that DJ from “High School High”?
Like a Rhi-Rhi Wicky Rhinestone Cowboy…
Huh! Coincidental to read the last comment. I use zipDJ and after being a member of several digital pools, I find it to be the best service I have ever used. A wide variety of music and mixes in all genres comes with an incredible website and high quality mp3 files. They are legit too. And their customer service is great. I’m surprised there is no review of zipDJ here. Anyway, check it all out for yourselves.
anyone who is looking for real dance music should go to check out http://www.zipdj.com. they get mostly electro, techno, minimal, vocal house, plus all the regular top40, urban pop etc etc.
plus they have an AVLA licence in Canada so I think they’re legal
Where’s DMS? Thanks my fav for sure!!
No idea. However, with most pools (or at least Masspool) you have to prove that you are a working DJ to join. I *believe* the concept is like this: the artists want there music played in the clubs to help grow popularity, sales, etc. Therefore, they are willing to have the music serviced to djs who qualify for the pool. Djs get the music for pennies on the dollar, and the artists get a chance at more exposure/saturation.
Of course, artists make less money on their music today than the did in the days before file sharing. Surely the record pool model is not to blame for this. Surely we all share the blame.
How does those pools remunerate the artists? Is it a good thing for them or a bad thing?
If you’re in a club that plays any pop music, remixes- it’s a great idea to use a pool. They help you keep track of what’s out at the moment, and the better ones cover several genres. It’s a great value, and a time saver. I suggest a pool combined with Beatport (or whatever) to round it all off.
I agree, Masspool is pretty awesome; plus the pool has been around a long time, is established, and have broken a superior, high quality mp3 service.
[quote comment=”26673″]@Max agreed, where can I find a site that gives me all that? Beatport is about the best option, but that’s a pay per-track kind of model rather than the subscription pool discussion going on here.
Wonder if that is an aussie thing, I’m from Melbourne myself.[/quote]
I tried Beatport for a while and was just disappointed with their pricing model. While searching for a balance of value and quality, dj pools really come into play. I have been around for a long time to know this. I belong to MassPool Dj service and they have been really great when it comes to both value and quality.
Everyone,
One of the most important aspects about becoming a good dj is having access to good tracks and information on current music trends in the industry. Dj Pools allow you access to both. One important thing to say about a good Dj Pool service, is that they normally start many DJ careers and also have a direct impact on an artist career by making them indirectly famous. So in an essence, the pool makes fame for both artists and dj’s.
Masspool and MasspoolMp3 Dj services is one of the better dj services that I know of. Since I joined the service, I have experience quality service and huge amounts of music available to me on a monthly basis. Masspool in my opinion, provides their dj’s (me included) with the fresh tracks from all diferente genres of dance music including (hip/hop, house, electro, etc..).
I am currently subscribed to the mp3 division and so far have been satisfied with the personalized service I get from them. Masspool was also nominated for best record pool service at the IDMA 2009, which is a significant accomplishment.
I am very honored to be in the MassPool Dj roster and be among one of the top industry Dj’s like Roger Sanchez, Armand Van Helden and many other great dj’s.
If you would like to find out what kind of tracks that are featured from the MASSPOOL service, check out some of the Dj podcasts mentioned here(me included).
Hope this was helpful to anyone.
Dj Arity (Al Longobardi)
Music makes me lose control…
I can’t believe people actually think the good old days of vinyl was in 2004? Seriously?
A record pool should have Quality songs! a solid file is always something to look for. IF you have a killer song and downloaded on a crappy format you might as well flush your money down the Pooper! GET high quality songs! record pools that do less should consider other wise and provide high quality files.
Has anyone ever tried out http://www.digitaldjpool.com ? Seems like a good site and the 7 day trial sounds pretty neat. Also the 10$/month thing sounds amazing to my ears.
Beatport is ok. The site is always slow it seems They are not the cheapest and lately the “restrictions” or “restricted territory” BS is really getting me mad. So ive been shoppin around on Juno. Its decent, much much more to offer but its sort of like a Flea Market…the site needs to be cleaned up.
I suggest search and search and search among the THOUSANDS of Free ware sites till you find one that suits you (but be aware you may be searching for a long time) It will be worth it when you find one or two.
I have a few I use that I keep top secret, but ill tell you this if your new, or newer…here is where i started…
houseoverdose.com
Good Luck.
@Max agreed, where can I find a site that gives me all that? Beatport is about the best option, but that’s a pay per-track kind of model rather than the subscription pool discussion going on here.
Wonder if that is an aussie thing, I’m from Melbourne myself.
Minus points for iDJPool for incorrectly spelling “Company/Companies”.
Great article though. Good to see the website expanding more to all area’s dj, not just the tech side of things..Keep it up lads 🙂
http://www.masspoolmp3.com/
The 8th Wonder download tool is GREAT, though I must admit. Great pool for Reggae.
There is another pool called Digtal DJ Pool, http://www.digitaldjpool.com. They are $10(us) a month and have a good selection also.
I used http://www.hitmusicservice.com . They provide EVERYTHING. Most electronic formats are covered, plus they have Country, Latin, Modern Rock, Top 40, Urban, a full remix section, and a ton of flashback songs!
Hit Music Service seems pretty good with the quality. I’d say 90% of the tracks are 320 with the remaining being 256 and a few 192’s scattered here and there. However, for $29.99 a month and a month to month subscription I think they’re pretty good.
Bah! top 40 shit! who needs it?
Oh,yeah,Im sorry, maybe Im a bit mistaken…I thought all this here mainly considers electronic music…
Pete, R.Rivera is quite great absolutely agree on that, not sure about Benasi, Im more into a bit more serious stuff…
I’m cracking up at iDJ’s attempt at fake testimonials, haha. Don’t worry iDJ I’m still gonna check your site out! …a couple of blog comments aren’t gonna make or break you!! Haha.
Anyway, I know it’s not a monthly subscription-based record pool but I feel like you guys should of mentioned Crooklyn Clan (http://www.crooklynclan.net/). I mean they were the first website I discovered years ago and even thought their site functionality is awful I never regret the money I spend there supporting other DJs like myself. Plus a lot of big name artists have their tracks for sale there: Danny Digz/Discotech, DJ Sega, DJ Benzi, Cobra Krames, the list goes on….
FULL DISCLOSURE: I am not in anyway affiliated with any record pool service, nor do I even sell tracks myself. (See how that worked iDJ? …thats whats called Word-of-mouth advertising: when you have a good product people will recommend it 😉
[quote comment=”26634″][quote comment=”26574″]Damn, i didnt know there are country dj’s…atleast not in my definition of a dj,LOL :D[/quote]
if theres a venue and a genre that has to be played then i’ll play it. don’t hate on other genres of music a paying gig is a paying gig. i’m not so vain or full of myself that i can’t play other music that i may or may not like. hating on other genres is to me like hating on the dj that is digital over the one that plays vinyl. do your thing and make some money so you can focus on the thing you love most. the most flexible get more gigs, more gigs more money,more money more opportunities to get new gear and pay for that record pool. peace, love and music![/quote]
I never said anything hatefull about other or any type of music…
What I ment is that somehow I find that dj-in a country music is pretty impossible by my opinion, to be a country dj…come on…lets move on a bit…there are dj’s and there are people who play songs, theres no way you can mix country music,not for 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 minutes anyway…
And a word about digital and vinyl…I play both for more than 10 years so lets say I got a couple clues about all that hows goin,savi’?
Have a nice day 🙂
Anyone Here Try out CrateConnect ? Was wondering if they are worth the $$ ?
I’ve been a member of Late Night Record Pool since the “vinyl days” back in 2004. The service is incredible and provides me with everything I need in my market. I never have to worry I’m missing something for my gigs. The staff is always there to help you out with anything I need too, which is very helpful. The members are like an extended family, helping each other out which is very nice to have. I highly recommend joining the pool for this alone!
I am owner and operator of http://www.latenightrecordpool.com. We service music directly from the labels. 8 Bar Intros, Acapellas, Acc Outs etc. We service all genres from authentic hip-hop, to house to hipster to EDM, even some rock. We have crooklyn clan remixers as well as our own DJs submit edits and remixes. If you are looking for video we also have a joint venture with http://www.smashvidz.com to bring you HQ video as no extra charge. We take great pride in our customer service and making sure the DJs have what they need. We get the music before most pools with the edits DJs want. We have been around for 6 years first starting with vinyl and moving to digital in 2008. All our mp3s are 192 or above with a great Old School selection. Feel free to email us any questions you may have. info@latenightrecordpool.com.
Big up to DJtechtools.com for giving the lowdown on pools.
if theres a venue and a genre that has to be played then i’ll play it.
i totally disagree.DJ 101…Crowd Control, remember the four corners? True musicians can take a track they love, others may not like it or know it, but your goal is to play it for them and MAKE them like it. Sense the vibe, read the crowd, interact and create a way for everyone in the room to be on the same level. Thats how you create your style, and then you will see a fan base begin to form.
Check out Benny Benassi or Robbie Rivera, there style and sound NEVER changes, because thats what they love.
Oh yeah so DJ pools….
[quote comment=”26574″]Damn, i didnt know there are country dj’s…atleast not in my definition of a dj,LOL :D[/quote]
if theres a venue and a genre that has to be played then i’ll play it. don’t hate on other genres of music a paying gig is a paying gig. i’m not so vain or full of myself that i can’t play other music that i may or may not like. hating on other genres is to me like hating on the dj that is digital over the one that plays vinyl. do your thing and make some money so you can focus on the thing you love most. the most flexible get more gigs, more gigs more money,more money more opportunities to get new gear and pay for that record pool. peace, love and music!
i didn’t see any mention of funk master flex’s franchise record pool it has all the hip hop and RnB you’d want also a digging in the crates section a huge selection of carribean and latin music a house section and even whole albums before their released to general public. also tons of accapellas and instrumentals. ohh yeah mainstream is there too if your djing weddings and such you’re going to need that stuff. the cost is 20.00$ a month i’ve been with them for almost 2 years now. check it out http://www.franchiserecordpool.com
http://www.cdpool.com is one of the biggest in europe, it does well for the releases but is a bit different in that they send you a cd each month for around £20 with 40 or so releases, a friend uses it and they always seem to get good choonz. You can pick what you receive from some of the catagories so they double up with prices if you want different genres, a bit annoying if you see something that you want on another of their CD’s!!!
You can preview them all for free though which is a bonus for checking?
Directmusicservice.com is hands down the best mp3 pool for any working dj and is supported by all the major djs on the club circuit. Every track has a high bitrate with an intro and is tagged for Serato. The site features hip hop/urban/house/pop/rock/indie/mashups/classics/acapella loops/quick edits/sample drops/exclusive remixes. There is no other site on the net with this much variety. Djs sometimes complain about record pool fees…doesnt anybody remember how much money use to be spent on vinyl? New djs consider yourself lucky. DMS is the way to go..”If you dont know..now you know”. Peace!
@Pete yeah if you want to use Traktor steer clear of whitelabel; the DRM is that the track plays at a crappy bitrate on every software except Serato — Serato “unlocks” a high quality mp3 that it can play. But if you don’t use serato (or you switch programs) they are basically worthless. I get the whitelabel emails and it’s a good way to learn about popular tracks, but really, who needs yet another good way to learn about popular tracks? They didn’t get popular because they were hard to find out about…
iDJ Pool seems like a good sell. It threw me off when they were praising themselves.
Whats the deal with whitelabel and Serato. I understand the whole proprietary format, and im pretty sure your refering to MIK and PN software. The files are DRM Protected but i still managed to process them accordingly. I use Traktor (figures Serato DJs wouldnt use WAV and Harmonics).
Although i worked around the formating issue and can play in TPro 1.2.4, the tracks dont sound so great. Ive never encountered this. Any pro audio guys have any advice for me? Should i stay clear of these tracks?
I like whitelabel…can it be compatible with Traktor?
+1 for mymp3pool.com. They have nice intro/outro, tools, throwbacks, video, dance, hip-hop, 320kbps. Great article Ean, I’m always looking for more sites.
To DJ Mike and Scott and others. iDJPool has been around since 1985 and we also provide DJ Intros and we get ALL of our music straight from record compaine. High quality.
love this website, unfortunately these sites mentioned in the article dont have enough of the sort of music that floats my boat, how about some reviews on DJ pools that have stuff that is edgy non mainstreem stuff like the Bloody Beetroots, Soulwax, Digitilism, Major Lazer, Tiga, Boys Noize, Fake Blood, N.A.S.A., Bang Gang DJ’s, In Flagranti,Klaxons, MSTRKRFT, CSS, etc. [quote post=”4413″]Love your work Ean, just putting in some constructive critisism. Us Australian’s love our edgy dance music. [/quote]
I have been a part of the 8th wonder pool for about a year now and I love what they provide. I don’t download the mp3’s, I do strictly video, so I don’t know what they provide in MP3’s, so I can’t comment on that section of the site. I do like the video’s though and the quality works well for me. I don’t know anything about the rest, but I am so limited since I do video only.
Anyone have any idea where to get hiphop songs with added Intros and Outros. This would really help me out on my more commercial gigs.
8thwonder has awful customer service, I’ve been usin em for 6mo and if have an issue that needs help they take forever to get back to you via email it’s ridiculous. They get a ton of there hip hop off of illegal blogs not from the record labels whenever a song leaks it’s not coming from the label it comes from the rap blogs
Thank you for again dispelling the hype and giving a real review of the online record pools out there. Have to admit most of these pools and the bigger names like Beatport and DJDownload for pay per DL still lag behind the direct EDM releases. Personally I think these pools take what little “digging” vibe is left in the industry and crucify it with either poor layout and simplified genres or no previewing before u pay. The closest thing to digging these days is trawling the blogs trying to find the real fresh tracks, remixes and actual bootlegs (not the label made bootlegs u get on whitelabel). Once again thanks DJTT for making sure I don’t shell out on the stuff that doesn’t deliver what I want
After some searching, I actually did come across a dj pool site that is exclusive to EDM it’s called mypromopool.com.
There are a lot of big names that are members such as Miss Nine and even Jody Wisternoff. To join is only $39, looks promising. Check it out and maybe even review the site.
Don’t people just use Beatport for edm stuff?
for the funky/jacking house, checkout stompy.com
For the soulful/deep/tribal house, check out traxsource.com
PS this website is awesome, I’ve been addicted to it ever since I saw ya on AOTS Ean. I didn’t even know there was a name for the awesome work some of ya’ll DJ’s are doing (controller’ism)…
I get mine from Jones TM (used to be TM Century). I’ve been using them for years. I pay about $50 a month and they mail me a CD with a bunch of mp3’s every week(all at 320kbps) in a bunch of genres. I play a lot of Latin music and this is the best way to get new Spanish tracks for me. Info can be found here..
http://www.tmstudios.com/pcmp3.asp
I found a couple of other Latin pools but they were either too expensive for what you actually get or for local members only (vinyl/CD’s had to be picked up).
PS I’m also signed up at 8thwonder (for videos) & I do get a lot of stuff directly from labels & artists.
EDM artists your best bet would probably be to just network & get to know the players in the industry. As a matter of fact that applies to most genres. Reach out to them & show them why you should be serviced by them (how it benefits them, not you) & they will hook ya up. I’ve been getting serviced by labels & artists since before mp3’s were even invented.
Thank you DJTT for this article,
I didn’t know we had pools where you can subscribe and download paying for month. It’s indeed a very good way to start your digital collection.
I will keep that in mind.
I deleted the blatant advertisement for IDJ, but left the “testimonial” they also wrote above under the dj name “DJ DCC”.
To owners of these sites. The comments section is not free advertising. if you want to offer promos to our audience, please do it through the correct channels and send an email- dont spam the comments. My writers busted their ass to put this article together so please dont ruin it by hi-jacking the threads. Didn’t anyone learn anything from Dj Chris?
ya enough advertising for real
couldn’t get any greasier
okay all those comments are weird..
I’ve subscribed to iDJPool for about a month now as wella and I am very pleased with their service. They provide instrumentals and acapellas for a majority of their promos (as well as DJ friendly edits!)… It’s alomst like buying the 12″ vinyl singles back in the day which is why I recommend it to DJs who still like rockin’ doubles of instrumentals or like having the kits for production or live remixing… Most mainstream urban club DJs can’t go wrong with them… They seem to have more dance tracks than I can sift thru but it looks like an excellent selection as well…
Me thinks DJ DCC and iDJPool guy are the same person!!! 😉
Damn, i didnt know there are country dj’s…atleast not in my definition of a dj,LOL 😀
Thank You For The Review.
iDJPool has been for me great for me they have Dance, Urban, Rock, Pop and Country. Everything is high quality 320k. They have all the versions of the songs too.
http://www.idjpool.com
*editors note- This comment was submitted from the same I.P. address as the comment bellow from IDJ. Take from that what you will*
I like mymp3pool.com. It’s $20 a month. Generally all files are 320kbps. They have both Hip-Hop/Top 40/ and a good dance/house section plus some latin. You can preview all songs on the site at high quality. I see it as a cheaper alternative to DJcity.com
Another one is Starfleet Music, I have a friend who uses it a lot. http://www.starfleetmusic.com/record_pool/
[quote comment=”26554″]I would/will never ever play a top 40 song, especially in club… Unless “The Twelves” go TOP 40… or soulwax….LOL[/quote]
here in belgium soulwax is top40 music
DJ AM R.I.P.
is there a site for just stems, there should be, i searched the internet but didnt come up with any good dance stem shop, someone should fully make one,
edm labels usually promo to the dj’s themselves. a lot of edm artists also promo their own material to a small group of people (dj’s/producers). some labels offer promo services for a small fee. you just have to search which ones offer that service.
Would be cool to find a pool that serves more to EDM genres and not just commercial house tunes…
With Whitelabel you don’t need to rate before you download files. I’ve never had to do that…
haha okay. I just heard the radio but still. If a track is good then it’s good.
I don’t get why people are so against “pop” or top 40 songs. What would you do if one of your songs you produce makes it to the top 40?
Are there no sites that cover some techno/tech house, something a bit more underground? Seems a limited selection of Top40 and R&B
I would/will never ever play a top 40 song, especially in club… Unless “The Twelves” go TOP 40… or soulwax….LOL
Options seem so limited for those who don’t spin top40 or R&B.
8th Wonder really has done wonders for me when I moved from Vinyl to digital .. Love the fact that new music is here first sometimes 5 months before heard on the radios.. its a cool showoff feature to my friends when I say “this song will be the next big thing” in the summer, and by winter you hear it all over the radio..