Every DJ Needs Music… But where do we find it?
We have an updated version of this article here. Find out the latest places DJs use to build their music library!
Whether you’re just starting out as a DJ with a brand new controller or have been playing for years in clubs, you will always need to buy and download music to play.
Building a music library is an essential part of being a DJ, however, finding what music to download and where to download it is a minefield!
This post is full of tips on where to look and get inspiration for sourcing music, new, old, remixed and everything in between! You will need to try and stand out as a DJ by finding interesting remixes or edits of songs. You will also want a varied music library full of surprises!
Where do DJs get their music from?
- Crossfader Music Pack (FREE DJ MUSIC)
- DJ Record Pools
- DJ Mailing Lists
- Tracklists
- Playlists
- Soundcloud
- Youtube
- Shazam
- Music Blogs
- Music Streaming Services
Note: Not all in the list will allow you to physically download music but are great places for inspiration.
Free DJ Music – Crossfader Music Pack Download
Do you need to give your music library a kick-start? If so, download our Crossfader Music Pack which is full of exclusive tracks you won’t find anywhere else. There are songs from multiple genres in there that have been hand-picked to help you learn to mix.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP AND DOWNLOAD THE MUSIC
Record Pools
Record pools are a great way of keeping up to date with a wide variety of new music. Most pools cater for the resident club DJ and give direct access to brand-new music as well as access to an older library. By subscribing to the record pool and paying a monthly subscription, users have access to loads of new music, including edits made specifically for DJs. Most pools now offer intro edits of radio songs to help DJs mix and blend them more easily, which is very helpful. Most DJ record pools will require the DJ to submit feedback or rate each song before downloading. This data can then be sent back to the artists and labels for constructive feedback.
The main record pools dedicated to DJs are:
DJCity – BPM Supreme – ZipDJ – Digital DJ Pool – iDJ Pool
BPM SUPREME DISCOUNT CODE
Although BPM Supreme doesn’t offer a free trial period, users can get 25% off their first month by using coupon code: CROSSFADER
(Please note, this is an affiliate offer and is only applicable to new and expired users)
Mailing Lists
DJ mailing lists are specifically aimed at the working club DJs out there with regular club gigs. Most services will need thorough proof of your residencies to make sure that their new music makes it to the right ears. A lot of these services also watermark their releases so they can keep track of any illegal sharing of music files. If you find yourself signed up to one, it goes without saying, don’t start sharing your brand new releases with the world.
They are very hard to get on to and most labels would rather invite a DJ over with a link to sign up. You may find that once you’re on a list, you get signed up to multiple labels. It’s also important to remember to stay active on your lists, as inactive members are often removed from mailing lists!
Track Lists
Why not look at what your favourite DJs are already playing? Believe it or not, most DJs sets get tracklisted online. For inspiration on what artists to search for when downloading music, first search for what current DJs are already playing. This goes for big-timers and radio DJs alike.
Websites to check out:
http://tracklists.thomaslaupstad.com
Radio Playlists
Instead of looking at what DJs are playing, why not look at what radio stations are playing! Each station usually has an A, B and C list to browse through. This is a good way of gauging what is current to the radio station’s listeners. In the UK the more commercial radio stations are BBC Radio 1 & Capital FM, they will be full of brand new popular student-friendly music. If you’re an urban DJ then BBC 1XTRA or Capital Xtra in the UK would be ideal. If you live outside the UK, make sure to check the websites of your favourite radio stations to see if they also list their tracklists, most will!
SoundCloud
You’re already probably very aware of what Soundcloud is… the greatest thing about it though is that its a gold
You’re probably already very aware of what SoundCloud is… the greatest thing about it, though, is that it’s a gold mine for remixes and original music from new and undiscovered artists. There are always so many FREE DOWNLOADS given away by up-and-coming producers. Some of the biggest chart tracks started as free downloads on SoundCloud until the labels picked them up!
Here is a great process to start getting lost in the world of SoundCloud.
1. Type an artist you like into the search bar, then put ‘remix’ after it. 
2. Find an unofficial remix with lots of plays and comments and have a listen. At this stage, look out for free downloads too! 
3. If you like that remix, click through to the track.
Then look at the following:
– Related Tracks
– Playlists the track is in for other tracks that are similar
– The Soundcloud account itself
4. If you end up on that Soundcloud account, look at what they ‘Like’ and who they ‘Follow’
Often you will find yourself getting deeper and deeper into SoundCloud coming across lots of new, undiscovered and interesting music. Look out for SoundCloud music channels sharing lots of music from a similar genre all in one place! Follow accounts, comment on your favourites and support new artists.
Whilst we do recommend SoundCloud for finding new music and using the free download options, we definitely do NOT recommend using external software or websites to illegally rip music from the site. Not only is this illegal, but it downloads in a poor quality which will sound terrible when played in venues. If you find a remix and can not download it legally from SoundCloud, try looking for the artist and track on some of the other sources we have listed!
YouTube
This works in a very similar way to SoundCloud. Start your journey by typing the name of a song you already have and like. Then use YouTube’s fantastic related videos feature to get lost in similar music and releases. See how deep you can go, then when you have exhausted all options and end up on funny cat videos, just start again with a new track in the search field!
Also, look out for music channels on youtube dedicated to new artists and producers.
YouTube channels to check out:
https://www.youtube.com/user/SpinninRec
https://www.youtube.com/user/NoCopyrightSounds
https://www.youtube.com/user/UltraRecords
https://www.youtube.com/user/MrDeepSense
https://www.youtube.com/user/SelectedBase
https://www.youtube.com/user/SubSoulUK
https://www.youtube.com/user/UKFMusic
https://www.youtube.com/user/UKFDubstep
https://www.youtube.com/user/ChillStepNation
https://www.youtube.com/user/MrSuicideSheep
https://www.youtube.com/user/MonstercatMedia
https://www.youtube.com/user/PandoraMuslc
https://www.youtube.com/user/thesoundyouneed1
Once again, please refrain from illegally downloading music from YouTube using third-party converters. It sounds terrible and is illegal!
Shazam
A must-have app on most DJs’ phones. Shazam allows you to identify almost any track that you are currently listening to, whether in a club, on the radio or just out and about. Make sure you have Shazam installed, once identified, Shazam keeps a list of your identified songs so you can download them once back home! Please note not all remixes and tracks are identifiable as some exclusives aren’t publicly listed, so won’t be picked up.
If you are in a rush and can’t open the Shazam app, use the assistant on your phone (Google Assistant or Siri) as a quick alternative. Ask the assistant, “what is this song?” Once it identifies the song, screenshot the result, as these methods don’t save your identified tracks for a later time like Shazam.
Music Blogs
Blogs are a fantastic source of new music. The only tricky part about blogs is deciding which ones to follow and keep checking on. To make this easier why not use Hype Machine to search them all for you!
All you need to do is choose a starting point. Type the name of an artist or track in its search engine, then follow the blogs where that track is listed to discover similar music.
Music Streaming Services
Streaming has become the new standard for music consumption with an average of 46.4 million people having a paid music subscription in the first half of 2018 alone. With this in mind, DJ software started the shift towards this market in 2014 with Algoriddim Djay supporting Spotify. This is sadly no longer the case but Algoriddim, Serato, rekordbox and Traktor now all support Beatport Streaming and Beatsource with most also bringing SoundCloud Go+ and TIDAL onboard and Amazon Music Unlimited is appearing on select Engine DJ hardware. For a more detailed look, check out our, Best Streaming Services For DJs 2022 – The Ultimate Guide.
Streaming tracks into your DJ software isn’t the only way to make use of these platforms. The automatic playlists generated within Spotify and Apple Music have been a fantastic way of discovering new music for DJs based on their current listening habits.
Apple Music, for example, has A-List playlists for nearly every genre, allowing you to keep up to date with the latest tunes from each. Spotify for daily playlists are genre-based and a fantastic blend of previously listened-to music and new tracks which complement them!
Most streaming services are a fantastic place to hunt for music, just remember you will need to download the files from another service if you aren’t using a compatible DJ programme.
If you’re not signed up to a service, why not use Playlists.net, a website which allows you to search through Spotify playlists without being a member, this means you can still get inspired without even having to sign up!
Again, just start searching for artists, labels and genres that take your fancy and see what Spotify has already come up with! http://playlists.net
Video Guide
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I want to build up the library with Apple Music songs. I have downloaded the songs with the help of the Best Audio Converter Mac from DRmare. So I can save the songs on my phone. Then I can upload the songs to my devices for building the DJ library.
By using a converter you are running the risk of damaging the audio quality, plus it’s also illegal to rip songs from streaming services. We would recommend using a legitimate source of music to DJ with such as record pools (DJ City, BPM Supreme) or Promo lists (Inflyte)
Hello Cross faders!
I have a challenge that I would like to get help with. I have a huge library and I haven’t been able to sort or cue all my tracks. How do I get to simplify the task because it seems to be so much workload ahead and really gets me worried.Some songs I have but I don’t even have an idea that they exist in my hard drive. How do you arrange your music without giving up.Where should I start?
Thank you for the amazing videos, advice and support.
Hey, thanks for the message. As for setting up cues on your music this is a task that will take some time. However I would say half of it can be done while you’re practicing and mixing. Sometimes its easier to just set your cues up before you play the song in your headphones. It can be a bit too overwhelming to sit and load up a song at a time and set up cues on them all.
As for arranging it into playlists etc this is just part of being a DJ. It’s a huge task that really needs a system in place. As you download new music best thing is to flick through the song as you import it into your DJ software or when you down and then drag into a folder or playlist for that genre or however you choose to organise it. If you have a lot to go through initially then maybe assign a day to get up to date.
Don’t let it get you down, remember to have fun as you go along and its always easier if you’re playing and mixing the music, getting some practice hours in at the same time.