Part of what makes DJing exciting is the chase for tracks other people don’t have. It’s that feeling of finding something tucked away in a forgotten corner, then dropping it in a set and watching the room respond. In the vinyl era this meant hours spent flicking through crates. Now the digging happens online, but the principle is the same: if you want to stand out, you need to go deeper than the obvious.
The trouble is, true digging has become harder. The big download stores surface their top sellers, which often means the same tracks every other DJ is seeing. Streaming services rely on algorithms that keep you in your comfort zone rather than pushing you into new territory. For DJs who live for those unexpected finds, the process can feel stale.
That’s the gap Volumo is aiming to fill. It’s a download store designed for DJs who want to dig beneath the surface, with a catalogue built around underground electronic music. Instead of presenting you with the same charted hits, it puts niche releases and lesser-known artists up front, making it easier to build a collection that won’t sound like everyone else’s.
Catalogue & Discovery
Digging on Volumo feels closer to the way DJs actually search for music in the real world. The catalogue leans heavily towards smaller artists and a range of more underground sounds, across techno, house, d&b, breaks, electronica and more.
These are the kinds of records that often get buried on bigger platforms, where the focus is on chart-toppers. On Volumo they’re much easier to find, with daily curation that helps surface tracks these deep cuts that you might otherwise never hear. You’ll also find lots of tracks that are exclusively available to download on Volumo, so there’s plenty of stuff here that you won’t be able to get on other download stores.
The browsing tools are simple but effective. Search is fast, with filters for tempo and key so you can quickly check if a track will work in your set. Each release shows this information alongside the usual details, saving you the hassle of analysing everything later.
Previews are another strong point. You get to hear more of each track than you would on most stores, which makes a real difference when you’re judging structure, breakdowns and overall flow. It’s enough to feel confident about how a track will mix before you buy.
The selection isn’t as broad as somewhere like Beatport or Traxsource, so if you’re looking for mainstream hits you’ll still need to shop around. But if your priority is finding underground records that won’t already be on every DJ’s USB, that narrower focus is exactly what makes Volumo stand out.
Volumo’s charts aren’t based purely on the top sellers, but are instead curated by the team to give you their top picks of some lesser-known tunes.
Pricing
Volumo is generally cheaper than most of the big download stores, with individual tracks typically costing around €1.49, though this varies as artist set their own prices. Unlike most stores, you also pay the same whether you choose MP3 or a lossless format like WAV, AIFF or FLAC. Once you’ve bought something, you can download it again whenever you need, which is a small but important touch if you’re juggling multiple USBs or laptops.
There’s also a credit system for regular buyers. If you add funds to your account and spend them within 30 days, you get a discount on the tracks you buy. The size of that discount scales from 5-30%, depending on how much you load, so the more credit you add, the bigger the saving. If you’re doing big batches of digging, it makes a very cost-effective option.
Community & Social Features
Volumo adds some community tools that help with digging. You can set up a profile, follow artists, labels or curators, and browse the charts they put together. These charts work a bit like playlists, as a curated snapshot of what someone rates right now, and they can be a quick way to discover music you might not have found on your own.
It’s not a huge social network and it doesn’t need to be. The focus is on highlighting underground tracks through curated selections, making it easier to keep up with niche labels or take inspiration from other DJs. It’s a light extra layer, but it fits well with Volumo’s digging-first approach.
Artist-Friendly Model
One of the big things that sets Volumo apart from most other DJ download stores is its commitment to a more artist-friendly model. It’s super easy for any artist to upload their tunes to the store, either your distributor or directly on their platform. Then you can decide your own price for whatever you feel is fair for your music, and Volumo gives the artists a direct 75% split of revenue on whatever’s sold.
It’s one of only a small handful of AFEM-approved DJ download platforms (alongside Beatport, Traxsource, MusicWorx, House of Tracks, EDM Ghost Production and Setfreaks). AFEM approval signals that copyright remains with the creators and that the stores follow transparent, fair licensing terms.
This is great both if you want to upload your own stuff or if you’re just shopping for other people’s tracks, as you know they’re getting a fairer split.
Verdict
Volumo has done well to carve out a great niche in a DJ landscape that’s dominated by a few heavyweights. It’s aimed squarely at DJs who want to dig deeper and find a some underground tunes that you won’t hear all the time. You get much more of a focus on supporting smaller artists and curation that makes discovering those lesser known tunes much easier. The pricing as well is super competitive and among the cheapest DJ download stores you’ll find.
You’ll still need other platforms if you’re more after mainstream hits, but that’s not the point of Volumo. Its value is in helping DJs uncover music that feels fresh and under the radar. For selectors who want their sets to stand out, it’s well worth exploring to see if you can unearth some hidden gems.
If you want to try out Volumo and explore their catalogue of underground tunes, you can sign up with the link below, and you’ll get 20% off within 7 days of registration.
Although Crossfader does not receive affiliate compensation for this link, this is a paid partnership with Volumo
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