How often and how much music do you guys buy? What is your selection process?
I usually browse music randomly throughout the month, then on or around pay day I narrow my selection down, and get it then. So, once or twice a month im getting new music. Plus, the occassional stuff i get from blogs. I spend between 50 and 100 each time - 20 to 50 tracks at time.
The problem is that it just doesn’t seem like enough. Most of the time, i’m sick of my last batch of downloads by the time i’m getting the next set. I’m always looking at my selection and thinking, “i can’t play this tired music, i need fresher tracks!”
So, i thought i’d hit u guys up and see how i compare to other DJs. Do you have similar experiences? How do u make sure you’re buying a banger?
I get so many promos it’s hard for me to weed through those in addition to buying music. But I still make it to my local shop every sunday to week through music, as well as poke around the internet. All in all i’d say i spend 100-200 a week on music.
I download 100 songs through eMusic a month, though that’s about to go up to 200. Once every two months or so I’ll spend around $200 at Beatport. I get some free promo CDs through the night I work at also, and trade some with friends of mine once in a while. Lately I’ve been spending more time organizing and playing than getting new music, instead I’ve been playing with older tracks in newer ways.
I wish there was a closer store for me to weed through tracks (NYC doesn’t really have a lot of underground shops anymore), though once in a while I make it back to my mom’s and hit up the used record store for massive options. I could easily spend $150 a week there on used and new CDs.
I find myself in a predicament that I get music faster than I can listen to it, though. So I have all this stuff and I haven’t listened to all of it. But I’m changing that now.
every wee i go on itunes and buy what ever new hit comes out…usually what evers on there like top 10 lists or ill go on a radio web site and buy what ever songs are on there top 20 list
I thought you couldn’t DJ with iTunes songs and for that matter most song downloading websites. That’s what i have heard anyway - the 99c songs are just for home use, so they are the same as a download, not legal to play in a club, that’s why songs on beatport are like 2 dollars to 3, because you have the right to play them comercially.
Correct me if i am wrong, well actually i would prefer if i were wrong, it would save me money.
i thought you paid more on beatport and similar sites b/c of the higher quality (bitrate) and lack of drm… ?? oh and plenty of tracks you probably couldnt find on itunes/amazon.
amazon is starting to look like a good option though
i know what u mean about wanted ‘fresh new tracks’
but its all objective of course, and you’ve most likely just overplayed the tracks to yourself, but they would still be fresh to another audience…
i purposefully try not to do that to myself. i listen enough to familiarize myself with new tracks, but i dont overplay them
i also seem to get a lot less music than some of you guys! there’s no way i could remember any tracks if i went through that much haha
What’s the lowest bitrate song you have played on a club system and how did it sound?
Personally I have most of my music (well most recent music) all 320kbps. The lowest i would probably play is 192 just out of fear.
Has anyone tried playing 160 or 128 even and was the sound bad?
i had a stint at a local bar/club for a while. but their sound system was shit. nothing sounded right, and it seemed every week the setup would be different or a speaker would be out for repairs cuz some other dj blew the highs. and then they got a sub and every track sounded like muddy garbage haha! but anyway, i think the lowest i did play was 192… not that it probably made much of a difference
Has anyone actually read the full license agreement of the iTunes store, does it say that once you purchase you are legally able to play those publicly.
My selection process? Spending hours and hours listening to other people’s charts, and relentlessly chasing up tracks that I’ve enjoyed in mixes. I keep lists of track names to follow up on, and there are some tracks I searched for over 10 years that I finally nailed down a copy (e.g. some old SL2 remixes). Youtube is a great place for Oldskoolers to hear the old gems - reliving the goose bumps of Capricorn “20Hz”. Oh yus.
Anyone got a lead for “White Van Man”? There was a beautiful track, heard once off a whitelabel, never saw again.
haha yeah all the oldschool rave songs have comments filled full of people reminiscing the old days.
I personally download packs of mp3s and skip though songs trying to find ones i like - then ill go out and hunt high quality versions of songs i liked.
Pandora internet radio is also another great way of finding new tracks to buy.
Funnily enough spent yesterday doing just that, and made a list of tracks to go out and buy on Juno download (Awesome 3, Cubic 22 , Dance Conspiracy and so on).
I always download WAVS as i’m funny about sound quality like that, and it’s good for remixing IMHO. Still think they’re too high priced though.
I’d like a lead on a WAV download of Jonny L - Hurt You So and Kev Bird - This is a trip.. but sadly just wishful thinking i reckon
Used to have “Hurt you so” on Vinyl years ago (long gone now), so I know what that itch feels like. Only a HQ copy of the real thing can sooth it!
Man, it’s the tracks you give away because you didn’t like them only to find out later that you never really understood them and now you love them. Did that with an original compilation CD of “Jungle” bought at the time that had a pristine copy of Goldie’s “Terminator” on it. I’ll never get that back, and the person I gave it to has no idea of the value of what they have in their collection. GAH!
I still have the vinyl of Opitkonfusion!!! by Acen (here comes the sun) and OHM’s Sunny Side-up EP (take a chance on me), but i need to rip those quick as i just don’t have the space for vinyl anymore.
Used to have a first pressing of Didgeridoo but some teef nicked it at university
