I like tracklistings and they make it more likely that I will listen to the mix.
But I’m sorta ok with telling people this as a personal opinion over and over and over again. Meta info regarding music seems to currently suck, so I’m not surprised that people don’t understand why information helps people connect with them musically.
Regarding “lifting” tracks, I heard this track on a mix that vTek posted here a while back. He lives in NYC, I live in SF, about 3k miles between us. I think there’s room for us to both play it in the mix..
that was an idea i also had back in 08 but somehow it never worked out. also i caught myself being a lazy ass for my last 2 mixes. so no mandatory but allowed of being requested do´oh
If we created a simple but nice looking bbcode template for different kinds of posts which had fields to fill in info we might like people to post, then I bet people would use them.
I am not a bbcode expert, but I’ve seen this work successfully for standardization etc. on other forum based sites.
I think it would be wrong to make it mandatory. I could see encouraged or suggested though. Can you send me some examples of these other forums Awesomer?
As long as everybody is listing tracks the same way. Do it like on Mixcloud and on Discogs : Artist THEN Track name
/end pet peeve
More seriously : I more or less follow mnml ssgs, a blog on underground techno, and they often have mixes posted up there by more or less known producers and DJ, i.e. a fair few of the germans in the current “Recommend me some techno”.
Their philosophy is to post the mixes without a tracklist first, then release the list later, usually a week or so. However, they’re all about pushing lesser known styles and ideas, and in that respect it makes sense to give the mix a chance without knowing what’s in the box. They do get pushed out eventually so you can actually reach out and go get a copy of some of the tracks, but a number of these only see vinyl releases and may be more difficult to get your hands on.
Here, posting a mix is about getting feedback on your track selection, programming, blending skills and what have you. In a way it shouldn’t really matter what the tunes are.
But let’s be realistic, most people may not touch a mix if they have no idea what’s in it. Users will ask for a tracklist pretty much for every mix that doesn’t have one, either out of principle or because they actually liked it and want to grab one or more tunes from it.
We’ve seen that genres mean different things to different people, so for instance someone’s take on house could be very different from mine : if I see a track or two I know, I’ll feel safer listening to a set. The reverse is also true (seeing some tracks I can’t stand), but at least I’ll know before downloading and stopping the mix after five minutes and not giving feedback.
I can sort of understand not wanting to share one’s personal gems (I’ve held back a little during some of the mix trains) but there is probably a lot of overlap here with everyone’s who’s playing $popular_style anyway. And I don’t think people typically jack an entire tracklist, let alone actually go and play everything from what they jacked.
If it’s a really rare tune, well, feel safe in the knowledge that 99% of people won’t go through the hassle of locating that rare limited vinyl pressing on discogs or ebay.
So, just recommend posting a tracklist, with a second choice being posting it when asked.
And my pet peeve is doing it that way. It’s backwards, it’s always been backwards. Track Name (Remixer) - Artist [Label]
Because the specific tune is more important than the artist that made it, and if it’s a remix then the original artist doesn’t really matter at all.
On topic: Tracklists should be expected if you upload a mix. Credit where it’s due.
I despise the “I’m not going to give my secret away” rubbish, though. You’re playing other people’s records. You’re not more important than the music, and there is nothing to be gained for anyone except you by keeping the tunes you play to yourself.
This may be because I DJ in order to share my love of music, rather than because it’s currently fashionable …
do´oh