Music For DJs

[Athletez176]

As a mobile DJ I assume you are provided with gear? and are you provided with music as a mobile DJ?

[Erikgmz]

Hi Dj Briansredd. I need help w/ music i'm latin music dj. but i been ask to play (west coast swing) and (hustle) music.. i do not know anything on this type of music.. Thanks!!!

[roshanbhoj]

Can you get music that is from older months or weeks that have past in cd pools? I am just starting out so I don't have the all top 20 songs of last month or anything that.

[aletzz03]

erhmm.. @briansredd I'm soon buying a setup with Vinyl and alot of the music (house, dirty dutch etc.) that I play can't be bought on vinyl what do i do?

[bacos21]

for DJS in Australia you can go to ARIA's website

[primecutsmusic]

Check out the PrimeCutsMusic channel on YouTube for a video from Brian talking about why uses PrimeCuts music for DJs!

[Giggity2007]

Where do you get your music these days?

[OtherVincentLee]

the best is still rapidshare

[BetterName12]

lol

this is only avaible with people with european email adress, dont ask why i got them, i wont tell you

XDD

[KurtRip94]

How do you archive these mix cd's? I mean if you get a request do you just dig through your collection orrr?

[rolley05]

johnathan probly gives you the cdpool ones ;)

[lucash21158]

what about using something like rhapsody during a live gig?

[Twexzer]

What classifies you as a "Professional" DJ?

[Inubito]

I've been looking into CD Pool since i've seen it demod on J's page. Really expensive though!

[powderly09]

im in ireland and the now series we hav is on 72 with 43 tracks

the shops here dont really sell trance music here just wondering where i mite get some?? thanks

[innonexess]

The Internets!

Try amazon or itunes or ebay, especiallt the latter if it's phisical, and herder to find.

Im sure theres more specialist stuff out there, but i dunno =/

Oh, try hmv!

[Maxsdiscos]

The Now in USA, seems to be a totally different CD altogether.

If Chart Music is the same in both countries, Why can't they just make one.

[turntablewiz]

i never said i booked my first gig, just wanted to know how long should one song play before mixing in the other song.

[chrisrome731]

Brian; In regards to downloading. I have read that a DJ cannot use music purchased on I-Tunes because it is for personal use only. I do subscribe to Promo, but sometimes I need the tune sooner. Any word on if a DJ and use tracks purchased on I Tunes?

[briansredd]

The laws are so screwy with all the intellectual property it's insane. It verys from country to country as well.

Best off going with a music service that's more comprehensive than Promo Only. That's what everyone I know is doing. Many are dumping P.O for the same reason you are struggling with it

[Soundtrackzz]

if your going to talk about downloading music then you need to think about sound quality too. the quality of downloaded music is generally lower than that of CDs. I still use it tho. it all comes down to money

[Ezekielpurger]

but it still sounds great. whether its at cd quality or 320kb/s.

[rockonhockey]

@chrisrome731 u can i jst did it today. it works some songs off different websites wont work cuz the program cant find the 401 file

[turntablewiz]

looking to do my first gig, how long do you let one track play before bringing in the next song

[briansredd]

That's something you should have sorted WAY before you booked your first gig. Before you work as a DJ, you should KNOW how to DJ

[bono1983]

U2?????

U2 is the best band on the planet!!

[adjlighting]

Great video on the different music options for DJs! Keep these informative videos coming!

[briansredd]

Thanks Bri :)

[waynefysh]

2 great UK DJ only services in the UK are Mastermix and DMC. Check them out if you can!!

[briansredd]

I have a few Mastermix discs and I love them! I should try to sort out a good way to get a few more of thoes to present them as well.

[waynefysh]

if u have it check out the Urban Pop Classic Mix on Mastermix's Issue 257... that's poss my favourite dj only mix ever!

[mgband]

Music services are good (I use CD Pool) but the problem with them is that when you get that many tracks mailed to you every month, especially if you did not choose them, some apathy may set in. Compare getting 250 MP3's mailed to you monthly, as opposed to going to a vinyl store, spending 2-4 hours and selecting maybe 5-10 records. When you take the time to carefully select tracks, it causes you to care more about your sets and creativity. Maybe a combination of sources is the answer?

[briansredd]

I couldn't agree more! There wasn't enough time to mention that in this video, but I know WAY back, I knew every single record I had at my gig. I only brought the BEST tracks with me because that stuff was HEAVY!

But, as I said, our audiences are getting more sophisticated. I have found that good music services are VERY nessessary anymore. Gotta stay ahead of the crowd :)

[mgband]

Hey Brian. This is the perfect companion video to the first one you did.

Mobile DJ's have the hardest job, since they have to actually own loads and loads of different types of music to handle any given situation, but they also have to understand lots of music, and the types of crowds that enjoy that given music, in order to make interesting and engaging mixes. DJ's cannot live on top 40 alone, but on the infinite appreciation of the production and manipulation of the sound wave.

[DJAbstract951]

when i used to mobile dj i would buy a lot of the compilation vinyl like

Wicked Mix. Fat Wax, Classic Party Rockers, Lethal Weapon, Heavy Hitters, Ultimix, Peep, Crate Savers, etc..

They would have several tracks on each record. A little of everything to keep parties going. Mostly newer stuff though, but also nice remixes & mashups that were hard to find.

[TaterSalad24]

What if I Enjoy and then Practice?

[briansredd]

That works too and is usually how it works. You enjoy hearing a DJ and decide to become one, so you practice.

[tdarnold]

Thanks great tips. My strength has been my knowledge of older music. Everyone knows the new stuff but brides like it when you tell them you can also play dance music for their aunts and uncles and grandparents. Young people usually only represent a small percentage of a wedding reception.

[Brunkow]

*thread haha my bad

[Alto12pl]

yes but electronic music is not that popular in USA

Brian i hae a question for you, I don't know if u made a video about it or not but why do you think electronic music is not popular in USA, i know that u enjoy some house tracks as well, but how come we don;t see any House or trance tracks on our radio stations?

[amdchiptrooper]

I too would like to know the answer. culture thing maybe?

[briansredd]

Electronic music is alive and well in the USA, it's just not mainstream. This probably has something to do with both Rockers & the Hip Hop crowd dubbing it "Gay".. an old backlash to when Disco oversaturated the industry in the late 70s/early 80's

[DJAbstract951]

EDM (electronic dance music) is starting to get noticed, but it's mostly electro. The mainstream listeners won't give it much of a chance. A good way to get your average listener into EDM is by playing electro mashups. My boy Steelo and I have always said that's the "gateway drug" to EDM. Sounds familiar enough to get them dancing.

Check out sites like:

beatport

junodownload

rated h

crack 4 dj's

Those are great for EDM and Electro Mashups

but they can be pricey.

[DJAbstract951]

EDM (electronic dance music) is getting noticed more in the US, but it's usually electro that gets played. The mainstream listeners barely give it a chance. The best way to get people into EDM is by playing electro mashups. It something that sounds familiar enough to dance to. My boy Steelo and I say that's the "gateway drug" into EDM.

Check out sites like:

beatport

junodownload

rated h

crack 4 dj's

8th wonder cd pool

[Brunkow]

Electronic music is the ONLY and BEST way to go with DJING!

[briansredd]

Wow, what a well thought out highly intellegent statement you've made here!

[Brunkow]

Hey, I sent you a message on my thoughts on this topic, but it was too long! Maybe you could respond in this threat and keep it going :D

[traxonwax]

I got a feeling that there is another video or 2 coming on this subject. I could do one but Brian does a much better job at explaining things than I do. :)

[NayusDante]

Brian, are there any legal implications on playing retail CDs, downloaded tracks, etc for performance??? I was under the impression that retail music was licensed for home use only, and all that good stuff...

Also, on a different note, are those DJ music services available to, say, music collectors? I wouldn't mind picking up some of the dance subscriptions if they're not too expensive, just to add to my personal library. Are they properly licensed?

[harrowrudeboy]

look up ProDub licence if you are going to convert any cds into any digital format like mp3.

a lot of venues are now asking for it but if you use cds, vinyl or legally downloaded music then you are ok

[traxonwax]

So the produb is the same as our AVLA license up here in Canada!

Thanks for that, I was trying to do some research on American law to possibly do a video about. But the laws down there seem to be a bit more complicated than the ones up here are.

[bluetech7753]

I was using Time life for While but these services sound like they are much better thanks for shareing this with us. take care.

[TheCelticFellow]

If I am planning on just becoming a DJ part time, and just for fun really, what are your opinions about downloading music from iTunes?

[djmarkcotter]

i know you like to collect music, but i haven't seen you bring all those CDs with you to gigs. do you copy all your CDs to your hard drives? do you just search for songs when you need them at gigs? or have a music book or something?

[briansredd]

I have a big box of CDs I bring with me, but yes, everything is on HD

[munozramiro]

Hey brian, I am very new to lighting and well I have a couple of questions my first is I have two chauvet vue3 and they have power outputs on the back can I connect any light or anything to that power output or does it have to be the same type of light? Also I have two american DJ strobes and I can hardly use them because when I run them they normally get this poping sound through me speakers caused by the strobes can I do anything to minimize that sound or possibly eliminate it? Thanks

[briansredd]

The power links typically are for linking 2 of the same lights together. Your owner's manual will probably confirm this

The reason you get pops is because you are trying to run your audio and lighting on the same power circut which I never recomend

[StevenJSousa]

traxonwax covered everything for me.

I do have a question, I been looking for promo only, i can only find new music, where can i find old hip hop etc.

[briansredd]

I know this may sound totally old skool, but go CD shopping at CD stores. There are several compilations out there you can get your hands on with some great old skool trax. Also, try used CD shops for good deals. Ebay is also a good source

[StevenJSousa]

lol.... thats what im doing right now, but everything is getting too expensive here in toronto canada even used stuff is going up... high as a kite.

Thanks,

SJS.

[MarlboroAcid]

you rock !

[defect530]

no more vinyl :( mixed for 8 years and now I have to convert. I have a External Sony CD Burner. Good thing. I can put my vinyl collection on CD.Going to take FOREVER!!!

[briansredd]

There are turntables out there that let you rip vinyl directly to MP3.. then get on Serato and have at it with time coded vinyl!

[amdchiptrooper]

whats the requirements to get pro dj music? Im just starting out as a mobile dj. I very much like tophitsusa. thats a perfect solution to keep up with the times. thanks!

[briansredd]

If you are a working DJ, then you qualify :)

[amdchiptrooper]

awesome! thank you for the post! cant tell you how helpful your vids are. Keep it up my friend!

[mattrauch81]

for any kind of electronic music (trance, electro, house, hardstyle) junodownload and beatport are great sites and between the two almost have everything.

[briansredd]

I've heard this from some of the west coast and Canadian DJs I have meet.

Trouble is, for many DJs is knowing what to download or even taking the time to figure out what to download. That's why I like the music services. They give you pretty much what you need before you even know you need it. Makes life easy for busy DJs :)

[directsound]

Great Video Good work!! thanks Brian

Its warmin up its time for a beach trip!!!!

DJ Mikey Mike

[Richmunnich]

X-Mix is good too

[briansredd]

There are loads of fun music services out there. However, many of them I find unusable for the types of events I do.

So far, the best remixes I've found for my purposes are the ones I'm finding on Top Hits USA

[Richmunnich]

did you look at this one though, I'll shoot you a link in the e-mail

[DJAarmOZ]

Under $200 actually sounds a lot better than what I was thinking. I would buy 12 records from a local DJ store in Seattle and pay $150 easily. 200 songs for under $200 that is legal is wonderful in comparison. For a MP3 DJ, what would be a good bitrate for playing live? My trance trax are in 320 kpbs and my CDs are being loaded in .WAV format, but what is good as far as sound quality vs. file size?

[briansredd]

the higher the better. I don't mess with WAV myself. Decent MP3 files have worked very well for me

[DJAarmOZ]

Ok, so 320 Kbps is good than. I notice that Amazon and Wal-Mart use a 256 Kbps variable bit rate, so I am assuming that will work on the mobile level. Thanks for the advice.

[briansredd]

Oh yeah, they sound just fine. I do rip at 320, though

[traxonwax]

320 is perfect but you also have to consider the encoder when ripping cds. There are several out there. Most times its usually "LAME" or "BLADE". Not all codacs encode the same quality at a given bit rate. I have heard 256's and 320s that sound like crap, whereas I've heard 128s that sounded not much different than a good 320.

[StevenJSousa]

Next we"ll need a clothes license to wear things in public lol...

What you CAN get is a license for the music you carry - which basically says, everything in your collection you acquired from a LEGAL source.

Any venue that can have music played back in it (community halls, school gyms, hotels, clubs, whatever) technically needs a license, regardless of whether the event is public or private, but near as I know it's not up to the DJ to provide it.

[briansredd]

Never heard of a DJ music license

Yes, venues pay royalty fees so mobile DJs or club DJs don't need to worry about it.

I was talking about legal downloads vs Illegal downloads

[traxonwax]

So what you are talking about is a SOCAN fee that the venue pays. They in turn pass that fee along to the client who books the hall.

However, all mobile DJs in Canada must have an AVLA license themselves. You can either buy a cd license that covers 100 blank cdrs or a hard drive license that covers 1 hard drive up to an unlimited amount of storage.

The only exceptions are djs who use only store bought original cds and djs who subscribe to Promo Only, ERG or other subscription services.

[briansredd]

Here, the hall pays a royalty license fee to have music played in at the venue so mobile DJs are exempt and do not need to obtain any special licenses for playing music.

[traxonwax]

That's the same way it is up here assuming you are using the original cd or even the legal download, but what if you rip the cd? Now you have 2 copies.

I know I'm pulling legal hairs here but its good to know what is and what isn't legal.

[StevenJSousa]

I was about to go in to details right now, but you covered everything i was gonna say to BSR... U.S is different then here thats forsure.

Thanks

SJS.

[TSKPat]

Another great place to get music is beatport, a little pricy, but there usually longer then your normal radio songs and there great songs overall

[traxonwax]

Don't forget about Funkymix and Ultimix. They are a pretty great series for any dj who does allot of club or mobile jobs that require allot of newer stuff.

[needledrop421]

Masterbeat is good also

[andrewbourner]

ozoneboy7574 , no you can't purchase these "DJ only" CDs unless you're a professional DJ.

[traxonwax]

Officially you are not supposed to be able to receive any dj only product, however there is no real way to tell who is a pro dj and who isn't. Most of the time, its just a matter of just saying that you are pro and you get them.

I should point out that you do not own these cds. You only buy the right to have them. In other words you are essentially renting them. You do not own them. They have the right to take em back if they want, but rarely do if ever.

[briansredd]

Oh yes, the legal fine print...

[traxonwax]

I have to correct you Brian or more like add some more info to this...just because you can legally buy a tune from itunes, it doesn't mean you can play it in a public setting. Check your country's laws and regulations regarding using copyrighted works. Also if you're not sure, check with your dj association such as the ADJA in the states, CDJA in Canada and the UK equivalent.

But if you're using some of the DJ Only comps, that is as legal as you can get.

[eArtrash]

The rolling stones top 500 is great! It only has a few rolling stones songs , the rest are just songs they like, you'd be surprised to what kinda stuff they like - very diverse

[djdott1991]

Its now 72 in the Uk now..lol.. They're great though i have from number 33-72. You can even buy big lots of them on ebay!

[briansredd]

I have 17-63. Use to grab them as soon as they came out via Virgin or Amazon, etc, but things have gotten a little crazy in the past few years and I haven't taken the time to seek them out. Gotta get on Ebay one of these days and try to fill in some blanks... Oh, I also have a few single diget NOW on vinyl & cassette AND the CD "Now '86" :) that one is rare

[waynefysh]

try gettin hold of now 4 on cd. i saw it on ebay yesterday for £300!!!

[briansredd]

yeah that's a tough one and probably the most expensive one to find. Now '86 is also rare but usually not nearly expensive

[bangdaho]

Thanks for the site info.

[crazyguitarguy91]

"Don't ask me how I got them 'cause I won't tell you." :D You're great, Brian! :)

[KorbinianLooser]

Thanks Brian!! very good information!

[nypdcar1]

good tip

DJ A-L

[zhhrah]

good advices!

[sainifabulous]

thanks agin for the top 200

that helped me alot for "white parties"

lol dont really do white parties do alot of punjabi thats where the moneys at :)