Where Do DJs Get Their Music? – 6 Best Legal Track Sources (Free & Paid)

Where do professional DJs legally download music from? Where do house DJs get their music to play it live? Turns out there are many legal sources (free and paid) from which you can download both well known and underground tracks. Lots of legally downloadable music is available in right places, and you simply need to know where to look. Here is a list of 6 best online resources for getting tracks for your mixes without resorting to piracy. Let’s get started!

  1. Online DJ record pools
  2. Beatport
  3. Music streaming services (For DJs)
  4. Bandcamp
  5. CC0 & copyright free tracks
  6. Record Shops / charity shops
  7. Can you use music from Spotify to DJ?
  8. The conclusion – best track sources for DJs

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1. Online DJ record pools

Digital DJ record pools are among the most popular music sources for DJs.
Digital DJ record pools are among the most popular music sources for DJs.

Online DJ record pools are curated collections of tracks that you can get access to by paying a certain monthly subscription fee. Of course before digital record pools, there used to be quite a few record pools that supplied physical vinyl records to DJs – more on that here.

There are lots of readily available digital DJ record pools online and all you need to do to get access to one is usually prove that you are really going to use the pool’s music resources for your gigs (a simple social media proof is usually enough).

Digital DJ record pools are a great music source for DJs, but there are some things to keep in mind when deciding to use them. For instance, there are some tracks and genres that you may simply not find in your chosen record pool as different record pools can feature vastly different genre and artist collections.

What Are DJ Record Pools And How To Use Them?

If you want to know more about online DJ record pools, we strongly recommend you to check out our extensive article about the way DJ record pools work, how they operate and how you can easily get access to one (with popular online record pool examples). You can read it here.

Our list of popular online DJ record pools - check it out here.
Our carefully compiled list of popular online DJ record pools – check it out here.

2. Beatport

Beatport is a real industry leader in terms of online electronic music marketplaces.
Beatport is a real industry leader in terms of online electronic music marketplaces.

On Beatport you can choose from a large selection of electronic tracks for DJs. All the tracks you purchase you can keep and use in any live context. Beatport features mostly electronic dance music tracks and all of them are divided by genre and have BPM and key tags already embedded.

Beatport also offers a music streaming solution integrated with DJ software like Serato DJ, Traktor Pro 3, Virtual DJ and so on. For a monthly fee you are able to access the whole Beatport streaming library from within your DJ software.

Check out Beatport here.

3. Music streaming services for DJs

There are a lots of streaming services that have specially crafted offers just for DJs.
There are a lots of streaming services that have specially crafted offers just for DJs.

When it comes to music streaming services, the regular music streaming sites like Spotify or Apple Music at the time of writing this article can not be used for live music mixing and performances. There are however quite a few interesting music streaming services made especially for DJs.

Here are most popular examples of music streaming services that have great plans for DJs:

  • Deezer
  • TIDAL
  • SoundCloud
  • Beatport Link
  • Beatsource Link

These streaming services are often integrated in DJ software. If you’re interested in making use of any of these, you need to check what streaming services the DJ software of your choice supports.

Then, it’s a matter of creating an account in one of the services, paying an initial monthly fee and then you will be able to access all the tracks from your chosen music streaming service within your DJ software track library.

https://djgear2k.com/tag/streaming/ – here you can learn much more about music streaming services for DJs.

4. Bandcamp

Did you know that Bandcamp also has a fair share of electronic tracks?
Did you know that Bandcamp also has a fair share of electronic tracks?

Another option is Bandcamp – a portal with thousands of tracks (both available for free and paid) that similarly to Beatport, can be used in live performances after purchase.

Bandcamp in general has lower prices than Beatport, but it also has quite a different selection of music genres. In general you can find more underground and indie stuff in here and less “traditional” electronic dance music in comparison to the Beatport library. It’s worth exploring anyway, as there are lots and lots of great dancefloor-worthy tracks there, waiting to be discovered!

Check out Bandcamp here to see if they have the kind of music that suits your needs.

There are lots of hidden gems in copyright free track repositories, you just need to dig for a bit!
There are lots of hidden gems in copyright free track repositories, you just need to dig for a bit!

One of a few answers to this question is: through online CC0 & copyright free track repositories!

There is an abundance of tracks out there that are distributed completely for free and that you can download and use in your mixes right away. We’re talking about CC-licensed copyright free music.

As with all free stuff, the quality of copyright free tracks may vary greatly. The music may be free to use commercially, but you have to spend some time digging through CC libraries and sites offering free tracks to find music you will be able to use in your live performance context.

Although this way of gathering tracks isn’t exactly the most efficient one, it is still an interesting option that many beginners overlook. It’s certainly great for finding music for practice sessions or music for videos you plan to post online without worrying about copyright strikes.

Extensive list of websites with copyright free music available for free download at creativecommons.org
Extensive list of websites with copyright free music available for free download at creativecommons.org

On the official Creative Commons website you can find many links to free download sites featuring lots of CC-licensed tracks from different genres.

Learn more about CC0 & copyright free tracks here: https://creativecommons.org/about/program-areas/arts-culture/arts-culture-resources/legalmusicforvideos/

6. Record stores / charity shops

Record stores and charity shops as a music source for DJs.
Record stores and charity shops as a music source for DJs. | Photo: djirocksit

One option that is also quite interesting is going the classic way – gathering your music on physical media by searching through your local record stores and their collections.

Most record stores offer not only traditional vinyl records, but also CDs. Music you’ve legally purchased in a record store can in most cases be then used during your mixes just like when you purchase the very same tracks online.

Charity shops on the other hand sometimes can also offer some interesting old CD collections that you can then utilize for your mixing sessions. Seek and you will find!

Can you use music from Spotify to DJ?

Can you DJ using music from Spotify?
Can you DJ using music from Spotify?

It is currently not possible to use music from the Spotify streaming service in any kinds of DJ software, as Spotify is not officially integrated with any DJ app or software, and all third party tools that can be used for downloading music from Spotify would be directly violating Spotify TOS.

Can You DJ With Spotify? – A Quick Answer

Sadly this means that as of now there is no legal way to take your music directly from your Spotify playlists and use it during a live performance when mixing said tracks together.

The conclusion – best track sources for DJs

There are many legal ways to source music for your live mixes and performances. Record pools, streaming services made for DJs, direct track downloads – both paid and free. You have many to choose from so feel free to decide on the one that suits your needs the most or combine a few of them to start building your new track library. Rock on!

Main article photo: Bru-nO

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