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11 Record Pools For DJs: The Ultimate Guide

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Subscribing to a record pool will probably be the best career investment you will make during your time as a DJ.

If you are an open-format DJ, not only can it be expensive to keep your collection updated with multiple genres of music, it can also be difficult to find the best tracks each week.

This is where a record pool subscription becomes an essential part of your music preparation schedule.

In this article, we will look at a selection of the best record pools available today. Some of them will be the popular ones that you may have heard of before and others will be more of a well-kept secret.

Let’s start with some of the not-so-well-known ones…..

Spinback Promos

Although this list is in no particular order, we are starting with a very strong contender.

Spinback Promos provide enough music across multiple genres for any open-format DJ.

Genres available include (but are not limited to) EDM, House, Hip Hop, RnB, Trap, Latin, Country, Top 40 and many more. In addition to all of these genres, Spinback Promos also supply a good number of acapellas for producers (or DJs who like to get creative during their sets).

Spinback Promos work closely with the record labels who supply them with music and aim to provide them with detailed analysis about the impact that the tracks are having in the clubs. This means that subscribers must rate each track before they are able to download them, which can be a deal-breaker for the DJs who prefer to have access to instant downloads.

Positives:

  • Lots of different genres available to satisfy even the most demanding DJs
  • Easy-to-navigate website

Negatives:

  • The requirement to rate each track before receiving download access

Website: spinbackpromos.com

Price: $22.99 per month

Billing Cycle: Monthly (discounts available if subscribing for 3, 6 or 12 months)

My MP3 Pool

My MP3 Pool has been in the business for well over a decade now.

As is the standard with most of the top record pools, they provide MP3s spanning multiple genres and also supply a mobile app for their subscribers which allows you to select your music while on the move (available for iOS and Android).

A multitude of charts are updated regularly so you can keep on top of what is trending with other subscribers and in addition to MP3s, they also update the library regularly with scratch samples and other DJ tools.

All audio files are correctly tagged with artist, song title, BPM and key, while pre-set cue points enable you to drop the files into your DJ software and start spinning.

Positives:

  • Slick app to select tracks on your mobile device
  • Lots of chart info to see what tracks are hot
  • Scratch samples, acapellas and other DJ tools available

Negatives:

  • Nothing I can think of at the moment

Website: mp3poolonline.com

Price: $19.99 per month

Billing Cycle: Monthly (9% discount when signing up for 3 months, 12% discount when signing up for 6 months and 17% discount when signing up for 12 months)

Digital Music Pool

Another serious contender for the best music source for DJs is Digital Music Pool.

Boasting an extensive catalogue of music that covers multiple genres, this can definitely be a one-stop-shop for all of your MP3 needs.

EDM, Top 40, Tech House, Deep House, Future House, Country and Latin can all be found on Digital Music Pool.

An abundance of exclusive remixes and edits are available for subscribers and the ability to sort through the music using many different filters also increases an already positive user experience.

Positives:

  • All files are 320kbps
  • Multiple filter search function
  • One of the cheapest record pools on the market

Negatives:

  • Quite a few new tracks are initially released without an intro or an outro

Website: digitalmusicpool.com

Price: $19.99 per month

Billing Cycle: Monthly (significant discounts available if subscribing for 3, 6 or 12 months)

BPM Supreme

BPM Supreme is one of the leaders in the world of DJ record pools, and it is easy to see why.

All subscribers are granted access to audio and video files, making this record pool the perfect option for those who like to do video mixing (or VJing).

They have an extremely competent team of in-house producers who create the exclusive “BPM Supreme Edits” of tracks.

While I tend to move around different record pools on an almost monthly basis, the one record pool where I always keep my subscription live is with BPM Supreme.

Positives:

  • Video files are provided as standard
  • Their exclusive edits are among the best in the business
  • Access to a huge back catalogue of tracks

Negatives:

  • I only have positive things to say about BPM Supreme

Website: bpmsupreme.com

Price: $19.99 per month

Billing Cycle: Monthly

Zip DJ

Zip DJ is one of the more expensive record pools on the list, but seek to justify their higher cost in many ways.

Firstly, their customer service is outstanding. When you subscribe, you are assigned an account handler who will be your personal contact for any queries whatsoever. I find this to be a very nice touch which keeps me coming back time and time again.

Secondly, their back catalogue is HUGE! If you are just starting out and are looking to build up a substantial collection of music, subscribing to Zip DJ is a must.

Thirdly, Zip DJ are official distributors for labels such as Ultra Music, Ministry Of Sound, Spinnin Records among others. With labels like this supplying the music, you know it is of the highest standard.

Positives:

  • Amazing customer service
  • Enormous back catalogue
  • Tracks available from leading labels

Negatives:

  • The price is higher than a lot of other record pools

Website: zipdj.com

Price: $35 per month (Introductory offer, usually $50)

Billing Cycle: Monthly (10% discount if subscribing for 3 months, 20% discount if subscribing for 6 months and 30% discount if subscribing for 12 months)

Xmix

Xmix has been in business since 1992, so it is fair to say that they have stood the test of time.

If you are based in the United States, you can choose to receive a physical CD or DVD of the music on a monthly basis in addition to the digital downloads.

As a subscriber, you immediately receive access to the releases from the current month. In addition, you will also be eligible for the Xmix “specialty releases” which are released several times per year with a focus on megamixes, club classics and genre-specific offerings.

Xmix is one of the most expensive record pools listed in this article, but having been in business for nearly 3 decades, they have the experience and a product to justify the higher price tag.

Positives:

  • Access to the exclusive Xmix digital series
  • Bonus specialty releases several times per year

Negatives:

  • One of the most expensive record pools
  • Music access starts from when you subscribe – no back catalogue access

Website: xmixdigital.com

Price: $59 per month

Billing Cycle: Monthly

Crate Connect

Boasting a music library which has in excess of 30 different genres, Crate Connect have all bases covered when it comes to the working DJ.

New music is added on a daily basis to keep you updated with the latest anthems and the extensive back catalogue allows you to build up your collection of classics.

What I really like is the Crate Connect “Go” functionality. This means that you can select all of your music on your mobile device and then when you come to download it, a link to a zip file will automatically be sent to your registered email address. This allows you to retrieve your music when you log on via your desktop or laptop.

Positives:

  • In excess of 30 different musical genres
  • Access to lossless file formats such as FLAC and WAV
  • The ability to select music on a mobile device and download on desktop or laptop

Negatives:

  • I found that I was unable to access the site in certain countries without using a VPN connection
  • Site load speed was sometimes slow in those countries

Website: crateconnect.com

Price: $22 per month

Billing Cycle: Monthly (discounts available for 3 or 6-month subscriptions)

DJ City

Arguably the biggest and definitely one of the most popular, DJ City are one of the leading record pools for DJs.

New music is added almost every day and their “Top Downloads” and “Hot Box” give you a clear idea about which tracks are working for other DJs both domestically and globally.

DJ City has one of the best in-house production teams which create a lot of edits and redrums, but they also quickly recognise up-and-coming talent from other sources such as Soundcloud and Artist Union and recruit them to create exclusive remixes for them.

The music added to DJ City is always from the most popular genres of the moment, so expect the finest in everything from House, Hip Hop, RnB, Trap and Reggaeton.

Positives:

  • Very clean, user-friendly interface
  • Very few below-par tracks are added
  • Reasonably priced in comparison to some other pools

Negatives:

  • Quarterly subscription (which can prevent subscribers from moving around on a monthly basis)
  • Tracks do get removed at certain times (which can prevent subscribers from building up a back-catalogue of tracks)

Website: djcity.com or djcity.co.uk

Price: $90 for 3 months (USA) or £60 for 3 months (UK)

Billing Cycle: Quarterly

Digital DJ Pool

I have written several articles about DJ record pools now and Digital DJ Pool is always one of the cheapest available.

While they may be one of the cheapest, this doesn’t mean that they compromise on quality. Their website boasts one of the cleanest interfaces among all of the record pools on the market, they update their music as regularly as most of their competitors and there is a wide selection of club edits, redrums and DJ tools.

Digital DJ Pool is also the only subscription service that offers the opportunity to use their record pool for a trial period. You can “try before you buy” for 5 days for $1 (downloads are limited to 15 tracks per day during the trial period).

Positives:

  • One of the cheapest record pools on the market
  • Extremely clean interface for ease of browsing
  • 5 day trial period offer for just $1

Negatives:

  • Some tracks get added at 192kbps bit rate (which for me is fine as long as they sound good, but may put some people off)
  • Some of the user-submitted remixes sound like they need to be remastered

Website: digitaldjpool.com

Price: 5 days for $1 (trial period), $20 per month, $190 per year

Billing Cycle: Monthly or yearly

Direct Music Service

I haven’t yet come across a DJ record pool that is more expensive than Direct Music Service.

However, they must be doing something right as they have been in business for a LONG time.

It is worth joining DMS just to take a look at their enormous back catalogue which spans multiple decades and even more genres.

There are 3 tiers of membership available with Direct Music Service:

  • Starter Package
  • Semi-Pro Package
  • Pro Package

The starter package and semi-pro package are both audio only, whereas the pro-level subscription gives access to video files as well.

Positives:

  • HUGE back catalogue
  • Audio and video file access
  • Lots of exclusive throwbacks

Negatives:

  • Possibly the most expensive record pool in the world
  • Download restrictions on the starter and semi-pro package

Website: directmusicservice.com

Price: $29.95 per month (starter package)

Billing Cycle: Monthly or yearly

Club Killers

Club Killers has been one of the leading DJ record pools in the world for some time now.

In addition, the Club Killers podcast is one of the most listened to shows on Mixcloud and each episode always features a host of tracks that are exclusive to their record pool.

If you take a listen to the Club Killers podcast, you will notice that they are always full of energy and the music that they supply is no different. This energy can be attributed to the “CK Cuts” (exclusive edits of popular tracks) that are created by their team of super-productive editors.

Positives:

  • Arguably the best team of track editors on the planet
  • Easy-to-navigate interface
  • Responsive support team

Negatives:

  • The music is slightly biased towards Hip Hop and Trap

Website: clubkillers.com

Price: $40 per month

Billing Cycle: Monthly

Conclusion

If you are an open-format DJ playing multiple styles during every gig, each of the record pools in this article will serve you well.

Some will suit certain DJs better than others, so I always recommend that DJs take a month-long subscription to one record pool at a time, moving regularly between them until you find the perfect match for your music style and venues.

If you have come across a record pool that you feel deserves to be in this article, please let me know in the comments.

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