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View Full Version : Best or cheapest way to build your music collection



Dj-Bounce
02-14-2014, 02:32 AM
Hi guys, so I need to build my music collection from scratch. I have a external hard drive just full of downloaded poor quality music. I received this from a friend and don't wish to use it anymore.

Any ideas on how to go about this with regards to cheap as they soon mount up or good ways of doing it.

How did you start to build yours ?

So I have read its a good idea to have all killer no filler right ?

I was thinking of buying bulk packs of CDs, bundles even off eBay then putting them onto my hard disk drive, but I am guessing this will be very time consuming. Or I buy the music online and put it on that way....I am really not sure.

Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Era 7
02-14-2014, 02:45 AM
knowing what kind of music you want to play helps a lot. when i figured that out i just started buying tunes. i'm very critical with the stuff i buy. i usually let it sit in my chart for a while a listen back. sometimes things sound good at first, but when you listen back it doesn't sound that special anymore and gets kicked out.

other than that: http://www.djforums.com/forums/showthread.php?35-Online-record-shops-Digital-amp-Vinyl-Master-list

Dj-Bounce
02-14-2014, 02:57 AM
Ahh thanks Era 7, I knew there would be something here to help. Just could not find it.

I love dance music and it's been a big part of my life so I believe that will be my main source.

So you would recommend purchasing online rather than buying CDs ?

I was thinking if I had the CDs I could also use these as back up if my computer or hard drive go wrong.

Era 7
02-14-2014, 03:05 AM
most new stuff really only comes out digitally and/or months before a hard copy version is available. CDs are a good source for older stuff though. you can find them pretty cheap.

Sigma
02-14-2014, 03:13 AM
I still buy lots of CDs because they're not usually much more expensive than MP3 versions of albums (if at all - occasionally they're cheaper), you can rip them to any format you like (including higher quality than MP3), they always retain some monetary value, and they're kind of an automatic local backup. Also, some sites give you the MP3s for free when you buy a CD now, so you don't even need to rip them. Amazon's Auto-Rip service is one example. As soon as you buy the CD, the MP3s are right there ready for you to download and they're backed up automatically in the cloud. Not every single label is on board, but many are.

Of course, CDs are no good when it comes to buying singles as the CD single is dead (for new music at least), but compilations can be worth a purchase and so can older CD singles as you will often get multiple mixes of a track, maybe an instrumental and occasionally an acapella. If I'm after an old song, I would take a second hand CD single for 50p (or whatever) over buying a single song for £1.29 in MP3 format, but that's just me. Obviously, you don't have to choose CDs or downloads anyway - you can do both.

As for general buying tips, I would avoid buying up big bundles of CDs off eBay just cos you're thinking "I'm starting over from scratch, so I need to quickly bulk up my collection". Make considered purchases. That might include buying a bundle of CDs if you're getting a whole bunch of tracks you want spread across those discs at a great price, but avoid buying "padding" just to make your collection bigger.

Mahatma Coat
02-14-2014, 03:42 AM
So is this guy actually asking how to build a music collection or what?

What the fuck?

Should we tell you how to wipe your arse too?

I'm literally dumbfounded.

Are IQs just fucking droppping through the floor these days or what?

Its time for an extinction event. Our species needs culling big time.

<Walks off shaking head>

disparate
02-14-2014, 03:43 AM
^ that's it really. If you're just buying single tracks then buying downloads is the way forward, CD albums can be picked up pretty cheap though.

Just spend lots of time discovering and following your favourite music scenes/genres, and finding the best download sites etc and browsing them regularly. It takes a long time and a lot of money to build up a great music collection so don't rush it too much, also if you buy too much at once you might be overwhelmed and not really have time to get to know it all.

Depends on your genres of course, in what I'm into (underground techno, house, UK bass, etc) a substantial amount releases are still vinyl only.

Era 7
02-14-2014, 03:56 AM
So is this guy actually asking how to build a music collection or what?

What the fuck?

Should we tell you how to wipe your arse too?

I'm literally dumbfounded.

Are IQs just fucking droppping through the floor these days or what?

Its time for an extinction event. Our species needs culling big time.

<Walks off shaking head>

better than another kid playing with a hard drive full of pirated low quality MP3s imo :shrug:

Dj-Bounce
02-14-2014, 04:08 AM
Thanks for the tips, it all helps in sending me in the right direction.


So is this guy actually asking how to build a music collection or what?

What the fuck?

Should we tell you how to wipe your arse too?

I'm literally dumbfounded.

Are IQs just fucking droppping through the floor these days or what?

Its time for an extinction event. Our species needs culling big time.

<Walks off shaking head>

Are you for real ? Obviously I know how to build a music collection but there are ways (some better than others) of doing this. No point in me doing what I was going to do (buy loads of CDs) then asking did I do right?

Everyone knows how to wipe there arse but some do it better than others, or use less toilet paper (saving money) than someone with a technique using lots of toilet paper. It's just about finding that balance. :lol:

Mahatma Coat
02-14-2014, 04:17 AM
Asking how to build a music collection? Are you serious?

Come on guys, this is less than 101 stuff.

I'm sorry if that post was harsh; ok it was harsh, its morning here and the coffee machine is on the blink, but seriously, asking how to build a music collection?

You should just know because you love music and because of that you've found ways of acquiring music since you were ten years old or something.

I applaud the non-pirating sentiment, but asking how to build a music collection? I'm sorry, it really just does not compute with me.

1) You hear some music you like
2) You do a Google search and find the cheapest source, probably on an online record store like Juno or Beatport.
3) Rinse and repeat

If its older stuff only available on CD, then you go to Amazon and order it second hand for like 0.01p

I just don't get it.

Its almost as bad as asking 'what music should I play?'. If you have to ask these questions then its clear you don't have the love for the music needed which would obviate the need to ask such questions in the first place, ya git meh?

Dj-Bounce
02-14-2014, 04:25 AM
Fair enough, maybe I put the title wrong and should ask where is the best place to get music or something ?

Anyway by me creating this topic it has helped me out a lot. I didn't know you could buy a cd from Amazon and download the tracks too. So it's helped.

Thanks for your input.

And cheers people for the advice. Sent me in the right direction.

Mahatma Coat
02-14-2014, 04:29 AM
Sorry for being a dick, good luck with your music.

You should stick around this site, you'll get some good advice if you ever ask for it, (and you won't always get flamed, promise).

Dj-Bounce
02-14-2014, 04:51 AM
Ha, no worries. Sometimes posts like yours are needed, gives me more of a push to actually find stuff myself rather than asking to be spoon fed all the way.

TheRabbitMonk
02-14-2014, 05:09 AM
:lol:hahaha:lol:. There no harm in asking a question.

But a fair point made in the post was avoid buying for the sake of it or you'll end up with a a load of crap tunes you won't even play.

Dj-Bounce
02-14-2014, 05:38 AM
Thanks, I was thinking more of requests. Had some wierd requests in the past. But if I haven't got it I'm sure there will be something they will settle for lol.

JackStalk
02-14-2014, 10:10 AM
It's okay, mahatma coat was just being an uber douche. The cheapest way to build a library from scratch is to buy compilation/greatest hits CDs from either eBay, thrift store, craigslist lots, or second-hand online. You get the most usable tracks for your money. You can also join a record pool site for $10-$100 a month, some with unlimited downloads, some with only new releases.

SimpsonMTL
02-14-2014, 10:27 AM
I definitley think its a justified question when starting out. there has to be some method to the madness. for me when i started I was buying tons of music after only listening to the preview and ended up with a few hundred tracks in such a short amount of time I had no idea which track was which and was overwhelmed a bit. I was also buying those albums on beatport with like 35 tracks for 14 bucks what a steal! until you realize there are only 2-3 really good songs on there and you just added 30 more shit filler tracks to your crates...

Nowdays, I will do some beatport diggin, put a bunch of tracks i like the sound of in my cart/hold bin, find the track on youtube to listen to the whole thing if possible, and then relisten to it a few times to see if it holds up. I try to get maybe 5-10 new tracks every week or 2 and actually listen to them while adding them to my library.

dont go crazy in the beginnign or you are going to have a ton of music you wont know where to find what , or know what the track sounds like off the top of your head.

Mahatma Coat
02-14-2014, 10:33 AM
Nah, still don't get it. Why don't you just buy music you love?

Or do you only start buying music once you decide to become a DJ? If thats the case then it smells pretty bad to me.

Music first, DJ second.

ZoommaiR
02-14-2014, 10:47 AM
Nah, still don't get it. Why don't you just buy music you love?

Or do you only start buying music once you decide to become a DJ? If thats the case then it smells pretty bad to me.

Music first, DJ second.

The guy decides to build his music library legitimately, unlike most people these days, and you rip on him for asking how? If DJ'ing is what got him to do that, then so be it, at least he's making an effort.

I don't understand flaming him for it at all.

Kudos to you DJ-Bounce, welcome to the forum and hope you find your stay here pleasant. As far as your question goes, for new music join a record pool, there's some good reviews of the more popular pools made by some of the members here you can research. If you're looking for older dance music, looking for albums and compilations in CD format is the way to go, search Amazon and discogs.com

Dr_Herringbone
02-14-2014, 10:50 AM
I'm with Mahatma on this.

The best way to build a collection is to buy records. Spending a tenner on each tune will make you more discerning in your purchases.

Buying one record every week means fifty two in a year, and by then you will have enough to do a tasty one-two hour spot at a party as well as having developed your own distinct sound. Most importantly, you will have earned the respect from pretentious wankers like myself.

Why do you want the quickest and cheapest route? Do you really want to be known as the DJ with the cheapest collection?

DJ ATX
02-14-2014, 11:10 AM
Hi guys, so I need to build my music collection from scratch. I have a external hard drive just full of downloaded poor quality music. I received this from a friend and don't wish to use it anymore.

Any ideas on how to go about this with regards to cheap as they soon mount up or good ways of doing it.

How did you start to build yours ?

So I have read its a good idea to have all killer no filler right ?

I was thinking of buying bulk packs of CDs, bundles even off eBay then putting them onto my hard disk drive, but I am guessing this will be very time consuming. Or I buy the music online and put it on that way....I am really not sure.

Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Record Pools

TheRabbitMonk
02-14-2014, 11:18 AM
ppl should beware of ripping into ppl for asking questions. It's a forum and thats what it's here for. I have no issue answering anything if i know it.
If there a post on the first page asking the same thing then yea give the op some grief.

But we all share one thing in common we all love music. chill and play nice.

Finnish_Fox
02-14-2014, 12:04 PM
If physical format, then shop used.

Digitally... save up.

Dj-Bounce
02-14-2014, 12:08 PM
Seriously thanks so much for the kind words and support. Some great advice here for me to work with and that is what i needed.

I understand the flaming to a degree as it does sound a little funny me asking how to build up your music collection when it should be 2nd nature. I guess i meant where to find ect more than how.

Anyway i will be going through this slow and are in no rush at all to build a massive collection for the sake of it. I mentioned cheap as i was going on buying tracks from say itunes and knowing it can be very costly after you have bought a few albums or singles. I have this hardrive and its full of downloaded music, so much shit on there its unreal but there are some bangers on there too, But because there is so much stuff on there and its all over the place i dont know what i have and what i dont have unless i search individual. I don't want this and due to knowing what its like having tons of shit tracks all over the place i want to get this right. Meaning i am in no rush and will find good music i like and will use.

On another note a friend has rather a large cd collection of dance music so i will be borrowing a few cds to rip and start my collection.

Thanks again for the great help and info. Much appreciated.

Dj-Bounce
02-14-2014, 12:40 PM
WOW, Already have like 15 tabs open. Albums, singles, beatport, discogs, amazon. Choons everywhere. This is harder than i thought not grabbing everything i see or hear lol.

My first purchase. I think its a very good album.

http://i672.photobucket.com/albums/vv82/Farnell7/61Sb0Py0u1L_SL500_AA280__zps51583bdf.jpg (http://s672.photobucket.com/user/Farnell7/media/61Sb0Py0u1L_SL500_AA280__zps51583bdf.jpg.html)

Lam
02-14-2014, 12:43 PM
Building a collection takes time. Make song purchases that you like listening to and eventually it will add up.

TheRabbitMonk
02-14-2014, 01:14 PM
Correct me if i'm wrong but when you buy tracks from itunes the audio quality isn't the best? like 192kbps?

Dj-Bounce
02-14-2014, 01:34 PM
I have never used itunes tbh. Don't like it.

My friends swear by it, I have never got on with it.

JackStalk
02-14-2014, 02:57 PM
iTunes quality is fine, I haven't ever had any issues with it.

xs2man
02-14-2014, 05:36 PM
On another note a friend has rather a large cd collection of dance music so i will be borrowing a few cds to rip and start my collection.

Thanks again for the great help and info. Much appreciated.

On another note, perhaps you shouldn't publicly admit to piracy?

TheRabbitMonk
02-14-2014, 05:42 PM
i bought some stuff of there a while back and i wasn't that impressed. i tend to use it now if i can't get the song from elsewhere.

JackStalk
02-14-2014, 05:47 PM
It depends what you buy on there. For new tracks on a known label, they're sonically identical to the tracks I get from Promo Only.

diceallion
02-14-2014, 09:20 PM
My ears can't tell the difference between a Itunes or beatport download..

Dj-Bounce
02-15-2014, 03:19 AM
On another note, perhaps you shouldn't publicly admit to piracy?

Ok I will buy the CDs off him, back them up then sell them back to him. Would that work lol.

xs2man
02-15-2014, 03:25 AM
No, as you will still have ripped them and kept the rips. Hence piracy. The only way will be to buy the CD's off him. End of. Otherwise it's piracy.

Don't get me wrong, I am sure that 90% of the people "might" have one or two pieces of pirated materials. And I am not looking down on anyone for doing so. But this is a public forum, and piracy aint legal, certainly in the UK. So you shouldn't admit to it. Whether you do it or not is something you have to square with your own conscience.

Catch22
02-15-2014, 05:35 AM
My main rule is; Don't buy anything you wouldn't want to hear in a club

(Unless you don't have any aspirations of being a club DJ)

KLH
02-15-2014, 07:06 AM
On another note a friend has rather a large cd collection of dance music so i will be borrowing a few cds to rip and start my collection.
Piracy is not tolerated at DJF. Warning sent.

Due to the constructive discussion, I will allow this thread to continue.

Badger
02-15-2014, 05:42 PM
Ok I will buy the CDs off him, back them up then sell them back to him. Would that work lol.
No, as you will still have ripped them and kept the rips. Hence piracy. The only way will be to buy the CD's off him. End of. Otherwise it's piracy.


Exactly.

DJ Bounce: Ethically, It's fine to rip CDs that belong to you. However, if you then sell, trade or give away the original physical source material, then you are keeping an illegal copy of the track because now you and another person can play it simultaneously. You are required to keep that physical copy in your possession (i.e., at home in your archives), and you cannot give any digital copies of the material to anyone else.

You should just do the right thing and buy your music like a responsible, grown-up DJ.

.

This reminds me of a discussion I had a friend of mine a few years back about piracy. She very proudly said something like "Oh, I buy my music. I mean, I buy the CDs, and then I copy the tracks, and then I go sell them at a used CD shop."

I somehow was able to hold myself back from ripping out her trachea.

:badger:

Sigma
02-15-2014, 07:06 PM
You definitely shouldn't pirate a single track ever otherwise you'll be denied entry to the Self-Righteous Arsehole Club and you wouldn't want to miss out on that. They have weekly meetings where they track down uncleared samples on hip-hop tracks and report them to the RIAA. It's a blast!

Badger
02-15-2014, 07:15 PM
the Self-Righteous Arsehole Club

Sigma, old friend, you're too kind! :)

:badger:

Sigma
02-15-2014, 07:29 PM
Self-righteousness (also called sanctimoniousness, sententiousness, and holier-than-thou attitudes[1]) is a feeling or display of (usually smug) moral superiority[2] derived from a sense that one's beliefs, actions, or affiliations are of greater virtue than those of the average person.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-righteousness

Dj-Bounce
02-16-2014, 05:08 AM
Thanks again, Esp for the warning as to be honest i wasn't aware that having a cd, ripping it and then not owning the original cd was piracy. Just like borrowing a CD off someone, ripping it and then giving the CD back.

Maybe i need to read up more about it.

DJ STU-C
02-17-2014, 04:30 AM
CBA reading through the whole thread but ill tell you what i do. i like a style of music (jackin house), i also DJ to a crowd that likes other types of music (mainly commercial deep house, hip hop, rnb, and the old soul, funk tracks depending on who is in) so i tend to just browse through traxsource or stompy for my jackin house, making sure i download the WAV version of the tracks which is normally about 50p more per track.

when its stuff for the bar i either buy cheap CDs from amazon and rip them (for example ive just bought musicology by prince from amazon for £1.27 including postage, the album isnt available online. i have also bought a single by soul II soul, which has an unreleased masters at work mix of back 2 life on its 'b side' so to speak) or i will just trawl through Itunes, Juno or beatport.

one thing i have learnt that still surprises me everytime it happens, is im looking for a track thats maybe classed as rare funk etc and i always say to myself 'type it in on Itunes, nothing to lose' and more often than not the track is on there. i would urge anyone to look on Itunes first for any track, you will be surprised whats actually on there. only problem MP4 is the quality, does this matter too much?? i dont think it makes that much difference, nothing that cant be adjusted using the levels on the mixer.

as for picking a style, dont just go and buy any dance track you like, i made that mistake when i started out and ended up with a load of old dance, tech house, soulful house, techno, trance and just plain weird shit like mr sruff.. it does no good for mixing practise.

so my advice is just work out which music you prefer (preferrably not EDM, Dubstep, electro, Top40 or whatever, we have enough of those guys to fill the worlds DJ booths 10 times over :argh: ) only kidding, but seriously work out what you like and stick to it to gather a collection of tracks you can mix together well

DJ STU-C
02-17-2014, 04:33 AM
Exactly.

DJ Bounce: Ethically, It's fine to rip CDs that belong to you. However, if you then sell, trade or give away the original physical source material, then you are keeping an illegal copy of the track because now you and another person can play it simultaneously. You are required to keep that physical copy in your possession (i.e., at home in your archives), and you cannot give any digital copies of the material to anyone else.

You should just do the right thing and buy your music like a responsible, grown-up DJ.

.

This reminds me of a discussion I had a friend of mine a few years back about piracy. She very proudly said something like "Oh, I buy my music. I mean, I buy the CDs, and then I copy the tracks, and then I go sell them at a used CD shop."

I somehow was able to hold myself back from ripping out her trachea.

:badger:

what if like me your unorganised and Rip all your CDs then lose the actual disc??? does that mean i need to go out and buy an eye patch and a mouthy parrot

Dj-Bounce
02-17-2014, 06:22 AM
Thanks dj stu.

I was also going to ask the question if I have a cd and back it up then happen to misplace, break the cd do I then need to delete the back up or buy the same cd.

Little bit extra but if that's the case I need to know.

xs2man
02-17-2014, 12:08 PM
No, if you lose it or break it it isn't piracy. As you haven't sold it on. Or just borrowed it from someone else to copy.

DJ STU-C
02-17-2014, 03:43 PM
No, if you lose it or break it it isn't piracy. As you haven't sold it on. Or just borrowed it from someone else to copy.

but if we don't the police will be around within 24 hours to charge us and we end up locked in the peadophile wing at the local jail

Dj-Bounce
02-17-2014, 04:40 PM
it is a bit ridiculous, The law is the law though.

contra
02-17-2014, 09:53 PM
I'm not reading all 5 pages, but one thing to do is on beatport or other sites, if you buy compilations or albums they're usually a lot cheaper per track. Lots of compilations can be bought for lets say $10 for 16 tracks....that's a hell of a lot better than 1.49 to 2.49 per track. And obviously you might not like every track in that group, but you can most of the time find a good loop or sample out of a song no matter how bad it is.

fueledbymusic
02-17-2014, 10:36 PM
If I was to do it all over again. I would just buy a huge lot of "DJ" cds. I'm talking about 1000. Then spend the next few months going through them all. Rip them all!

Actually that's what I did in the last ten years

NickJames
02-18-2014, 01:56 PM
Seriously guys... Someone is looking to build a library on the cheap and only one person mentions record pools and without further clarification? If you intend to download shit tons of music (ie, while building a bloody library) it doesn't get any cheaper than a flat rate for unlimited downloads.

@DJ-Bounce, sign up for a record pool... The most expensive ones are ~$60/month and you can download as much music as you want legally. If you download like 500 tracks in your first month while building your library that's 12¢/track on the most expensive pools... If you go with a $30/month pool thats 6¢/track if you download 500 in a month.

WTF is a record pool... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_pool

Choose a pool:
1) http://www.djtechtools.com/2013/05/06/top-online-record-pools-for-djs-2013-edition/
2) http://www.djtechtools.com/2013/09/10/top-online-record-pools-for-djs-part-ii/

^ I wrote both of those... ping me if you have questions.

There is literally no cheaper way to build a library legally.

Dj-Bounce
02-18-2014, 05:12 PM
Thanks Nick, I'll take a look tomorrow.