Downloading music at a gig

[Drewbdo]

... if you are part of a record pool and you're paying monthly isn't it more cost effective to download music using the pool's site? I've used iTunes for a while but I'm thinking it's better to use a pool because I'm purchasing more and more music per month than I used to.

I use Amazon...

I go to ZipDJ.com, my pool, first (by the way, a FANTASTIC pool, IMO! I am about to renew again, this will be my third annual subscription with them).

If they don't have it, I go to my backup pool, the Virtual DJ / Grooveshark Unlimited Content cache thingie.

If they don't have it, or if the song downloads poorly (sometimes the VDJ bitrate is lower than I like), then I go to Amazon.

Last, I go to iTunes, or maybe YouTube, as an absolute last resort. The quality of YouTube sounds fine in the headphones, but not on a big system.

yes. I minimize serato while it is playing, and open a browser to download from Amazon or itunes.

^^ If I have a good cell signal, this, or maybe download to my phone from Amazon, and play through the phone with a headphone-to-1/4" adapter into the mixer.

If you download to your computer, remember to add the new song to Serato/VDJ's database, or the software search will not find the song and you will be like, "What?! I know I just downloaded it... I can see it right there!"

Been there, done that

Amazon is great. But most of the time, I just say I don't have it. Christ! Its 1.29 a song, multiply that by 20 and it cuts into the profit margin.
And most of those songs are bizarre weird ones you'll never play again---like one time I downloaded "Chicken Noodle Soup"
F*ck that, never had a request for that sh*t ever again.

That's the great thing about VDJ's pool. $10/month, unlimited downloads, and is great for songs you will probably never play again... like all the Bruce Springsteen songs I had requested at a birthday party, 30 months ago, and have NEVER played again.

The other thing is ... charge more for your gigs, so you can afford to buy 5-10 songs (if they are ones you may play again). j/k

I'd avoid that. Had too many issues over the years of the laptop lagging, locking up, etc.
then you have a song you really should listen to - had MP3s with skips and lock ups - rare for sure, but do you want to risk this bringing down your system while you reboot during a gig?

You prolly should have a second, backup computer and use that for the dl/preview/test of the song.

The only way your song will have skips or lockups is if your downloading illegal music and playing it commercially without screening it. I have never had a commercially paid for song skip.

I have subscriptions, and purchase my music. I will say that sometimes the VDJ cache/Grooveshark system has poorer quality/lower bitrate recordings.

Also, I have had my computers (both MacBook Pro and IBM - all are maxed out on RAM, and exceed "recommended specs") lockup before, both with Serato and with VDJ Pro. It happens VERY rarely, but in the past 34 months, it happened at a high school Graduation Ceremony during the Class Song, where they throw their hats, and at a wedding. Hence the reason I always have a back up computer plugged into the mixer and cued up. Insurance policy!