Do you hand out mixes to friends? is the USB key the new "tape" ?

**DJ Matt** · 01-14-2020, 10:22 AM

When i started DJing back in the 90s it was a huge part of the whole culture to make mixtapes and hand them around to your friends
thats actually how i learned about DJing, by getting mixtapes of other DJs

i think this has really become something of a lost art since the whole internet thing happened. That localised personal touch has been lost. and CDs are pretty much a dead format too, most laptops dont even come with CD players now so handing out CDs isnt gonna work either.

telling people to check your soundcloud account or whatever website you have your mixes on isnt the same either, you just dont have that personal hand to hand contact, and therefore it will never have the same feeling of respect as the old mixtape had. so i never really got too far into that, to be honest.

then a friend of mine asked me for a mix recently and thats when i realised i had no easy answer on how exactly to deliver it to her.

so anyways, i visited south america recently and noticed there is a large market there, for selling USB keys of music, on the street. and also virtually all stereos , speakers, and music players have USB input
and thats when it hit me, the USB key is now the new "tape"
(now i understand theres piracy involved in those cases, and im not interested in that, to be clear, my interest is in just handing out a mix or 2 to friends)

so theres my idea, i think i will make a usb key for friends who want my mixes.
ideally id like to even get one that looks like a tape cassette, and has a case etc, that i can make a cover for it.
something like this. can even bash a cover together in photoshop and have it printed.

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id like to know your thoughts and how you guys approach this scenario, if you have any tips, advice,opinions etc.

**pete** · 01-14-2020, 11:00 AM

I'd source some music related storage from a auction site for a cheap price with storage of 1GB.

Otherwise its gonna get expensive at anything less than minimal distribution.

I agree with your point. The old days of listening to a tape on a boombox with your mates seems to have gone.

As for listening to a mix from a hosting site....aint no-one got time fo' that!

**DJ Matt** · 01-14-2020, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by pete

I'd source some music related storage from a auction site for a cheap price with storage of 1GB.

Otherwise its gonna get expensive at anything less than minimal distribution.

I agree with your point. The old days of listening to a tape on a boombox with your mates seems to have gone.

As for listening to a mix from a hosting site....aint no-one got time fo' that!

yea, i have been looking and it seems you cant get anything for less than 15 dollars upwards, unless you are buying 200 of them

standard usb sticks on the other hand can be gotten for 1 dollar, if only there was a nice way to package that with a cover or inlay card (even in a modified tape case) it would look pretty good

**Rek_Aviles** · 01-14-2020, 01:47 PM

It is a lost art. I remember making copies of my demo, printing out the art and track list inserts for cases and handing or mailing them out.

Like you mentioned, its been replaced with links to a mix.

Thinking about it now, in today's world where smartphones are everything, handing out a custom card with a QR code on it would be cool. Artwork and track lists on one side, QR code link to the direct site on the another. Preferably linked your own site where the mix starts playing automatically.

hmm

**DJ Matt** · 01-14-2020, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by Rek_Aviles

It is a lost art. I remember making copies of my demo, printing out the art and track list inserts for cases and handing or mailing them out.

Like you mentioned, its been replaced with links to a mix.

Thinking about it now, in today's world where smartphones are everything, handing out a custom card with a QR code on it would be cool. Artwork and track lists on one side, QR code link to the direct site on the another. Preferably linked your own site where the mix starts playing automatically.

hmm

thats a good idea !

i actually found some 1GB cassette usb drives for €5 w free shipping on ebay, which is not too bad. although it does not have a case. but at least this gives me something physical i can hand out. a custom decal would be a nice addition

here is the link if anyone is interested

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cassette-Au...72.m2749.l2649

**dlove** · 01-16-2020, 12:59 PM

I have cards made with my mixcloud ect; I treat it like flyers, refreshing the visual on every batch I get made

**KLH** · 01-16-2020, 02:41 PM

I've seen most DJs establish their tracks on digital places like FB, Mixcloud, and Soundcloud. Then they just refer to those site in email, via text, or signage.

I've not seen a card or swag (like flashdrives) in a LONG time. I assume the cost of doing so is just too high relative to the zero/low cost of the other methods.

**DJ Matt** · 01-16-2020, 04:55 PM

Originally Posted by KLH

I've seen most DJs establish their tracks on digital places like FB, Mixcloud, and Soundcloud. Then they just refer to those site in email, via text, or signage.

I've not seen a card or swag (like flashdrives) in a LONG time. I assume the cost of doing so is just too high relative to the zero/low cost of the other methods.

if it's just for self-promotion, getting your name out there, etc then links are probably a good way to go.

I guess its because I'm a fan of collecting physical media myself (books, CDs, Vinyl)
I can see the extra value something has, if you give someone something which has a physical presence like a Cassette tape or a CD, then there is a much greater chance they will still have it years later.
more like a collector's item. Like, I still happen to have some mixtapes from a local DJ back from around 1993, and many different mixes from DJ friends on minidisc from about 20 years ago.
just to think, if any of those old mixes (absolute classics to me), had been up on sound cloud or similar, they would never have had the longevity or the mystique they had.

how long is a business card going to last? I often forget about them the minute I get them, I see them once more when I'm putting my clothes into the wash
A typical (thumbdrive) flash drive might survive, but i think if it is too small, and has nowhere specific to be stored like a book,record, tape or a CD would, it will be lost pretty quick.

**KLH** · 01-16-2020, 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by DJ Matt

I guess its because I'm a fan of collecting physical media myself (books, CDs, Vinyl)

I used to be that way... but then I noticed that the actual content lasted longer when there wasn't physical media. For example, vinyl scratches and degrades. CDs, same. Books - while more resilient, pages yellow and tear and the cover shows wear, etc.

I've also noticed that since I've embraced digital content (and back it up), I lose interest much faster than physical media. Please understand that I'm not arguing the intrinsic value of sentimentality from touching an object... I'm talking about the inherent joy from enjoying the media content itself.