Yup I have used a load. (Not to be confused with being on a mailing list, mailing lists are free).

First thing is that you have to be a working DJ and be able to prove it. Then they will hit you with a membership fee and then a monthly fee (In most cases).
Then you will get a couple of mailings a month which you will be totally disapointed with, and you will realise what a rip off most of these places are. Sometimes if you work for a club they will pay these fees for you.
If you don't fill in the feedback form they will get annoyed with you. If you don't pay them on time they will get on your case and if you don't promote their music they will also have a problem.

You will also find that you have to join one that's local to you as they usually prefer their DJs to be within the vicinity.

The majority of what you get is junk but it does fill out a record collection quickly. They will usually only send the really playable stuff to their top DJs and that's usually the top 50. These guys get the stuff that the record companies know is good and is going to be successful. The rest of us get the stuff that they are not sure about but perhaps if enough of us play it, then they might just be able to sell that too.

To be honest I don't know of any that deal with prog and trance in the US but I'm sure there must be.

It's actually worth getting to know DJs and producers directly as you can very often get a copy of something new straight from the source. Again this can naturally be difficult if you don't move in those circles or work at a club.

Record pools can be quite demanding and the fact that you pay them and fill out their feedback and promote their music is usually neither here or there to them. (Sorry had one or two bad experiences with them). You do get some good ones too though.

There is nearly always a waiting list to get on them too. 1 in, 1 out type of thing.

And if someone is on a good mailing list/record pool they are not likely to tell you too much about it. As a DJ you records are your weapons so why take away your advantage.

On the whole they tend to cater for slightly more commercial music so as a trance DJ there really isn't too much we would want from most of them.


David Mancuso created the first one in New York in the mid 70's.

Cheers
Nem

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https://www.mixcloud.com/Calvin_Karass/

Waste of money in my opinion- you tend to get sent the stuff that these places send out anyway on mailing lists-which are free

quote:

Originally posted by Freak Waste of money in my opinion- you tend to get sent the stuff that these places send out anyway on mailing lists-which are free

Agreed,
Also if you qualify for a record pool it's more than likely that you will be able to get onto a mailing list too. One is free, the other isn't... which one would you choose?

Cheers
Nem

___________________
https://www.mixcloud.com/Calvin_Karass/

so how do you get in on a mailing list?

i guess you'll have to be really good and/or know the right people

___________________
www.doehetzelver.be

to get on mailing lists you have to:
-Be a professional dj and prove it
-Play to a certain number of people a week
-Play regularly over a set number of times a week
-Play in the sort of venues that promotions company is trying to promote to
-Fill in record reaction sheets and return them ALL (otherwise you get bumped off the list)
-Compile weekly charts and submit to the promo company and other charts
-loads of other stuff


Mailing lists have very long waiting lists and can be picky bastards- and you get sent enourmous amounts of shite from some of them which you still have to fill in reactions to.

if you piss them off by for example not sending your charts or returns they will knock you off the list without warning (for your info.-sending back a shite smashed record and telling them its a crime against the world doesnt go down too well )

thats just the basics- im sure nem has some experiences of them too

quote:

Originally posted by Freak sending back a shite smashed record and telling them its a crime against the world doesnt go down too well

rofl

___________________
www.doehetzelver.be

I'll second the LOL bit.

___________________
DJ Kibon



Click below to download my most recent trance set:
DJ Kibon - August 2004

didnt go down too well at the time.....

Crime against the world...hahaha!

how much is it to get started in one of these? and are u locked in?

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i love me some trance