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Wat exactly is a Record Pool?
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Wat exactly is a Record Pool?

DJ Trik Nixon 6:03 AM - 5 February, 2011
as the topic asks...what is a record pool and how do they work? is it like netflix when you rent music that stops working? or do you pay for the month and download as much as you want until your time is up?
djchrischip 6:15 AM - 5 February, 2011
depends on the pool... never rentals.
got 3 choices
pay per dl (itunes)
pay flat fee (certain limited number of dls)
pay flat fee (unlimited dls)
DJ Trik Nixon 6:25 AM - 5 February, 2011
Quote:
depends on the pool... never rentals.
got 3 choices
pay per dl (itunes)
pay flat fee (certain limited number of dls)
pay flat fee (unlimited dls)


like the ones describes below, what exacty are they and how do they work

Quote:
RECORD POOL/MEMBERSHIP BASED SERVICES (Hard Copy and MP3):
www.idjpool.com
www.zipdj.com (Canada and USA)
www.dancekings.com (USA)
www.breakzrus.com
www.latenightrecordpool.com
www.junodownload.com
www.directmusicservice.com
www.djcity.com
www.podds.ca (Canada Only)
www.i12inch.com
www.franchiserecordpool.com
www.promoonly.com
www.ergmusic.com
www.xmix.com
www.mypromopool.com
www.armadadjpool.com (says membership is full)
www.promoone.com
westell54 6:27 AM - 5 February, 2011
In my humble opinion, the pools have agreements with the labels, to get the music. You pay a membership fee to be included in the distribution of that music. Whatever the label releases to the pools, you get it because of your membership. Back in the day, you had to provide feedback on the music you received and send it back to the labels through your pool director.

Today, it still works the same way basically except there isn't too much of a requirement for feedbacks or playlists of each member. Also, in the age of digital music, it seems that the music doesn't have the value that it used to have in the age of vinyl.

Enough of my rant... With a pool, what you download is what you keep (pay flat fee, unlimited dls). Shop around and pick a pools that suits what style you are trying to develope. One of the pools I'm in gives me an enormous amount of house because thats my weapon of choice. :)
djcrap 2:22 PM - 5 February, 2011
a record pool- is a record you pool out of the vinyl sleeve...
DJ_X_Trodinaire 2:25 PM - 5 February, 2011
Quote:
a record pool- is a record you pool out of the vinyl sleeve...


Doh
Tunecrew 2:36 PM - 5 February, 2011
itunes and juno are NOT record pools, they are stores just like Amazon, etc.

A record pool is this:

Labels give pools their music, usually before it is released, so that the pool can then get the music to working DJs, so that the DJs can both test and break the records in clubs.

In the days of vinyl and CDs, members of a pool paid a fee which covered the administrative overhead of the pool (and shipping if applicable). You had to qualify for pool membership by being a real working DJ with a regular residency in a club, and you have typically had to provide feedback, playlists and charts to the pool, who in turn would give this info back to the record labels, so that they could judge the reaction to the music.

Some stuff that you got through the pool never came out commercially, as it didn't make the cut.
djpuma_gemini 3:26 PM - 5 February, 2011
This statement is more and more true now with digital aka filler shit:

"Some stuff that you got through the pool never came out commercially, as it didn't make the cut."
DJ Art Pumpin Payne 4:22 PM - 5 February, 2011
I wrote a detailed answer to this question a few years ago. I've been a member of Record Pools since the 80's and was Asst Director of a vinyl pool for many years in the 90's:

Wow, this was from 2007: serato.com my answer then:

Quote:
I guess since nobody REALLY ANSWERED dudes question, I should drop this in for future n00bs and Microwaves before Strike It Up gets this thread locked...

A Record Pool is a business that services WORKING DJ's with promotional music from Record Labels and Artists for a membership fee. Many connected DJ's back in the vinyl days got individual service direct from labels, but somebody (NYC DJ David Mancuso I think) came up with the idea that labels could service multiple HOT DJ's in one place/location and they could all break records more effectively.

Vinyl Record Pools used to be VERY regional, if you live in LA, you joined a LA/Cali pool not a New York pool. Record Pools used to be important for breaking new artists, they would visit Pools like radio and meet the key DJ's to get support for their Records. Local Record Pools are still around recordpools.nwdma.org but many died out when labels stopped pushing vinyl and went digital.

I was an Asst Director of a Vinyl Record Pool for many, many years (late 90's-2003) and have been a member of 2 or 3 Record Pools since 1984/85 (except late 2003-2007 - pre Serato) I am currently a member of www.idjpool.com (plus 2 free pools - 1200squad.com and greenhitz.com but don't use em much).

Since apps like Serato & Traktor came into play, many Pools went all Digital and some went National/International. Some are legit pools based on the old model but some are just grabbing tracks from other pools and sources and collecting a membership fee with no real service from the labels.

The Sticky that Strike It Up loves is still there from 2004 scratchlive.net , but some of those pools/sources have closed, been shut down, or changed.

We need a new sticky one day soon, maybe somebody will start it one day.

Quote:


This left me thinking, what exactly is a record pool?


Hope that answered your question...

Better question is WHY YOU NEED A RECORD POOL...

Best answer I found is here:

recordpools.nwdma.org


and yes the Sticky was finally updated!!!!
Steve E Wunda 5:13 PM - 5 February, 2011
Quote:
I Many connected DJ's back in the vinyl days got individual service direct from labels
Quote:


Yes those were the days!! Free vinyl and in advance of release to most other djs.

Record pools are much cheaper nowadays too. $50 a month used to be considered dirt cheap for a vinyl pool.
Dj Shamann 6:08 PM - 5 February, 2011
@ Art on the regional thing, yeah the one I was in we used to get a lot of stuff from your local Detroit (some that would later go on to do big things...Slum Village comes to mind, while others, not so much) and of course the NY stuff (I remember getting Jay-Z's "In My Lifetime" and thinking "this guy's got something" LOL) but to add to that most I recall were invite only.

What I don't like nowadays is the common belief that paid automatically = legit, and that pools replace actually having to dig and buy music "anybody know any Motown pools?"
Dj Shamann 6:19 PM - 5 February, 2011
I also remember having to go to meetings with the other Dj's in the pool every now and then (and these new cats get pissed when they have to rate a 1-5 with a mouse on a drop down). Years later after doing a few notable things Universal started to send me records direct to my door, I remember how jealous other Dj's got (no hate, friendly jokes) at that set up. It was great.
Dj Shamann 6:24 PM - 5 February, 2011
^^ Sorry I guess that last bit of memories belong in Johnny's 50 crates thread.

;p
Zero Day 4:18 AM - 6 February, 2011
Its a big pool that they took all the water out of and you have to pay a monthly membership fee to go and swim through all the records and pick out good ones you like and throw em in your "download" basket and run off
DJ Art Pumpin Payne 4:35 PM - 6 February, 2011
Quote:
swim through all the records


What's a record?
DJ Art Pumpin Payne 4:38 PM - 6 February, 2011
@ DJ Shamann - the thing I also miss about the regional record pools was being able to talk to other DJs. Record stores kinda made up for that for a minute, but they are gone now.

Only thing left is Dj forums like this - LOL.

What pool were you in back in the day.
djcrap 1:39 AM - 7 February, 2011
Quote:
Quote:


swim through all the records


What's a record?


a record is the record time it takes you to swim through all those records while keeping in mind that you must beat your last swimming record time.
DJ DisGrace 3:35 AM - 7 February, 2011
Quote:
I also remember having to go to meetings with the other Dj's in the pool every now and then (and these new cats get pissed when they have to rate a 1-5 with a mouse on a drop down). Years later after doing a few notable things Universal started to send me records direct to my door, I remember how jealous other Dj's got (no hate, friendly jokes) at that set up. It was great.


-1 on the meetings... I had to drive an hour every 2 weeks to go to the meetings.

Shamman, which pool were you in? I was in Cheer for almost 10 yrs, then Flavour Pool for it's last 3 years...
DJ Art Pumpin Payne 3:52 AM - 7 February, 2011
Cheer Record Pool?? - ahhh both you guys are from Canada - I remember a Cheer from my promo days but it wasn't ringing a bell.
ralph 8:57 AM - 7 February, 2011
Quote:
a record pool- is a record you pool out of the vinyl sleeve...



Bahahahhahaa!!!!!
FunkyRob 9:04 AM - 7 February, 2011
Here's a nice pool

3.bp.blogspot.com