DJ notes | Thoughts on Spotify

Are you in  love with Spotify?

Yeah, me too!

I remember when it first started – it was a-m-a-z-i-n-g! I was super excited by all the possibilities, and how great it was to be able to find new music without paying for it!

Nowaways I still love Spotify for personal listening, but you’ll never hear me DJ from it.

I’ll explain.

What I love about Spotify

  1. It’s great to be able to listen to a range of music that I don’t already have, or to use Spotify Radio to find new music based on what I already know I love.
  2. I enjoy being able to browse a range of music by an artist, then making a short-list before buying a selection of my favourite tracks.
  3. I like being able to find associated artists and exploring their music too. I have ‘found’ some amazing new artists and songs this way.
  4. My favourite reason for keeping my Spotify account open is so that when I am working as a Head DJ for an event, I can collate music from all my DJ team and easily share it.

What I don’t love about Spotify

  1. I select which songs I play through my own system of tags and notes – something that isn’t possible on Spotify.
  2. I use DJ software that allows me to play out and preview my music simultaneously.
  3. My DJ software includes EQ controls so if I can’t access the mixer from my DJ station I can still adjust the sound quality.
  4. Not all music is available on Spotify.
  5. I like to know that I ‘own’ the music I play. I buy my music from lots of places – including buying CDs (sometimes having them shipped from the US).
  6. I like to support independent musicians through BandCamp or from buying a CD directly from the band.
  7. I love to play music that other DJs don’t play, and that includes music that is harder to find.
  8. I love the excitement of ‘the chase’ to find new music.

“If I want a particular song, there is no stone I will leave unturned in order to find it.”

The truth about royalties

Last, but by no means least, it is worth giving a thought to musicians and what they stand to receive in royalties from their music being accessed via different sources.

The best way I’ve found to look at this is on this infographic, which as a music lover, I find quite shocking.

So, if you’ve ever asked me to share a Spotify playlist, and I said, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t.’ now you’ll know some of the reasons why.

(But if you come and ask me for the name of a song, I’ll be thrilled that you love it enough to ask so I’ll always tell you.)