Music Subscriptions

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ahoustondj

ahoustondj

DJ Extraordinaire
Aug 13, 2007
20,235
3,464
Texas
Before CDs and Online/Internet MP3 Services were available (When Vinyl was King, lol), to what Music Services did you subscribe?
Did you belong to a Record Pool and if so which one?
Did you only buy music from the Record Store?
What was your main source for music material?
 
As early as back as the 70s there were Pools and Subscriptions. I utilized both plus received sample pressings directly from the Labels.
These Slip Mats are from a DJ Pool in Boston to which I belonged back in the 70s. http://ourdjtalk.com/album.php?albumid=8&attachmentid=21782 The New England DJ Association. Back in those days you had to prove that you were a working DJ and they came and checked you out with surprise visits to confirm the same. We got material and special versions that the public could not buy. Thats what started "Extended/Club and Instrumental Versions"

Here is a sample of a Subscription : Disconet
http://globalnoises.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4340
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remix_service

Here is a Remix of Michael Jackson's music

[video=youtube;38LB9bDt3L0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38LB9bDt3L0&feature=fvwrel[/video]
 
Record stores I could spend hours buying stuff. The managers knew me and would have a table to put all the stuff I was going to buy. Then I also joined BMG and Columbia House. Ordered some more stuff from Rhino and Time Life and down here I still make it to the music store.
 
I started at record stores... made frequent trips down to Chicago (a 3 hour+ round trip) just to buy the stuff you couldn't get here (anyone from the area knows about Gramophone Records!). Then in the late 90's to the early 2000s I was in 2 record pools, plus got music from the radio station I did commercials and 5 o'clock mixes for and some of the studios that weren't part of either pool I was in. Like AHD said, they come and make sure you are who you say you are. Obviously I did radio stuff, but some of the label reps wouldn't work with me until they had someone physically come down to the club I was spinning at.
My record pools were great, but you had to weed though a TON of crap that they were trying to push just to get to the good stuff. For every Cash Money record (they were SUPER big back then) you had 10 records of people like "The Ghetto Blast Mob" who had just HORRIBLE records. Makes you wonder how many acts these labels actually sign and never go anywhere.
 
I had a great record store back in the late 70's to early 80"s, he would make sure that all the top 40 from billboard was in stock and would also get 12" dance mixes for me to listen to. He also would call me and let me know when the shipment was coming in. I would spend hours and alot of money every week in his store. I do not miss carrying all those records around.
 
Scott Harris said:
Record stores and trips into Boston to (the original) Newbury Comics for the stuff that I couldn't get anywhere else.
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Scott,
Do you remember Strawberries across from the Pru?
 
DJ Jynxx said:
You know, I am surprised no one even mentioned the remix services like Ultimix, SelectMix, etc.
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Those came on much later.
 
ahoustondj said:
Those came on much later.
Click to expand...

Well you didn't specify a timeline! hehe

I was actually getting a lot of Funkymix and Wicked Mix when I first started out. It was SO much cheaper to buy a $30 album with a bunch of singles than it was to buy $7-$10 singles alone. So that's why I figured some people may have come up with those as their first "service". I know SelectMix didn't start until 2005 (I know all its founders), but Ultimix can trace back WAY before that. I don't know when the first album was released (someone here must), but I would be willing to bet it was late 80's.
I started DJing in 1990, and there were already issues of ultimix out, I know that. So that's why I am surprised... if I had a steady income at the age of 14, I would have definitely subscribed, and so I felt that SOMEONE may have used them as their first foray into DJ music subscription services :)
 
Well in my early club days in 85 we had Ultimix, Xmix and a few others so I know they were around a bit before that atleast. We had to get subscription to them as we were in Japan and alot of singles were not easy to get. I also had a membership with a 12 inch company out of the Bay Area SF California which we bought a pile of 12 inch each month. Loved getting my shipment in and mixing the whole batch
 
Back in the day I used Dixie Dance Kings record pool. That was my main source for vinyl from 85-92. I also received product from Hot Tracks, Ultimix, Razormaid and a few others. I've still got all that wax, have no clue what to do with it. LOL
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When I went total CDs in the early 90's, I was one of Promo Only's first subscribers and have used them ever since. Just recently made the switch to Promo Only POOL.
 
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