The Lowdown
zipDJ is a well-stocked MP3 download pool with pop, latin, dance, rock and different types of urban music on offer. For what you can get, US$35 (depending on your subscription package) is a very reasonable price. The focus of this pool however is undoubtedly dance music. The best advice, as with any download pool, is to whittle down a list of trustworthy ones and try them out for yourself. All in all, if you are a club DJ looking for a download pool then zipDJ is definitely one of the better ones for you to consider.
Video Review
First Impressions / Setting up
zipDJ is a well-established DJ pool based in Canada. It distributes music from well over 1700 labels in 320kbps MP3 format and offers unlimited downloads to working DJs. Active since 2007, it has endorsements from DJ associations, relevant copyright associations, and compiles several official charts in the USA and Canada.
zipDJ costs about US$35 a month if paid for annually (there are various subscription packages to choose from) and you get a discounted price for the first month while you test it out. In order to join zipDJ, you have to give proof that you are a working DJ. This is so that record labels can be assured of receiving genuine feedback from mobile, club and radio DJs. As part of the service agreement, DJs working in club and radio are required to give feedback by submitting a “Top10” at least once every two weeks. This allows labels to compile accurate and up-to-date charts and gives them good idea of what kind of tracks are working on the dancefloor.
zipDJ’s design is straightforward and easy to navigate. On the main page you have all the latest additions to the pool and the top downloads section in a box to the right. I was immediately struck by the amount of music on offer here. This download pool focuses on pop, latin, rock and all types of urban music (r&b, hip-hop, reggae). After a quick browse, it became apparent that this pool caters mainly to club house DJs with many different sub-genres of dance and tons of remixes available.
In Use
Search function
The search function works perfectly, if a little slowly. I noticed this little bit of lag elsewhere on the site as well but it’s no biggie. I was impressed to find some more “underground” tracks here as well. When reviewing other download pools, I often commented that they lacked in this department.
Another top feature on zipDJ is that you can click the names of the artists and whatnot and be taken to a new page with all of their tracks on. There is also a “Labels” tab at the top of the page so you can easily find all of the tracks from your favourite labels together. This makes digging around much faster.
Preview player
The preview player is in “waveform” format which is great for visually checking out the energy levels of the track. The player loads immediately and you can easily scrub through the track with no lag. One slight criticism here is that you can’t preview the entire track but you certainly get a good chunk of it. In any case, if you aren’t sure but you think you might like it, you can just download it and listen in full.
Downloads
Clicking the download icon next to the track will send it off to the Download Manager. From here you can pile up your crate and batch download them all together or choose to grab them one by one. It’s easy enough, but one thing I didn’t like was that the zip file I downloaded didn’t give me any estimate as to when it might finish. Once downloaded, you will receive an email confirming your order. Your downloaded tracks can subsequently be found in the “Download History” tab in a convenient list.
zipDJ Packs
The zipDJ Packs are mini-sets of 10 tracks from a broad range of genres and are curated by the guys at zipDJ. These are great for beginner DJs who aren’t sure what to look for or where to look for it, they can get a little nudge in the right direction from more experienced DJs. The same can be said for DJs who have been booked to play a type of music that they aren’t totally familiar with. For example, if you need some calypso or country music, you can grab a few packs and you are set. This is especially useful if you take a lot of requests and you have the hard drive space.
Charts
As well as the “Top Downloads” chart box on the right hand side, zipDJ has an extensive charts section. There are charts for each genre and their sub-genres, making it simple to have a quick listen and get a crate of hits together.
Mobile site
While you can access the zipDJ desktop site from your mobile phone, there is a lot going on and a lot of tiny links you might accidentally click. For this reason, they have created a mobile version that works pretty smoothly as well. This is useful for grabbing tracks on the go or in a last ditch attempt to save the party with some random requests that you don’t have.
Conclusion
zipDJ is a well-stocked DJ download pool with pop, latin, dance, rock and all types of urban music (r&b, hip hop, reggae) on offer. For what you can get, US$35 (depending on your subscription package) is a very reasonable price. The focus of this pool however is undoubtedly dance music, with loads of sub-genres of house available. This pool suits my personal needs but of course, we all have different tastes and styles. The best advice, as with any download pool, is to whittle down a list of trustworthy ones and try them out for yourself.
All in all, if you are a club DJ looking for a download pool then zipDJ is definitely one of the better ones for you to consider.
