Overview
Below, we’ve rounded up 10 of the best music download websites for DJs, covering specialist DJ stores, independent music platforms and mainstream download services.
Whilst most require you to purchase tracks, some offer free downloads or a mixture of both. And despite the title, the list isn’t just for DJs — it’s useful for anyone looking to build and own a digital music collection.
To keep things simple, it doesn’t include DJ record pools, social media sites or music blogs.
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Why ownership is important
Whilst streaming services like TIDAL and Beatport Streaming can be great support mechanisms for certain DJ gigs, it’s important to understand that these platforms have NOT replaced the need to build and curate an awesome digital music collection.
Whether you’re a DJ, a musician, or a general enthusiast – just remember you don’t own this music, and these streaming companies can go bust or get bought out just like any other.
Bottom line: You should never 100% rely on any third party to power your music collection – or indeed an internet connection.
1: Beatport
Beatport is the world’s largest online music store for DJs, with an enormous catalogue spanning electronic music and, more recently, a growing range of open-format genres.
Tracks are available as MP3 downloads or higher-quality WAV and AIFF files for an additional charge. The site has extensive genre-specific charts alongside DJ Charts, where you can browse selections from individual DJs and filter them by genre.
Beatport also has a dedicated DJ Tools / Acapellas section covering acapellas, loops, FX and other useful material for mixing and performance. You can also follow your favourite artists and labels to keep track of new releases.
For DJs who want streaming access rather than purchasing individual tracks, Beatport Streaming provides access to its catalogue through compatible DJ software and hardware.
Browse Beatport’s catalogue.
Beatport’s electronic genres:
| 140 / Deep Dubstep / Grime | Indie Dance |
| Afro House | Jackin House |
| Bass / Club | Mainstage |
| Bass House | Melodic House & Techno |
| Breaks / Breakbeat / UK Bass | Minimal / Deep Tech |
| Dance / Electro Pop | Nu-Disco / Disco |
| Deep House | Organic House / Downtempo |
| Drum & Bass | Progressive House |
| Dubstep | Psy-Trance |
| Electro (Classic / Detroit / Modern) | Tech House |
| Electronica | Techno (peak time/driving) |
| Funky House | Techno (raw/deep/hypnotic) |
| Hard Dance / Hardcore | Trance (main floor) |
| Hard Techno | Trance (raw/deep/hypnotic) |
| House | Trap / Wave |
| UK Garage / Baseline |
Beatport’s open-format genres:
| African | Latin |
| Amapiano | Latin Electronic |
| Brazilian Funk | Pop |
| Caribbean | R&B |
| Country | Rock |
| Hip-Hop |
2: Traxsource
You’d have to say that Traxsource is similar to Beatport in many ways, although it has traditionally had a stronger leaning towards house music and its various subgenres.
The store has more than 20 main music categories, including House, Deep House, Soulful House, Afro House, Tech House and Techno, alongside broader categories such as Drum & Bass, Pop / Dance and R&B / Hip Hop.
Each genre has its own charts and new-release sections, while the popular DJ TOP 10s feature lets you browse charts created by individual DJs. Traxsource also has dedicated sections for acapellas, beats, samples, loops and DJ tools, plus you can follow your favourite artists and labels.
Individual tracks typically cost around US$1.49–$2.49, depending on the release, and the site remains straightforward and easy to navigate.
Visit the Traxsource store.
Traxsource’s genre list:
| House | Lounge / Chill Out |
| Deep House | Afro / Latin / Brazilian |
| Soulful House | Broken Beat / Nu-Jazz |
| Afro House | Melodic / Progressive House |
| Nu-Disco / Indie Dance | Electro House |
| Jackin House | Minimal / Deep Tech |
| Tech House | Electronica |
| Techno | Leftfield |
| Classic House | R&B / Hip Hop |
| Soul / Funk / Disco | Garage |
| Drum & Bass | World |
| Pop / Dance |
3: Bandcamp
Bandcamp is a hugely popular online record store and music community built around connecting artists and independent labels directly with their fans.
Unlike traditional download stores, artists and labels control their own pricing. Music can be sold at a fixed price, with a minimum price that allows fans to pay more, or even given away for free. On average, around 82% of each sale goes directly to the artist or label.
For DJs, one of Bandcamp’s biggest strengths is discovery. Its Discover section lets you dig through music by genre, subgenre, location and combinations of tags, making it particularly useful for finding independent releases that might not appear on the larger DJ stores.
Purchases are available in multiple download formats, including MP3, FLAC, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, ALAC, WAV and AIFF. Bandcamp also sells physical formats such as vinyl, CDs and cassettes, along with artist merchandise.
Visit the Bandcamp store.
Bandcamp’s genre list:
| Electronic | Post-Rock |
| Experimental | House |
| Alternative | Lo-Fi |
| Rock | Indie Pop |
| Ambient | Shoegaze |
| Hip-Hop / Rap | Synthwave |
| Metal | Underground Hip-Hop |
| Punk | Dream Pop |
| Techno | Breakcore |
| Noise | Bedroom Pop |
| Indie | Ambient + Field Recordings |
| Jazz | Beat Tape |
| Instrumental | Afrobeat |
| Folk | Future Funk |
| Pop | Broken Beat |
| Funk |
4: Volumo
Representing one of the newer music download stores on our list is Volumo. Focused primarily on underground electronic music, it covers a broad range of genres alongside a dedicated DJ Tools section containing acapellas, loops, samples and DJ intros/outros.
Volumo also has more of a community feel than many traditional download stores. DJs and other users can create their own charts and playlists, while the platform also publishes curated charts across individual genres.
Another selling point is price. Individual tracks typically cost around US$1.70, which is generally cheaper than Beatport and Traxsource, with further savings available when buying in bulk.
Volumo also gives producers and record labels control over their pricing and makes it easy for independent artists and labels to sell their music through the platform.
If you’re looking for an alternative ecosystem to Beatport and Traxsource, particularly for digging through underground house, techno and other electronic genres, it’s well worth exploring. You can also follow your favourite artists and labels to keep track of new releases.
Browse the Volumo store.
Volumo’s genre list:
| Afro House | Hardcore / Hard Dance | Progressive House |
| Amapiano | Hard Techno | Psy-Trance |
| Bass House | House | Soulful House |
| Breaks / Breakbeat | Indie Dance / Dark Disco | Soul / R&B / Hip Hop |
| Deep House | Leftfield | Tech House |
| DJ Tools | Lounge / Chill Out | Techno (Peak time) |
| Drum and Bass | Melodic House / Techno | Techno (Raw, Deep, Dub) |
| Dubstep / Bass / Grime | Microhouse | Trance |
| Electro (Classic / Detroit) | Minimal / Deep Tech | UK Garage / 2-Step |
| Electro House / Big Room | Nu-Disco / Soul / Funk | Organic House |
| Electronica | Funky / Jackin’ House | Phonk |
5: SoundCloud
Better known as a streaming and music discovery platform, SoundCloud has long been a popular place for DJs and producers to upload and share their music. For DJs digging for tracks, one of its biggest strengths is the sheer amount of independent material on there, including edits, remixes, bootlegs and releases you might struggle to find elsewhere.
There are also plenty of free downloads available where the uploader has enabled them. You’ll generally need to do more digging than you would on a dedicated DJ store, but that’s also part of the appeal — particularly if you’re looking for less obvious additions to your collection.
When a track is available as a direct download, you’ll receive the original file uploaded by the artist rather than a compressed copy of the SoundCloud stream.
You can also access SoundCloud’s catalogue through compatible DJ software with SoundCloud Go+, while SoundCloud DJ additionally supports offline playback within selected DJ applications.
Explore music on SoundCloud.
6: Soundclick
Around since 1997, SoundClick is one of the longest-running independent music platforms online, with more than 5.5 million tracks from around 650,000 artists.
There’s a huge amount of music to explore across genres including electronic, hip-hop, pop, rock, R&B and more. Artists can offer their tracks as free MP3 downloads or sell songs and albums directly through the platform, with prices set by the creators themselves.
SoundClick has also become a good place for beats and instrumentals, with a separate marketplace where producers can sell or license their work. For DJs, however, the main attraction is still the large catalogue of independent music and free downloads — although you’ll need to do some digging to find the gems.
Discovery has improved considerably too, with daily-updated charts, trending music, genre and mood browsing, curated playlists and personalised charts based on listening activity.
You can stream music and download available free tracks without paying for a subscription.
Check out SoundClick’s catalogue.
Soundclick’s genre list:
| Acoustic | Jazz |
| Alternative | Latin |
| Blues | Metal |
| Classical | Pop |
| Country | Rock |
| Electronic | R&B |
| Hip Hop | World |
| Beats and Instrumentals |
7: Bleep
Based in London, Bleep is an independent online music store specialising in electronic, alternative and experimental music. Alongside digital downloads, it also sells vinyl, CDs, cassettes and merchandise.
Its catalogue covers familiar DJ territory such as house, techno, electro, jungle, drum & bass, dubstep and hip-hop, but Bleep is particularly good for more leftfield styles including ambient, experimental, noise, braindance, modern classical and minimal wave.
Digital releases are typically available as 320kbps MP3 or lossless WAV/FLAC files, with some releases also available as 24-bit WAV downloads. Prices vary by release, with albums commonly around the £6–£10 mark.
There’s also a decent discovery side to the store, including new arrivals, Bleep Exclusives, a weekly roundup, Record of the Month, archive selections and mixes.
For DJs and music fans with more eclectic tastes, it’s another useful place to dig beyond the more conventional electronic music stores.
Explore the Bleep music store.
Bleep’s genre list:
| Electronic / Electro / Acid / Braindance | Ambient / Modern Classical / Experimental and Noise |
| House / Techno | Jazz / Soul & Funk / Disco / Afrobeat / Folk / Traditional Music |
| Bass / Grime / Jungle / Drum & Bass / Dubstep / Footwork | Alternative / Minimal Wave / Metal |
| Beats / Hip-Hop / R&B | Soundtracks / Library / New Age / Krautrock |
8: Boomkat
Based in the UK, Boomkat is an independent online record store that’s been around since 2002. Alongside vinyl, CDs and cassettes, it has a substantial catalogue of digital downloads available in MP3, WAV and FLAC formats.
The focus is very much on independent, underground and leftfield music. There’s plenty of techno, house, electronic, jungle and hip-hop to dig through, but Boomkat also ventures much further into ambient, experimental, industrial, noise, modern classical and other less conventional styles.
Discovery is one of its strengths. In addition to browsing by genre and label, there are regularly updated new releases, bestsellers, staff recommendations, charts, weekly roundups and other editorial features — useful if you want to dig beyond the obvious releases.
Prices vary depending on the release and file format, with WAV and FLAC downloads generally costing more than MP3. Some physical releases also include a free MP3 download.
For DJs with more eclectic tastes, Boomkat is a particularly good place to go digging for music you’re less likely to stumble across on the mainstream download stores.
Browse the Boomkat music store.
Boomkat’s genre list:
| Dub Techno / Basic Channel | Grime / Fwd |
| Beats / Hip Hop | Indie / Alternative |
| Dark Ambient / Drone / Metal | Industrial / Wave / Electro |
| Disco / Boogie / Funk | Jazz / Fusion |
| Dub / Reggae | Jungle / Footwork |
| Electronic | Modern Classical / Ambient |
| Extreme / Noise / Computer Music | Techno / House |
| Folk / Roots | World |
| Early Electronic / Soundtracks |
9: Free Music Archive (FMA)
Free Music Archive (FMA) is a little different from the commercial download stores on this list. It provides free access to a large catalogue of original music from independent artists, covering everything from electronic and hip-hop to jazz, rock and classical.
For DJs, the electronic section is where things get more interesting. It includes dedicated subgenres for House, Techno, Drum & Bass, Dubstep, Jungle, Dance, IDM, Minimal Electronic and more, so there’s plenty to dig through if you’re willing to spend some time searching.
The important thing to understand is that “free to download” doesn’t necessarily mean you can use every track however you like. Music on FMA is released under different licences, including various Creative Commons licences, public domain and custom licences, so you should always check the licence attached to an individual track before using it publicly or commercially.
There’s no shortage of music to explore, and for DJs looking specifically for legitimate free downloads, FMA remains a useful resource.
Dig through the Free Music Archive.
FMA’s genre list:
| Blues | International |
| Classical | Jazz |
| Country | Novelty |
| Electronic | Old-Time / Historic |
| Experimental | Pop |
| Folk | Rock |
| Hip Hop | Soul / R&B (includes Disco, Funk and Deep Funk) |
| Instrumental | Spoken |
10: iTunes Store
Rounding out our list is the iTunes Store. While it isn’t a specialist DJ store, its enormous mainstream catalogue makes it particularly useful for open-format, mobile and event DJs looking for commercial tracks that may be harder to find on the more electronic-focused stores.
Music purchased from the iTunes Store is permanently downloadable and supplied as DRM-free 256kbps AAC files. Unlike Beatport, Traxsource and some of the other stores on this list, there’s no option to purchase lossless WAV or AIFF versions.
It’s worth distinguishing the iTunes Store from Apple Music. Apple Music is the company’s subscription streaming service, while the iTunes Store still allows you to purchase and own individual tracks and albums. On newer Macs and Windows PCs, the store is accessed through the Apple Music app and may need to be enabled in the settings.
For DJs who need mainstream pop, rock, hip-hop, R&B and other commercial music, it remains a useful addition to the more DJ-focused stores above.
Access the iTunes Store.
Best music download websites for DJs: our picks at a glance
- Beatport — Best overall for electronic music
- Traxsource — Best for house music
- Bandcamp — Best for independent artists & labels
- SoundCloud — Best for edits, remixes & free downloads
- Volumo — Best alternative electronic music store
- SoundClick — Best for independent & free music
- Boomkat — Best for leftfield electronic music
- Bleep — Best for experimental & alternative electronic music
- Free Music Archive (FMA) — Best completely free option
- iTunes Store — Best for mainstream music
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