Before diving into the 15 best music download websites for DJs, we recommend you read the few short sections below for full context…
Table of Contents (the 15 websites)
- 1. Beatport (Paid)
- 2. Traxsource (Paid)
- 3. Junodownload (Paid)
- 4. Bandcamp (Paid/Free)
- 5. eMusic (Paid)
- 6. Bleep (Paid)
- 7. Jamendo (Best free music download site)
- 8. Free Music Archive (FMA) (Free)
- 9. iTunes (Paid)
- 10. SoundCloud (Free)
- 11. CC Trax (Free)
- 12. Soundclick (Free/Paid)
- 13. Amazon (Paid/Free)
- 14. BeatStars (Free)
- 15. Boomkat (Paid)
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About this list (it’s not just for DJs)
The list below covers the best places to LEGALLY download high-quality digital music files. Whilst most of these websites require a purchase, some also offer free downloads or a mixture of both.
It’s for anyone who either has or is starting to build a digital music collection. As well as digital DJs, this could include any music lover who wishes to own a digital collection.
To keep things simple, it DOESN’T include DJ record pools, social media sites or music blogs.
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 just a general music 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 3rd party to power your music collection – or indeed an internet connection!
A note to DJs before we jump in
One thing you’ll notice about the top DJ producers is that they’re never a slave or ”follower” of current trends. That is, they fundamentally understand that one of their main roles is that of a TASTEMAKER.
What am I getting at? Well, to achieve this in your DJ sets, you’ll need an extensive, unique and handpicked music collection – one that sets you apart from everyone else. This is exactly why — at least in some cases — you’ll want to look further afield than the top 2 or 3 download sites.
With that said, here are our 15 best music download sites for DJs.
1: Beatport (Paid)
Beatport is the largest online music store for DJs in the world of electronic music, so it’s not a bad place to start. As the market leader, Beatport has an extensive catalogue of tracks to choose from, either in MP3 format or lossless WAV and AIFF files (WAV & AIFF are more expensive).
The site has 30 different electronic dance categories to choose from, all of which have their own top 100 charts. If you prefer, you can use the ‘DJ Charts’ tab to find tracks that can also be filtered by genre. This typically brings up a particular DJ’s current top 10 tunes.
Beatport also has a large selection of ‘DJ Tools’, used for samples, DJ drops and intros, etc., handy for working DJs. You can also follow your favourite artists and labels. Visit their website here.
Beatport also has a streaming service for DJs called Beatport Streaming, which you’ll need a monthly subscription for. This allows DJs to stream their entire catalogue within pro DJ software.
Beatport’s genre/category list (A-Z)
| 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 |
2: Traxsource (Paid)
You’d have to say that Traxsource is similar to Beatport in many ways. It has 19 different music categories that cover their interpretation of the electronic music spectrum, with a leaning towards house music.
Like Beatport, they also have ‘top 100’ charts for their different categories along with ‘DJ Tops 10s’ which are similar to DJ Charts. Traxsource also has a broad selection of DJ Tools, acapella and other useful stuff for working DJs; plus you can also follow your favourite artists and labels.
With similar prices to Beatport, at approximately $1.50 US per track, the website itself has a super clean look and is extremely user-friendly – more so than Beatport, many would argue. Visit their website here.
Traxsource’s genre/category list
| House | Lounge / Chill Out |
| Deep House | Afro / Latin / Brazilian |
| Soulful House | Broken Beat / Nu-Jazz |
| Afro House | 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 |
3: Junodownload (Paid)
Junodownload is a UK-based online store that focuses on dance & electronic music. Covering 20 different genre categories, they have a huge, regularly updated database of tracks in a variety of digital formats (in addition to MP3) including high-quality WAV and FLAC files.
As well as searching directly by genre, the user has the option to search either ‘new releases’, ‘best sellers’ or via the ‘DJ Charts’ tab – all of which can be filtered by genre. Similar to Beatport and Traxsource, Juno has a comprehensive selection of instrumentals and DJ Tools, and that’s not forgetting their sample packs and Stems for electronic music producers.
As dance specialists, they have some slightly more out-of-the-box (or alternative) sub-genres under the dance umbrella, such as ”Gabba” and ”Scouse House” for example. The user experience on their website is very good, plus the cost per track is generally a bit cheaper than the market leaders. Visit their website here.
Juno’s genre/category list (A-Z)
| Balearic / Downtempo | Hardcore / Style |
| Bass | Hip Hop / R&B |
| Breakbeat | House |
| Disco / Nu-Disco | Leftfield |
| Drum & Bass | Pop |
| Dubstep / Trap / Grime | Reggae |
| Electro | Rock (All) |
| Euro Dance / Pop Dance | Techno (includes Hard Techno) |
| Footwork / Juke | Trance |
| Funk Soul & Jazz | UK Garage |
4: Bandcamp (Paid/Free)
Bandcamp is a massively popular US-based online store and music community that, as their name suggests, focuses solely on artists & bands.
Known for their ethical treatment of the artists, Bandcamp has an incredible catalogue from a wide variety of genres. It’s designed to help newer artists get their name out there and connect with fans more intimately.
Without going into too much detail, you typically buy the songs at a price set by the artist (which can often be free), or at a price that YOU choose. The artist receives about 82% of that revenue.
Bandcamp also sells physical formats such as Cassette, CD and vinyl, together with merch from the artists. Visit their website here.
Note: Bandcamp was acquired by Songtradr from EPIC Games in September 2023 (who purchased it in March 2022). Whilst it’s still business as usual for now, we’ll update this section if anything changes within the platform.
Bandcamp’s genre/category list
| Electronic | World |
| Rock | Jazz |
| Metal | Acoustic |
| Alternative | Funk |
| Hip Hop / Rap | R&B / Soul |
| Experimental | Devotional |
| Punk | Classical |
| Folk | Reggae |
| Pop | Country |
| Ambient | Blues / Latin |
5: eMusic (Paid)
eMusic is more of a ‘one for all’ download site, in the same way that iTunes would be. That is to say, they don’t specialize in a certain area of music, and they have a massive database.
You can purchase tracks individually, typically paying less than one US dollar per track (or 0.5 Euros as it is the site). Alternatively, you can get a monthly subscription where you pay as little as 30 cents a track.
The site might appeal to the kind of music lover (or DJ) who likes a wide variety of genres, or perhaps somebody looking for a cheaper alternative to iTunes. It has a decent user-friendly interface and also a mobile app (which we haven’t tried). Visit their website here.
eMusic’s genre/category list
| Rock / Alternative | Folk / Country |
| Pop | Soul / Funk / R&B |
| Metal | Big Band / Swing |
| Punk | Reggae / Dub / Ska |
| Hip Hop | World |
| Classical | Experimental |
| Electronic | Ambient / Instrumental |
| Jazz | Religious |
| Blues |
6: Bleep (Paid)
Based in London, Bleep is an independent online store that mostly showcases music from independent artists & labels. In addition to offering digital downloads (either MP3, WAV or FLAC files), they also sell and distribute Cassettes, CD and vinyl.
Bleep’s genre focus is defined as electronic/alternative. Whilst they have plenty of familiar genres such as House, Electro and R&B, etc., they also cover some slightly more obscure/niche genres such as ‘modern classical’, ‘metal’ and ‘Krautrock’ for example.
The site might appeal to the music lover with a broader eclectic taste, or perhaps someone looking for more than just a digital offering. They have good customer service, and you’ll typically pay about 1.5 dollars per track (unless you’re getting an album). Visit their website here.
Bleep’s genre/category list
| Electronic, Electro, Acid and Braindance | Ambient, Modern Classical, Experimental and Noise |
| House & Techno | Jazz, Soul & Funk, Disco, Afrobeat, Folk and Traditional Music |
| Bass, Grime, Dubstep and Footwork | Alternative, Minimal Wave and Metal |
| Beats, Hip Hop and R&B | New Age and Krautrock |
7: Jamendo (Free)
One of the best free music download sites for DJs, Jamendo is said to be the largest ‘legit’ digital service for free music in the world. All their free downloads are made possible through ‘Creative Commons’ licensing – meaning that the artists have approved them for free distribution.
Once you’ve opened a free account (be sure to select the ‘Jamendo Music’ option and not ‘Jamendo Licensing’), you’ll then have access to their large community. From there, you can interact with artists, make your own playlists, build your own personal music library and even post content.
It’s certainly not a bad place to start for a music lover looking to kick-start a collection with zero cash, although possibly not the final destination for a serious music professional. They also offer music for commercial use, which you have to pay for. Visit their website here.
By making their music available for free, the artists can make money from TV/film licensing deals through ‘Jamendo Licensing’.
Jamendo’s genre/category list
| Pop | Folk |
| Rock | Metal |
| Electronic | Latin |
| Hip Hop | R&B |
| Jazz | Reggae |
| Indie | Punk |
| Classical | Country |
| Chillout | House |
| Ambient | Blues |
8: Free Music Archive (FMA) (Free)
Another good free option is Free Music Archive (or FMA). With 16 different categories, they have a massive catalogue of tracks to choose from. Every MP3 you discover on FMA has been pre-cleared for certain types of uses that would otherwise be prohibited by copyright laws, and you can legally use them for DJ gigs.
The website is easy to use and you don’t need to open an account to start downloading. FYI, if it’s electronic music you’re looking for, the category has 19 associated sub-genres!
Whilst you’ll probably need to spend significantly more time digging for those gems – that’s the free deal! Visit FMA’s website here.
FMA’s genre/category list (A-Z)
| 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 |
9: iTunes (Paid)
If you use Apple products, then the iTunes online music store might be your preference for convenience/device compatibility reasons. In mainstream terms, it’s still one of the market leaders for downloading digital music.
In saying that, from a DJ’s perspective, competing music management apps (DJ Software) have become much more sophisticated in recent years, and iTunes has become much less relevant than it once was.
Whilst it’s probably not the best place for DJs to shop for their music, it still has one of the largest databases out there. Download iTunes here.
Apple also has a streaming service called Apple Music that competes with the likes of Spotify and Amazon Music, etc.
10: SoundCloud (Free)
Better known as a streaming platform (at least in consumer terms), SoundCloud is a place for DJs & music producers to upload their music. It has a user-friendly interface and navigational experience, and is still considered by some as a great place to source ‘hard to find’, or even undiscovered artists, tracks and edits.
Whilst it might require more patience and digging to find ‘collection-worthy’ tracks, there’s no shortage of free downloads on there if you’re prepared to look. Once you’ve signed up for a free account, go to the ‘more’ drop-down under the waveforms of any track. If it’s available to download, it will have a ‘download file’ option right there. Visit their website here.
You can also stream SoundCloud’s content within certain pro DJ software applications with a SoundCloud Go+ subscription.
11: CC Trax (Free)
CC Trax is a website where you can download electronic music for free. Whilst their catalogue isn’t as extensive as some of the other free sites on this list, on the plus side, you might say it’s more manageable. It’s also worth mentioning that some of the genres haven’t been updated for a number of years.
The tracks on the site come under a variety of Creative Commons licences, meaning that the artists have approved them for free distribution, depending on what it’s used for. This basically covers your DJ sets, although not necessarily YouTube videos or other specified commercial uses.
Same as the Free Music Archive (see No.8), you won’t need to sign up to start downloading. Visit CC Trax’s website here.
CC Trax’s genre/category list (A-Z)
| Ambient | Electronica |
| Downtempo | House |
| Dub | Techno |
12: Soundclick (Free/Paid)
Around since 1997, SoundClick’s mission has been to work on the artists’ behalf… to make their music easily available online. Because the artists’ typically set their own prices, you’ll find an insane amount of free downloads here, and you can also purchase tracks and albums.
If you click on ‘music’ on the main menu dropdown, the different genres come up (15 categories). After that, click on a genre and you’ll see another sub-genre dropdown — there’s PLENTY to go through!
Whilst you don’t need an account to access the free downloads, if you do open one (it’s free), you can follow artists, create custom playlists and network with other users. Once again, you might have to do a fair bit of digging to get quality tunes, but we’ll let you be the judge. Visit Soundclick’s website here.
Soundclick’s genre/category list
| Acoustic | Jazz |
| Alternative | Latin |
| Blues | Metal |
| Classical | Pop |
| Country | Rock |
| Electronic | Urban / R&B |
| Hip Hop | World |
| Beats and Instrumentals |
13: Amazon (Paid/Free)
Whilst it’s not aimed at DJs, and it doesn’t specialize in a particular music style (same as iTunes), some may wish to use Amazon for convenience if you’re already using the website for other reasons.
They have a massive database and offer plenty of free downloads in addition to paid. They also sell CDs and vinyl. You can filter a search in a number of different ways, either by genre, popularity, release date or in alphabetical order of the artists/albums.
To navigate on desktop, first select ‘digital music’ on the dropdown to the left of the search bar and hit search. Then hover over ‘buy music’ and click on ‘download store’ below. Here’s the direct link.
As you’re probably aware, Amazon also has a streaming service called Amazon Music, which competes with the likes of Spotify and Apple Music.
14: BeatStars (Free)
BeatStars is a place where artists can sell and license their music. As the name might suggest, its genre focus is mostly Hip Hop, R&B and Bass Music. As popular as the website is, it’s not really targeted at the consumer market (at least not digital DJs) — although you can still get a load of free MP3 downloads on the site.
Whilst you need to open an account before downloading, you can still navigate the site for a look around first. If you hover over ‘tracks’ on the main menu, and then click ‘free beats’, you can search through all the freebies by genre. Visit BeatStar’s website here.
BeatStar’s genre/category list
| Hip Hop | Electronic |
| Pop | Reggae |
| R&B | Country |
| Rock |
15: Boomkat (Paid)
Based in the UK, Boomkat is an independent online record store that’s been going since 2002. Whilst they also sell physical CDs, cassettes and vinyl records, there’s no shortage of digital downloads on the site.
Prices can vary quite a bit (all in British pounds), and you have the option to purchase higher-quality WAV and FLAC files in addition to MP3s.
Although it might not be the most modern-looking website in the world, it’s still nice & easy to navigate and find what you’re looking for. Not only that, they have a fairly broad and diverse electronic database, which is another potential ecosystem for DJs to go digging. Visit Boomkat’s website here.
Boomkat’s genre/category list (A-Z)
| Dub Techno | Grime |
| 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 |
Summary: 15 Best Music Download Websites for DJs
Just to recap, these were the 15 best music download websites for DJs:
- Beatport (Paid)
- Traxsource (Paid)
- Junodownload (Paid)
- Bandcamp (Paid/Free)
- eMusic (Paid)
- Bleep (Paid)
- Jamendo (Best free music download site)
- Free Music Archive (FMA) (Free)
- iTunes (Paid)
- SoundCloud (Free)
- CC Trax (Free)
- Soundclick (Free/Paid)
- Amazon (Paid/Free)
- BeatStars (Free)
- Boomkat (Paid)
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