Buying Music and Starting a Collection Once you have your DJ equipment set up, the real journey begins: learning how to mix. Obviously in order to do this you need music, and plenty of it! To be a true DJ, you need to have a real passion for music and the way it sounds, both in isolation and in a sequence.
Many great DJ's were cutting and editing DIY tapes well before they ever purchased a set of turntables, just because they were fascinated with the idea of continuous back to back music. You are joining a worldwide community of people who spent their school days hanging out in record shops, tuning in to crackly pirate radio stations late into the night, passing around hot mix tapes and desperately seeking through piles of records to find the elusive gem at the top of a cherished 'wants' list. There is an excitement and a hunger for music that must accompany DJing. If you don't have it, then you will not develop that all important suicidal approach to bank balances that a record collection encourages!
For the modern DJ, you have 3 main options (depending on your equipment choice) which are vinyl, CD and downloaded mp3/wav files. It is unhelpful to get caught up in the 'format war" argument as music is music however you choose to buy it. Many DJ's have such a fondness for records, that no amount of persuasion will convince them to use anything else. Seen in a prudential and unbiased light, there are pros and cons to all 3 formats, so it is best to objectively deal with it now then move on.
For more info on how to select good music as an up and coming DJ go to www.learnhowtobeadj.com
