Promo Pool vs Record Pool: What's the Difference?

Promo pool vs record pool: the two names sound like the same thing, and plenty of guides use them as if they were. They are not. A promo pool is how a label gets a new release to DJs, usually before it is out, and sees who downloaded it. A record pool is a library of music that DJs pay a monthly fee to download from. One works for the label, the other for the DJ. If you run a label and pick the wrong one, you either pay for reach you do not get or send your music to people who never asked for it. Here is the difference in plain words, with numbers from 321,959 promo sends on PromoLink.

A promo pool works for the label; a record pool works for the DJ. In a promo pool the label sends a release to DJs, the DJs get it free, and the label sees who listened and who downloaded. In a record pool a DJ pays a monthly fee and downloads from a library of music the pool has gathered from labels, often with DJ-friendly edits.

Both move music from labels to DJs, which is why the names get mixed up. The difference is who it is built for, who pays, and what each side gets back.

A record pool is a subscription service for working DJs. Its history goes back to New York in 1975, when disco DJs, tired of promo copies going only to the biggest names, organised their own pool; the history of music pools names David Mancuso and Larry Levan among the DJs in the room. Labels sent records to the pool, the pool passed them to its members, and the DJs sent back feedback on how the records played on the floor.

Today most record pools are digital. A DJ pays a monthly fee, proves they are a working DJ, and downloads new music from a catalogue, often with edits made for mixing: clean intros and outros, short edits, transition tools. The music is for promotional use in DJ sets, and pools differ on how properly licensed they are. A DJ choosing one should check that. More on how they work in what a record pool is.

A promo pool is the label's tool for getting a release to DJs and finding out who supports it. The label uploads the release, the promo goes to DJs, and the label sees by name who listened, who downloaded and what they wrote. The DJs pay nothing: the promo is the label asking for support. Read the full picture in what a promo pool is.

The classic promo pools, the ones labels have used for years, send to the list the label brings. The new generation brings the DJs too. On PromoLink, DJs apply with their Instagram and the genres they play and are approved by hand; a release goes only to the DJs who chose its genre, and labels never see their addresses. A label can send to its own list, to the pool, or to both.

The cleanest way to see it is to ask the same questions of both.

• Who it serves: a promo pool serves the label; a record pool serves the DJ.
• Who pays: in a promo pool the label pays, or starts free; DJs pay nothing. In a record pool the DJ pays a monthly fee.
• What the music is: a promo pool carries a label's new release, usually before release day. A record pool is a library of music already gathered, often with edits.
• What comes back: a promo pool gives the label names, listens, downloads and comments for each release. A record pool gives the DJ a catalogue to dig through.
• Who chooses who gets it: in a promo pool the label, or the pool's matching by genre. In a record pool the DJ chooses what to download.

So the honest answer to "which is better" is that they are not competing. A label promoting a release needs a promo pool. A DJ who wants a steady library of tracks and edits for their sets needs a record pool.

A promo pool is measured in downloads, and the norm is lower than most people guess. Across 321,959 promo sends on PromoLink, 5.6% ended in a download. Sends to a label's own list converted at 5.9%, sends through the DJ pool at 4.2%, as the DJ promo statistics show.

The pool converts lower per send because of how DJs use it: pool DJs mostly download what sits near the top of the chart. So a label's own list and the pool work as one engine. The harder a label sends to the DJs who already know it, the higher the track climbs, and the more the pool notices it. We cover how the two fit together in promo pool for record labels.

A label needs a promo pool for every release; a record pool is an extra outlet with its own terms. The promo pool is where you get DJ support, find the names that download your sound, and build the list you send to first next time. Without it, a release reaches DJs only by luck.

A record pool is a different deal. Each pool decides which labels and music it takes and how it pays or credits them, so if you want your catalogue there, read that pool's own terms before you send anything. It can reach DJs who would never be on your list, but it is not where you find out who supported your release, and it does not replace the promo.

For a DJ the logic runs the other way. If you want new music in the genres you play before anyone can buy it, a promo pool that matches DJs by genre is where labels send it, and on PromoLink joining is free. If you want a big library of edits for open-format sets, that is a record pool.

The names overlap because both started as the same idea: labels getting records to DJs. Over the years the record pool became a product DJs buy, and the promo pool became a tool labels use, but plenty of articles and even some services still use the words interchangeably. Some services called "DJ pools" are record pools; some called "promo pools" only send emails to a list.

It matters because the questions you ask are different. A label should ask a promo pool who will receive the release, how they were chosen, and what the label will see afterwards. A DJ should ask a record pool what it costs, what music and edits it carries, and whether it is properly licensed. Ask the wrong questions and you end up paying for the wrong thing.

Is a promo pool the same as a record pool? No. A promo pool sends a label's new release to DJs and shows the label who downloaded it. A record pool is a paid library that DJs subscribe to. Both move music from labels to DJs, which is why the names get confused.

Do DJs pay for promo pools? Usually not. The label is the one asking for support, so DJs get the promo free. On PromoLink, joining the DJ pool is free and DJs are approved by hand.

Do DJs pay for record pools? Yes. A record pool charges DJs a monthly fee for access to its library.

Can a label send music to a record pool? Record pools get their music from labels, but each pool decides what it takes and on what terms. Check that pool's own terms before sending.

Is PromoLink a record pool? No. PromoLink is a promo pool: labels and artists send releases to DJs who chose their genre, to their own contacts, or to both, and see by name who downloaded.

What download rate should a label expect from a promo pool? On PromoLink, 5.6% of promo sends end in a download: 5.9% for a label's own list and 4.2% for sends through the DJ pool.

Send your next release to DJs who chose its genre, to your own list, or both, and see by name who downloaded. Your first 5 releases go to the PromoLink DJ pool free, and the side-by-side comparison from this article is below as a PDF.