Always Have A Backup

As a working DJ, it’s always important to find the time to backup your library.

Let’s face it. We are surrounded by potential hazards at our gigs. Drunk people spilling drinks, unsecure DJ booths, and more recently, there has been an alarming rise in DJs having their laptop bags stolen in London, either from their cars or even being mugged on the street!

To help you out, I’ve listed below a few ideas to help you backup your library and avoid losing out on work (and music!).

Dropbox offers 2TB of cloud storage for $9.99, which for the price of a few coffees is great value for peace of mind, and certainly more than enough space to house your music collection. There is also a way to back up your library automatically, saving you time as well.

If you have a Macbook, you can always opt to use Apple’s Time Machine feature with an external hard drive or iCloud storage. The main advantage is should (God forbid) anything happen to your laptop, you have an exact backup of your entire hard drive should you need to get a replacement, making data transfer seamless.

Another alternative is to use a program like Lexicon or DJ Conversion Utility to transfer your Serato / Traktor / Engine library (playlists, loops and cue points), to Rekordbox and have a USB key or external HD backup, especially in those situations where equipment (or software) may fail.

I’d also highly recommend you get your equipment, or at the very least your laptop insured by a reputable company such as insure4music, so you’re not caught out with forking out a small fortunes for replacements.

And lastly, I must stress…. whatever the scenario… If your gear is backed up and insured, don’t be a hero. It’s better to take the L and get a replacement than end up hurt or in trouble.