Q: What are DJ crates and how do I make my own playlists for listening and sharing?

A: Crates are where DJs store their music collections! Simply make a crate and drop into it the songs, albums, artists, KPs, and TMs (also see What are Live Collections?) that you enjoy. When you've made a playlist with over 3 hours of playable music, you may share it with the rest of the BlueBeat community and listen immediately. Also see What are the restrictions of "Being a DJ" / Why are they there?, as well as our crate tutorial.

Q: My crate cannot be shared because "it is not diverse enough". Why do you have so many rules and how do you determine diversity anyway?

A: At BlueBeat, it's all about the listening experience. When we first launched Be The DJ, tons of crates were made that met the minimum 3-hour requirement...but would stop playing after ten or fifteen minutes! When we looked at their contents, we saw crates with albums by only a few artists, or with one artist as a live collection plus select random songs. For crates like those, the BlueBeat player, try as it might, stops playing after a few songs in order not to violate the DMCA Complement...unfortunately, not very listener-friendly!

So we're determined to raise the bar for all DJ crates. If a crate can play for roughly three hours without repetition or breaking the Complement, it's good to go (we've put our own programs to this test as well). We envision a world where a random internet denizen can walk off the beaten path, discover BlueBeat, click a random crate and be rewarded with fantastic music for hours on end with no interruptions. We hope you agree. (If you don't, you can always sound off in the Open Mic forums!)

Q: What are Live Collections?

A: Artists, Killer Playlists, and Time Machine programs are all Live Collections. This means that if you add "The Beatles" (artist), "1 Hit Wonders" (KP), or "Classic Rock" (TM) to your DJ crate, you've added collections that are self-updating. For example, the moment we introduce the latest Beatles compilation onto BlueBeat, your crate will be updated without any work from you! If you wish to include music from an artist or a BlueBeat program that will NOT ever change, visit the artist/program page and add individual albums or songs that you want, to handpick a custom selection of your favorites.

Q: What are the restrictions of "Being a DJ" / Why are they there?

A: After a DJ crate has passed the 180-minute mark of playable music, it is deemed "ready to share & play". You must share your crate with the rest of the BlueBeat community before playback can occur, due to recording industry guidelines which state, in part, that online radio stations must be publicly accessible before they can be heard.

The playback of your crate is subject to the DMCA Sound Recording Performance Complement. BlueBeat always ensures that the playback of all programs on the site (including your crates!) comply with these rules, but it is your job as the DJ to build a crate diverse enough to be played again and again, for hours on end. If there is not enough variety in your crate to continue playing under the Complement, the BlueBeat player may close prematurely because it cannot construct a valid playlist, and your listeners will be left unsatisfied (see also the FAQ topic on crate diversity). Give your audience the variety they crave and they will continue to listen to your crates!

Q: I'd like some help with this DJ feature and crate-building.

A: No problem! Visit our crate tutorial and if it still does not answer your questions, post to the Open Mic forums or write to us directly.

Q: Why can't I listen to my DJ crate?

A: You'll need three full hours of playable music in your crate. Visit our crate tutorial for more details.