How to start a DJ or mix podcast

A standard podcast host gives you an RSS feed. It does not usually give you the right to distribute commercial music. Playing full tracks you do not own in a podcast episode can get episodes removed from Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other apps, even if you bought the music.

This is the first thing to solve. Your options depend on what you play and where you publish.

Some platforms built for DJ mixes have licensing arrangements with rights organisations in certain countries, which is why mixes can live there when they cannot live in a standard podcast feed. Check each platform's current terms and the countries they cover before committing.

Some DJs publish full mixes on a mix platform and a separate talk-led podcast in normal podcast apps.

• Your own productions and edits, where you control the rights
• Tracks from artists or labels who give you written permission, often happy to for promotion
• Royalty-free or Creative Commons music that allows commercial use
• A talk-led show about DJing, production and scenes, with only short excerpts or none at all

Interview shows with producers and DJs can be published anywhere and often grow faster in podcast apps than mix shows do.

Mix podcasts are judged on sound. Record directly from your mixer or controller rather than with a microphone in the room. Watch your levels to avoid clipping, and keep voice segments at the same perceived loudness as the music.

For talk segments, a separate microphone and a quick clean-up make your voice clear between tracks.

Many mix shows are only music. Adding a short spoken introduction, track call-outs or a short guest interview makes the show feel personal and gives listeners a reason to choose your mix over an algorithm's playlist.

Keep talk segments short and well recorded. Record them separately from the mix, clean them up, and drop them in at the right moments. A talk-led episode about a scene or a genre can also go in standard podcast apps with no rights problems at all.

Release on a regular schedule, such as a monthly mix. Share tracklists, which listeners and artists love. Tag the artists you play, and invite guest DJs who bring their own followers.