How to build a DJ promo list with consent
A promo list is only as good as the people on it. A few hundred DJs who know your label and play your genre do more for a release than thousands of addresses nobody asked for. This guide covers where contacts come from, how to keep a record of consent and how to keep the list in shape.
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Who belongs on the list
- DJs who play your genre and have played your releases or similar labels' releases.
- Radio hosts and show producers, from club radio to specialist shows on national stations.
- Press and curators: writers, playlist curators and people who run newsletters or channels in your genre.
- Other labels and artists you work with, who often play each other's music.
Size matters less than fit. A promo that reaches the right two hundred people gets more plays, more feedback and fewer unsubscribes than one sent to two thousand people who don't play the genre.
Where good contacts come from
- People who already support you. Look at who plays your releases in uploaded sets, radio tracklists and charts, and ask them if they would like your promos.
- People who ask. A sign-up form on your website, your link in bio and your release pages, so DJs can ask to receive promos.
- Your artists' contacts. Artists know DJs who play their music. Ask the artist to introduce you or to invite those people to your list, so the request comes from someone they know.
- Professional contacts. People you have met at events, worked with on releases or exchanged music with.
- Requests after a release. DJs who buy or chart a release often ask for the next promo. Keep a way for them to join.
Never buy, rent or scrape lists. Bought addresses bounce, they report spam because they never asked to hear from you, and both of those damage delivery for every email you send after. Most promo tools and email services forbid them in their terms.
Recording consent
Under data protection law in the UK and the EU you need a lawful basis to email someone and to store their details, and you should be able to show it. For a promo list the usual bases are that the person asked to receive your promos, or that they are a professional contact you work with who would expect to hear from you. This guide isn't legal advice; if you are unsure about a group of contacts, ask before you email them.
Keep a record for each contact of how and when you got the address: "asked at a gig, March 2026", "signed up on the website", "played our last two releases, asked by email". It answers the question if anyone asks, and it reminds you why each person is on the list.
A join page with double opt-in
A join page is a public page where people enter their email address to receive your promos. Double opt-in means they then get an email asking them to confirm, and only confirmed addresses join the list. It keeps out typos, fake sign-ups and addresses entered by someone else, and the confirmation is your record of consent.
Link the page from your website, your social profiles, the notes of your releases and the end of every promo, so DJs who see your music can ask for the next one.
Invitations
For people you know but who never signed up, an invitation is a polite way in: one email asking whether they would like your promos, with a clear yes and no. Only people who say yes get promos. Treat a no as final, and don't keep inviting people who don't answer.
What to store for each contact
| Field | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Name | The promo can greet them by name, and their downloads can carry it. |
| Role | DJ, radio, press or curator: each wants different things from a promo. |
| Genres | So a techno promo doesn't go to a drum and bass DJ. |
| Country | For releases with regional focus, and to show the artist where a promo reached. |
| VIP | Your closest supporters, who get promos first. |
| Tags | Anything else you sort by: a show name, a city, "supported last release". |
| Consent record | How and when you got the address. |
| Notes | Where you met, what they play, what they said about the last promo. |
Sending to the right part of the list
Once contacts have genres, roles and tags, each promo can go to the people it fits instead of the whole list. Send to your VIPs first and to the rest a few days later, leave out the genres a release doesn't suit, and send radio and press their own round with notes written for them. Fewer, better-aimed emails get more answers and fewer unsubscribes.
Keeping the list clean
- Remove hard bounces straight away. Repeated sends to dead addresses lower your delivery for everyone else.
- Honour every unsubscribe at once, and never add those people back.
- Move people who never open to their own tag after several promos, and stop emailing them unless they ask again.
- Watch passes. Someone who passes on every promo from one genre should stop getting that genre.
- Export the list regularly, so you always have a copy of your own contacts with their consent records.
Building the list in Dubsend
Import a CSV file of up to 10,000 rows and map its columns to email, name, role (DJ, Radio, Press, Curator, Other), country, genres (up to 10 per contact), VIP, tags and notes. For each import you choose how you got consent: "They asked to receive promos" or "Existing professional contact".
Each brand has a join page with double opt-in: people who sign up are added when they confirm by email. Invitations show your label's card, and each person gets at most 2 reminders (7 and 21 days after the first email) and no promos unless they accept. Someone who says no thanks can't be invited, added or emailed by that label again.
Bounces and spam reports block an address on all of Dubsend, unsubscribes apply per brand, and you can export all your contacts with their tags, consent record and unsubscribe state at any time. Dubsend doesn't provide or sell contact lists. More on contacts in the FAQ.
Questions
Can I buy a list of DJ email addresses?
You shouldn't. Bought lists bounce and report spam, which hurts delivery for every promo you send after, and most promo tools forbid them. Build the list from people who asked or who you work with.
Do I need consent to send promos to DJs?
You need a lawful basis under data protection law, usually that the person asked to receive your promos or that they are a professional contact who would expect them. Keep a record of how you got each address. This is general information and isn't legal advice.
How big should a DJ promo list be?
As big as the number of people who play your genre and want your promos. A small list of the right people gets more plays and feedback than a large list of the wrong ones.
What is double opt-in?
Someone enters their address on your sign-up page, gets an email asking them to confirm, and joins the list only after confirming. It keeps out typos and fake sign-ups and records their consent.