DJ Drops & Producer Tags

A producer tag is a distinctive audio drop, or beat, where a particular rhythm change or base line occurs during the producer's beats in an effort to separate themselves from other producers. This is usually done at low volume for regular intervals, such as every 30 to 60 seconds.

Producer tags are used mostly in hip-hop music where beats are often similar in sound, pacing, and rhythm. Tags allow the producers to import their individual stamps on the piece of music, or beat, that they create.

DJ drops are vocal samples that DJs “drop” into the beat or rhythm of a piece of music in an effort to identify who is playing the music or providing the DJ services. This practice is often used at clubs and parties and on the radio where DJs brand themselves, letting their audience know who they are as they exhibit their style of turntable mastery.

Examples of DJ drops include voice-over comments such as “DJ Rock is playing the hits” or “Little Iggy’s takin’ you back.”

Producer tags have become quite necessary, especially for small, independent producers who want to prohibit others from stealing their beats. While some tags can come across as excessive, good producers incorporate tags at intervals to protect their beats while not distracting from the overall enjoyment of the sound.

DJ drops can be made a number of ways. If doing it yourself, you can use DJ software such as Rekordbox, Virtual DJ,Mixvibes, and Mixxx. Any of these options can help you create DJ drops as complex as your imagination will take you.

If you want to have DJ drops produced for you, there are a variety of capable beats producers available on platforms such as Upwork. All that’s needed is a clear overview of your project, budget, and timeline. You can find professionals by choosing from a number of solution providers that provide you a flat price or sharing your project overview and receiving bids. Either way, finding a producer to help you create DJ drops is relatively easy, as long as you can properly convey to the producer what sound, rhythm, and style you’re looking for.