As a Mexican-American DJ-ing since he was a teenager, Angel “AROCK” Castillo has lived a very multifaceted life. A native of San Diego, California, AROCK has helped pioneer the movement for supplying DJs with music from record labels through an online music subscription service called BPM Supreme, a company he started in 2006.
“I remember seeing the way the DJ could move the room when I was at a school dance. Just by choosing the right songs and mixing them in a certain way. I was immediately intrigued and knew I wanted to know everything there was to know about the lifestyle,” said AROCK. Today, BPM Supreme leads the industry in providing new releases, content, and special new tracks to DJs, giving them everything they need.
In the 70s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000’s, DJs depended on “record pools” supplied by record labels in order to receive new music for events, music production, and much more.
What’s a “record pool”?
According to Wikipedia,
“A music pool or DJ record pool is a regionalized and centralized method of music distribution that allows DJs (disc jockeys) to receive promotional music to play in nightclubs and other events such as weddings, festivals and on the radio. Record labels worldwide send their newest releases to the pool of DJs; in exchange, the pool provides feedback on each release as well as exposure in the clubs and other venues they play in. DJs typically pay a monthly subscription to join the service provided by these record pools. Music pools originated as vinyl record pools in 1974 New York City, evolved into CD distribution networks, and later online music distribution between DJs (digital pools). A music pool may have a “brick and mortar” office or may be entirely virtualized. (Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_pool)
However, as music has become more digital in nature, getting new music from record labels has become more complicated, opaque, and difficult. DJs have had to find new ways to acquire new music, and often run into significant legal and technical parameters that slow down the process. After all, a DJ should just be able to get the music they need to supply a killer event, right?
This dilemma is why AROCK founded BPM Supreme, and he has quickly turned the company into the world’s premier DJ digital record pool solution.
He explained to People, “It was very difficult for me to source my music and I didn’t have a platform where I could browse, search, preview a song. All the labels sent everything via email, so I wanted to figure out a way to simplify that, not only for myself but for other DJs.”
He explains some of his journey in creating BPM Supreme to Thrive Global:
“When I first created BPM Supreme, the technology was brand new and a lot of people just didn’t understand what I was trying to create. It took about two years to completely develop the digital download platform, and then even longer to begin marketing and creating the brand you see today. There were moments when I wasn’t sure if what I was doing would work but something told me to just keep going. Now it’s been about 20 years in the industry and I can’t imagine my life any other way.”
AROCK explains to ThriveTime:
“BPM Supreme has all of the music a working DJ needs like top charts and classics. But what you’ll also find is a variety of underground and indie artists, independent record labels, and a multitude of exclusive versions from local and world famous DJs alike. It’s incredibly vast … Look at a company like Amazon, how they started out, and what their business model looks like today. Many people don’t always agree when they see a risk I’m willing to take, but I think if you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backwards. That belief is reflected in my business plan.” (Source: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/business-podcasts/bpm-supreme-an-interview-with-the-founder-of-the-1-website-in-the-world-for-djs-angel-arock-castillo/)
AROCK was recently interviewed by Forbes where he explained,
“The digital age allows people to release more music so it’s much harder to curate… We take a lot of pride in doing this ourselves, but we definitely use artificial intelligence when it comes to better understanding the end-user and helping them select trending songs, for example… Through R&D and strategic partnerships, BPM Supreme has plans to introduce solutions to this such as offline download modes, streaming integrations with popular software, and cloud storage for music files. Our goal is to change the DJ industry and set a new standard for how people everywhere find, create, play, organize, and perform with music.”
AROCK also leads BPM Supreme’s two other music subscription services, BPM Latino, a Latin music-focused download service, and BPM Create, a new online sample library built for music production and creative DJing. BPM Create launched this past August by partnering with multi-platinum superstar T-Pain on the “Wake Up Dead” Remix Contest. The contest gave three up-and-coming producers an opportunity to be featured as an official release on T-Pain’s label, Nappy Boy Entertainment.
AROCK told HipHopDX, “During one of the most difficult times in the history of the music industry, T-Pain and I wanted to give back to artists and offer the artist community an opportunity to get creative even while staying at home. The contest aligned perfectly with the launch of our new online sample library, BPM Create.”
AROCK told DJ Booth in a recent interview, “What makes us stand apart is not only the quality of the content and platform usability but also our passion for merging technology and music. We are always looking for ways to improve functionality and add more useful features. We want to build on our successes and continuously evolve the platforms. Ultimately, our goal is for producers and DJs to use BPM’s platforms daily. We want to be a go-to resource for building a successful music career… I am so proud to be advancing the culture with technology, innovation, and creative freedom for music makers. We want to build them up and be a support system. I think that’s going to be the legacy: Helping DJs, producers, musicians, and the music community to create music, play music, succeed in their careers, and, most of all, be heard.”
Keep up with AROCK on Instagram, Facebook, and Audiomack.
