RollDaBeats
 | |
Type of site | Online music database |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner | Thijs Engels and Tom "Haste" Johnson |
| Created by | Thijs Engels |
| URL | www |
| Registration | Optional |
| Launched | February 2005 |
| Current status | Online |
RollDaBeats (branded in lowercase, as rolldabeats, previously known as Tarzan) is an online music database dedicated to drum and bass and its various stylistic origins. It was launched in February 2005 by the original webmaster Thijs Engels, and web designer Tom "Haste" Johnson. According to the website, the database holds over 100,000 tracks released by more than 20,000 artists.[2]
History
RollDaBeats originally started as an offline database stored on Engels' computer, first as plain text and then later as an Excel worksheet. The database grew and after five years Engels decided to make the database available online. In late 2001 he launched Tarzan using the database compiled from his personal music collection. With the help of site visitors through the guestbook and forum, the database continued to expand in both detail and volume.
In 2005 the website was redesigned by Haste, one of the contributors from the Tarzan forum, and was relaunched as Rolldabeats in February with its own domain name. It is now co-owned by Engels and Haste and maintained by a small team of site moderators,[3] and has subsequently collected information on over 100,000 tracks released by more than 20,000 artists.[2]
The site was nominated twice for Best Website in the Dutch Drum 'n' Bass Awards of 2006–07,[4] losing to DnBForum.nl on both occasions, and taking joint second with 3VOOR12 in the latter.[5] It has also promoted a series of DJ mixes titled A Decade in the Mix by various members of the site staff which illustrate the development of drum and bass in the 1990s.[6] The site held a fundraiser on 3 November 2007, hosted by London nightclub DiTch, featuring several live sets including DJ Bailey of BBC Radio 1Xtra.[7]
Content
Rolldabeats provides information on artists, releases and record labels which includes catalogue numbers, track listings, release dates and cover artwork. The site owners are considering incorporating features such as audio clips of tracks, and music videos.[8] The site also has an active Internet forum for announcements and submitting updates.
Site content is collected in several different ways. Originally the database was compiled from Engels' personal music collection, and later extended from the collections of site moderators. Some of the data is also gathered from online research by the site staff. The site also gathers much of its information from visitors through a forum, as well as other means including email and instant messaging, which is then confirmed and added manually by a site moderator. Visitors, particularly artists and label owners, are openly encouraged to submit updates on any information that is missing or incorrect.[9]
See also
References
- ^ "Rolldabeats.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
- ^ a b "Database stats". Rolldabeats. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
- ^ "Meet the RDB team". Rolldabeats. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
- ^ "DnB Awards – Nominees". DnBawards.nl. Archived from the original on 24 August 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
- ^ "DnB Awards – Results". DnBawards.nl. Archived from the original on 24 August 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
- ^ "Rolldabeats Present "A Decade in the Mix" Part One". Dogs On Acid. Archived from the original on 17 December 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
- ^ "Rolldabeats Fundraiser at Ditch, London". Resident Advisor. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
- ^ "Rolldabeats forum – News". Rolldabeats. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
- ^ "Rolldabeats – About". Rolldabeats. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
External links
- Rolldabeats – official site