How to find an unreleased track ID from a DJ set
To find an unreleased track ID from a DJ set, note the minute it played and open the set in trakd. trakd flags unreleased tracks in every tracklist and can identify IDs playing live that Shazam and Spotify cannot match, because it keeps its own library of unreleased music.
Step by step
- Note the minute it playedFind the moment in the recording and write down the time, for example 45:00. Everything else gets easier once you have the timestamp.
- Open the set in trakdSearch the artist, venue or festival in trakd and open the set. Tracks are listed in order with the minute each one played, and unreleased tracks are flagged. trakd is free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.
- If it is playing right now, hold your phone upHold your phone up to the speaker and trakd names the track in seconds. It checks trakd's own library of unreleased IDs first, then the full catalog. This works at festivals, in the club or over a livestream.
- Ask trakdYou can message trakd in the app the way you would text a friend who knows every set. Ask "What's the ID at 45:00 in this set?" or "Has this ID come out yet?"
- Save it and wait for the releaseSave the track to your crate. Unreleased IDs in trakd show where they have been played and by who, and you can follow the DJ to be told when their new sets land.
Why Shazam cannot find it
Shazam only knows released music. An unreleased track has nothing for it to match, so it either finds nothing or returns the wrong song. trakd is built for DJ sets and covers unreleased tracks. If a track is unreleased, trakd tells you that instead of guessing wrong.
Be ready for "nobody knows yet"
Some IDs stay unnamed for months. The honest answer is sometimes that the track has no public name until the artist or label announces it. What you can do in the meantime is know that it is unreleased, see where else it has been played, and hear about it when it comes out.