What does "ID" mean in a tracklist?
In a DJ tracklist, "ID" marks a track whose name is not publicly known yet, usually because it is unreleased. "ID - ID" means neither the artist nor the title is known. A "track ID" is the name of a track, so asking "ID?" means "what is this track called?"
The ways "ID" is used
The word gets used four ways, and context tells you which.
- ID - ID: an unknown track by an unknown artist.
- Artist name - ID: the artist is known, the title is not. Often a track they have made but not released.
- "ID?" in a comment: someone asking for the name of the track at that moment in the set.
- "Track ID": the name of a track. "Getting the ID" means finding out what it is.
Why so many tracks are IDs
DJs test music before it comes out. A track can be played in sets for months, sometimes more than a year, before it has an official title or a release date. During that time it shows up in tracklists as an ID.
How an ID gets a name
Usually the artist or label announces the release and the track gets its real title. Before that, a name can come from the artist saying it in public, or from people who follow the artist closely. Until one of those happens, the honest label is still "ID".
How trakd handles IDs
trakd, the tracklist app for DJ sets, keeps its own library of unreleased IDs. Unreleased tracks are flagged in every tracklist, unreleased IDs show where they have been played and by who, and you can ask trakd whether an ID has come out yet. trakd is free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. See how to find an unreleased track ID from a DJ set.