In recent years there’s been something of a disconnect between the universal ease of streaming music for listening purposes and the convoluted process of streaming music for the purpose of DJing.
That’s not to say that streaming isn’t a thing in the DJ realm – the likes of Beatport, Beatsource and Soundcloud each offer streaming subscriptions aimed specifically at DJs, and AlphaTheta’s recent emphasis on Cloud services means that Rekordbox users can access their library of tracks remotely. But for the most part there’s been no way for users of streaming giants Spotify or Apple Music to make use of their subscriptions for DJing.
That’s set to change with the launch of DJ with Apple Music, a new functionality for the streaming service aimed at making the platform’s library available to DJs.
This manifests in a few ways. Firstly, as a new section within Apple Music’s own interface that hosts a variety of curated DJ-focused playlists. This has playlists built around genres, as well as those curated by DJs and DJ gear brands.
More significantly, it also means that Apple Music will now be integrated into a variety of different DJing platforms including Serato, AlphaTheta’s Rekordbox, and inMusic’s Engine DJ, Denon DJ, Numark, and RANE DJ.
While functionality is a little different across different platforms, this means that Apple Music subscribers can mix with tracks from the service’s library within their chosen DJ platform, as well as apply tags, set cue points and build playlists.
On the AlphaTheta front, Apple Music arrives in the desktop version of Rekordbox (v7.1), along with rekordbox for iOS, and will also be implemented into two of the brand’s all-in-one DJ systems, the XDJ-AZ and Omnis-Duo.
The company also tells us that integration should roll out for the CDJ-3000s and Opus-Quad in the near future, and will be present in all future product releases.
With Serato, users can access Apple Music tracks from the downloads pages of both Serato DJ Lite and Serato DJ Pro.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Apple Music has been integrated into a DJ platform – users of Algoriddim Djay can already stream tracks from Apple Music. Rival streaming platform Tidal is already integrated into several DJ platforms too. However, today’s announcement is certainly the most high-profile crossover we've seen between a streaming platform and the DJ realm.
A notably absent name from the list of integrated applications is Native Instruments’ Traktor, which is a shame, as the latest iteration – Traktor Pro 4 – impressed us when it finally arrived last year.
“Apple Music is committed to supporting DJs,” says Stephen Campbell, Global Head of Dance, Electronic & DJ Mixes at Apple Music. “With this latest integration, we’re taking that commitment even further – seamlessly connecting Apple Music with the industry’s leading DJ software and hardware. This innovation brings the full power of Apple Music into the creative workflow, making it easier than ever for DJs to access, play, and discover music in real time.”
It’s worth noting a couple of major caveats that mean this functionality is likely to appeal primarily to beginner and hobbyist DJs, at least for the time being.
Firstly, there’s no offline functionality for DJing with Apple Music tracks. This means you can’t download and save tracks added to your DJ platform of choice, and won’t be able to access them without a stable internet connection – something we’d be wary of when it comes to playing any high-profile sets.
Secondly, Apple Music’s terms of service state that music can only be used for noncommercial purposes, which means that using streamed tracks for any paid DJ gigs – including weddings, club gigs, parties, etc – would be a violation of said terms.
To point out the obvious too, making use of Apple Music within any DJ platform will require both a subscription to Apple Music and subscription to/license for your DJ software of choice.
On the positive side, closing the gap between the streaming services we use for listening to music and DJ software libraries is a massive step forward for beginner and at-home DJs. In the past, when DJing relied on physical media like vinyl or CDs, or even in more recent times when a library of purchased tracks or dedicated subscription was required, getting started as a DJ could be a prohibitively expensive process.
Integration like this will certainly make it cheaper for beginners to try their hand at DJing, as well as explore new styles and genres.
Speaking as somebody that no longer DJs in public regularly, but has been roped out of retirement to play at a few friends' weddings in recent years, this functionality would have saved me hours of prep time if it had been available a few years ago. (It's not a violation of the terms of service if you're getting paid in free drinks, right? – I'll have our lawyers look into this).
The launch of DJ with Apple Music follows the platform’s introduction of DJ Mixes back in 2021, which integrated streamable mixed sets into the library.
Explore Apple Music’s new DJ playlists at the DJ with Apple Music homepage.
Find out more about specific platform integration with Serato, Rekordbox, Engine DJ and Djay.
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