DJ With Apple Music launches to enable subscribers to mix their own sets(musicweek.com)
musicweek.com
DJ With Apple Music launches to enable subscribers to mix their own sets
https://www.musicweek.com/digital/read/dj-with-apple-music-launches-to-enable-subscribers-to-mix-their-own-sets/091655
137 comments
https://mixxx.org for a FOSS (read: somewhat enshittification proof) alternative.
I think Mixxx is for live mixing only. Still a good piece of software though!
It’s not for live mixing only.
It is? It has no timeline or automation. Mixx is Tractor alternative. DJ Studio is more like simplified DAW aimed at making mixes/prep for DJing.
Can you point out the nonlinear/non-live features? https://mixxx.org/features/ doesn't do a good job of that.
Not sure about that.
There is a feature request for supporting streaming services and the hurdle is legal more than anything. https://bugs.launchpad.net/mixxx/+bug/938180
There is a feature request for supporting streaming services and the hurdle is legal more than anything. https://bugs.launchpad.net/mixxx/+bug/938180
That’s a bit orthogonal, though – you can use streaming services when playing live, too.
Yes, sorry, that 2nd part of the comment belonged in another thread here.
I love mixxx, but I bet this apple music thing will never support open source dj software. They are too afraid of folks pirating the music.
I guess someone using mixxx is not streaming the music (like me) so yes these are different target 'markets'.
I used to do offline mixes with a (partly generated) shell script that calls several sox instances to do the mixing/tempo change/volume adjustments. As a CLI person, I liked that approach, although I would be happy for something a little more streamlined. I wonder if anyone knows an offline mixing tool in the spirit of KISS, without a GUI? I guess Csound would be a better backend then sox, but I lack the fluency in Csound to do that...
The Apple Music integration in dj studio is currently completely nonfunctional for me on macOS. I get a listing of tracks in my library but I cannot use them even after downloading locally.
Looks interesting - only to see I have to convert my whole flac library
"DJ.Studio supports many file formats from MP3, WAV, AIFF, FLAC and more."
It works with FLAC; in fact, that's preferred, because you want to start with the best available quality.
TECHNICALLY flac is conceptually worse than wav. Flac truncates the 0 values in the PCM file, WAV preserves them. It's functionally the same, but wav reads the file while flac has to re-add the 0's then read the file, so there's technically one more processing step (which could go wrong).
That's kind of like saying storing files in a zip is worse than storing them uncompressed.
Or like the "what color are your bits": https://ansuz.sooke.bc.ca/entry/23
Kind of, except anything that moves can not move, so the simple act of decompression can introduce errors that simply wont occur in the raw PCM-wrapped WAV file since nothing has been compressed at all (hence no extra moving part).
I really liked that linked article btw.
I really liked that linked article btw.
How do you know someone's into crossfit^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H FLAC? :D
Interesting! This product looks to be the spiritual successor to MixMeister Fusion, another app that I used to use to make offline mixes back in the mid-late 2000’s.
I’m the developer of Transitions DJ (https://dj.app/). If anyone can connect me with the team at Apple Music, I would be interested in doing an integration.
That's so great, incredible how it can connect with everything basically!
This is the best thing I've seen on this website all week, what midi controllers do you suggest. I'm a very amateur musician and this feels perfect for making fun chopped up remixes of some of my music.
I tested it with my Hercules Inpulse 500 and it works beautifully.
woah, insane domain name cop. and the app looks awesome, nice!
That's a well-made software. You only use web assembly and custom JS ?
Probably isn't huge for existing DJs who would need the reliability of having stuff on a USB in venues which might not have great internet access. But I can see this being good for the casual users at home since this is the first streaming integration which doesn't charge an additional DJ subscription on top of the standard subscription.
Indeed, you actually bring two as links don’t always work and flash drives tend to die in most unexpected ways.
Besides this whole ‘get it from the streaming app’ business is indeed best suited for bedroom deejays. Everybody who cares about their craft as a professionL cuts VIP versions and dubplate loops that don’t get released on these platforms at all.
The real recent (~10 years) breakthrough in this area was/is that mixer producing companies (hardware vendors) would start implementing two CUE channels so that people can work better in a back2back session. A real game changer.
Besides this whole ‘get it from the streaming app’ business is indeed best suited for bedroom deejays. Everybody who cares about their craft as a professionL cuts VIP versions and dubplate loops that don’t get released on these platforms at all.
The real recent (~10 years) breakthrough in this area was/is that mixer producing companies (hardware vendors) would start implementing two CUE channels so that people can work better in a back2back session. A real game changer.
> is indeed best suited for bedroom deejays.
Or wedding / event DJs who handle requests. I would not delete the local files, but having a streaming service with popular music would certainly help.
> Everybody who cares about their craft as a professionL cuts VIP versions and dubplate loops
If that is the case, I don't know a single DJs who cares about their craft. Makes you think.
Or wedding / event DJs who handle requests. I would not delete the local files, but having a streaming service with popular music would certainly help.
> Everybody who cares about their craft as a professionL cuts VIP versions and dubplate loops
If that is the case, I don't know a single DJs who cares about their craft. Makes you think.
> If that is the case, I don't know a single DJs who cares about their craft. Makes you think.
Yea when that sentence started I was ready to agree until they made a point which seems more relevant to producers than DJs
Yea when that sentence started I was ready to agree until they made a point which seems more relevant to producers than DJs
Well I’ve co-promoted more than 500 events with hundreds of premium dnb deejays, many from the UK, some from EU, and some USA talent. I can assure you none of these ever wanted a service for real-time downloads, nor they take birthday requests and almost everyone focuses on playing cuts that never get released.
Wedding deejays can play whatever nonsense they like, cause nobody really cares about them - people came for the wedding and bride, not to listen music. They came to see relatives, so yeah - perhaps this works for them to download random tracks. You may be right it works for them, but that’s not what a respected club artist (above the 500£ booking fee) would even dare doing on stage.
Deejaying is a lot about selection and sparsity of certain records. If I’m to play the same thing everyone else does - well why not leave AIs do it then and scratch the deejays entirely. Sounds like a nice plan for some corporate audio weirdo in Japan, but would be met with laughter in proper clubs.
Wedding deejays can play whatever nonsense they like, cause nobody really cares about them - people came for the wedding and bride, not to listen music. They came to see relatives, so yeah - perhaps this works for them to download random tracks. You may be right it works for them, but that’s not what a respected club artist (above the 500£ booking fee) would even dare doing on stage.
Deejaying is a lot about selection and sparsity of certain records. If I’m to play the same thing everyone else does - well why not leave AIs do it then and scratch the deejays entirely. Sounds like a nice plan for some corporate audio weirdo in Japan, but would be met with laughter in proper clubs.
Yep, almost by definition most DJs play unreleased stuff that wouldn’t be on streaming services for years.
Im a little confused, if I wanted to create a mix with my favorite parts of songs, is this something I can do relatively easily from Apple Music? Or do I need to get additional hardware or buy some extra software?
I love a lot of jam bands, but dont always want to listen to the uhhh lengthy preambles and wandering postludes, just want the gravy. Would love to mix together some highlights along with other non jam songs. Also think my wife and daughter would appreciate Phish more if it wasnt just so. much. phish.
Or is this different?
I love a lot of jam bands, but dont always want to listen to the uhhh lengthy preambles and wandering postludes, just want the gravy. Would love to mix together some highlights along with other non jam songs. Also think my wife and daughter would appreciate Phish more if it wasnt just so. much. phish.
Or is this different?
This is different. Apple just allows 3rd DJ software to use their streaming catalog.
These software are designed for "live" mixes, not like a DAW where you can build it up one by one and "render" it.
Technically you don't need hardware for DJ software, but I would say is frustrating without. Here is a free example software (without apple music integration) https://dj.app/
These software are designed for "live" mixes, not like a DAW where you can build it up one by one and "render" it.
Technically you don't need hardware for DJ software, but I would say is frustrating without. Here is a free example software (without apple music integration) https://dj.app/
This is different. This allows DJ software to utilize Apple Music as a library. You would still need DJ software to actually make a mix.
However, for your use case, if you're already using Apple Music, you can set start and end points on individual tracks (Get Info on the track, Options). This is nondestructive, but not specific to the playlist so you'd have to turn it off again to hear the full track, and your export options are limited to burning to CDs.
However, for your use case, if you're already using Apple Music, you can set start and end points on individual tracks (Get Info on the track, Options). This is nondestructive, but not specific to the playlist so you'd have to turn it off again to hear the full track, and your export options are limited to burning to CDs.
Am I reading right, a new product has only 'burn to CD' as a way to listen offline? Haven't had a CD player in the house for a decade or more. Why not just cut a wax cylinder?
It's not a new product. The functionality I'm talking about dates from when Apple Music was iTunes.
You can listen to the playlist offline just fine. I just mean you can't export a playlist of trimmed tracks as audio (e.g. "My Mixtape.m4a") from within Apple Music. If you sometimes want to hear the full track and sometimes want to hear the trimmed tracks as a mixtape, then it's not a good solution. But if you just want to cut a 5 minute intro or 20 minutes of "hidden track" silence then it's there.
You can listen to the playlist offline just fine. I just mean you can't export a playlist of trimmed tracks as audio (e.g. "My Mixtape.m4a") from within Apple Music. If you sometimes want to hear the full track and sometimes want to hear the trimmed tracks as a mixtape, then it's not a good solution. But if you just want to cut a 5 minute intro or 20 minutes of "hidden track" silence then it's there.
This basically allows certain DJ apps to play 2 streams at the same time.
I believe this is one thing Tidal is designed to achieve. I just jumped ship to it from Spotify after getting fed up with garbage getting floated up in sponsored recommendations. Supposedly you have access to stems for some of the library, and compatibility with a fair few DJ platforms e.g. Serato
I've been testing this for a few days on the latest build of rekordbox.
It seems...fine, on par with other similar integrations (Tidal, Beatport), but it's unclear which audio quality it's using to stream the tracks. I'd say it's using 256kbps/aac files? Bit of distortion while timestretching heavily compared to the lossless version of the same song. Also, no offline storage option?
It seems...fine, on par with other similar integrations (Tidal, Beatport), but it's unclear which audio quality it's using to stream the tracks. I'd say it's using 256kbps/aac files? Bit of distortion while timestretching heavily compared to the lossless version of the same song. Also, no offline storage option?
Is there support for Rekordbox?
It would be awesome so that you can use Apple Music alongside normal USB sticks / Rekordbox libraries on the Pioneer XDJ line of equipment.
It would be awesome so that you can use Apple Music alongside normal USB sticks / Rekordbox libraries on the Pioneer XDJ line of equipment.
> The feature is integrated with DJ software and hardware platforms AlphaTheta
They called out AlphaTheta, so here's hoping that it is. That would make my decision to move off of Spotify for personal streaming even easier
They called out AlphaTheta, so here's hoping that it is. That would make my decision to move off of Spotify for personal streaming even easier
Would be an absolute bumper feature for bedroom DJs. Good excuse to dust off the decks :)
That would be cool but I don't think this is going to help a ton until I can throw my own mix or something I got off soundcloud into my apple music library and actually have it work.
Yes:
“”“ The popular DJing app djay by Algoriddim already offered Apple Music integration since last year, and additional platforms that are now supported include AlphaTheta, Serato, and inMusic's Engine DJ, Denon DJ, Numark, and RANE DJ. For example, you can now access the entire Apple Music catalog in AlphaTheta's rekordbox app for iPhone and iPad.
"Apple Music support has finally arrived," says the release notes for today's rekordbox update.”””
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/03/25/dj-with-apple-music/
“”“ The popular DJing app djay by Algoriddim already offered Apple Music integration since last year, and additional platforms that are now supported include AlphaTheta, Serato, and inMusic's Engine DJ, Denon DJ, Numark, and RANE DJ. For example, you can now access the entire Apple Music catalog in AlphaTheta's rekordbox app for iPhone and iPad.
"Apple Music support has finally arrived," says the release notes for today's rekordbox update.”””
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/03/25/dj-with-apple-music/
See https://rekordbox.com/en/2025/03/apple-music-support/
There is a compatability chart with their various gear.
There is a compatability chart with their various gear.
Spotify used to have this, and it's very annoying that they removed the feature about a year ago.
Came here to say this. I've always been a happy Spotify customer, but this is something I really liked when it was available. Makes me question my subscription a bit.
* Five years ago, Spotify got rid of this in 2020.
Note that this isn't anything particularly groundbreaking, most DJ software already supports multiple streaming services (Soundcloud, Tidal, Beatport, Beatsource, I'm probably missing a couple). This is just another integration you can choose from.
Also, Algoriddim's Djay (otherwise not a particulary important player in the market) had Apple Music support for some years now, so I'm guessing the real story here is some sort of an exclusivity contract has expired.
Note that this isn't anything particularly groundbreaking, most DJ software already supports multiple streaming services (Soundcloud, Tidal, Beatport, Beatsource, I'm probably missing a couple). This is just another integration you can choose from.
Also, Algoriddim's Djay (otherwise not a particulary important player in the market) had Apple Music support for some years now, so I'm guessing the real story here is some sort of an exclusivity contract has expired.
Yeah someone at Apple Music must have looked into USP / market differentiator checkboxes, where Spotify skimped out of more permissive/expensive? licensing contracts that would allow for that home use DJ use case.
In most countries you need special licensing for public reproduction of copyrighted music anyway. That use case is not covered by your private streaming subscription. It´s just a means to get the media.
In most countries you need special licensing for public reproduction of copyrighted music anyway. That use case is not covered by your private streaming subscription. It´s just a means to get the media.
Djay’s killer feature is algorithmic stem extraction. The streaming audio services that have integration (Tidal, now Apple Music) don’t allow this processing. It’s an arbitrary technical limitation that I suspect is rooted in a licensing agreement from the rights holders.
tl;dr this is great for playing with sequencing, but a lot of modern djays will want to be able to do stem separation even when exploring, and live use was always a tough sell with a no-internet kill switch.
tl;dr this is great for playing with sequencing, but a lot of modern djays will want to be able to do stem separation even when exploring, and live use was always a tough sell with a no-internet kill switch.
It works on serato
I just tried it in Serato and it says stems are not available for streaming music. Their wiki says so also(0).
0: https://support.serato.com/hc/en-us/articles/12188545880719-...
Real bummer, I still have to pipe stuff through Ableton, record it, then import it..
0: https://support.serato.com/hc/en-us/articles/12188545880719-...
Real bummer, I still have to pipe stuff through Ableton, record it, then import it..
Rats. I DJ’d a wedding with tidal last year and it worked. It just needed analysis.
edit: I see there's a tier that does allow stems again now! https://tidal.com/DJs
--
Licensing indeed. For a time VirtualDJ allowed stems for Tidal streamed tracks but were required to disable it.
https://www.virtualdj.com/forums/254722/VirtualDJ_Technical_...
--
Licensing indeed. For a time VirtualDJ allowed stems for Tidal streamed tracks but were required to disable it.
https://www.virtualdj.com/forums/254722/VirtualDJ_Technical_...
Oh neat, thanks!
Yeah Virtual DJ integration was great, I got frustrated with their beat gridding (I come from Ableton where it’s always been magic and the Traktor where auto grid was really good) but they’ve been pushing everything else forward for a while.
Yeah Virtual DJ integration was great, I got frustrated with their beat gridding (I come from Ableton where it’s always been magic and the Traktor where auto grid was really good) but they’ve been pushing everything else forward for a while.
Does it stem in real time? That is can you use it to do karaoke on an arbitrary song as it streams?
When you import a track to your collection, it does the processing. So, not completely in real time, but it only takes like a minute of background processing before it's ready. Virtually all DJ software has this as a feature nowadays, but of course, results vary.
It's like the next "big thing", very few DJ controllers on the market right now have dedicated buttons for it, but that's about to change.
It's like the next "big thing", very few DJ controllers on the market right now have dedicated buttons for it, but that's about to change.
With a GPU stems take seconds to generate, it happens on the fly when I load a file and the track can begin playing immediately while its running.
i've been using "AI/ML" to stem songs for something like 7 years, i was wondering if the state of the art allowed streaming stems yet or not.
"next big thing" heh
"next big thing" heh
Stemming takes about 15 seconds for a 3 minute song. And most DJ software downloads the entire song in a few seconds, then generates the display waveforms, and so on, and then you can play the song.
So "realtime" and "streaming" don't really apply, because the files download and process fast enough.
So "realtime" and "streaming" don't really apply, because the files download and process fast enough.
15 seconds for 3 minutes is quite slow, the open source thing i use, spleeter, says 100x speedup over realtime with a GPU, that would be 1.8 seconds for three minutes, which means that spleeter could, in fact, given all of the arguments of what i asked, do it "realtime".
It depends on the hardware. The laptop I use for DJ doesn't have a dedicated GPU.
I also use open source, preferring demucs over spleeter.
In my experience spleeter requires huge amounts of memory, my DJ laptop only has 16GB of RAM, and I need to close the browser to be able to successfully stem a 5 minutes song.
Demucs takes a bit longer, but it uses just 2GB of RAM. And the sound quality of the stems separation is much better with demucs, which is a more important factor than the runtime, IMO.
I also use open source, preferring demucs over spleeter.
In my experience spleeter requires huge amounts of memory, my DJ laptop only has 16GB of RAM, and I need to close the browser to be able to successfully stem a 5 minutes song.
Demucs takes a bit longer, but it uses just 2GB of RAM. And the sound quality of the stems separation is much better with demucs, which is a more important factor than the runtime, IMO.
thanks for the tip, i'll check out demucs!
I just want to be able to splice songs in a playlist
Will there be open APIs to create apps for this? I have stemDJ.com as a next gen successor to https://STEMPLAYER.com that I'd like to integrate this into
Are these tracks high enough quality not to sound like shit on a club system? Legit question - it’s why I purchase 320 kbps mp3s via Beatport.
Also, does this mean the tracks are licensed for public performance? So I can get paid $500 a gig and put on these tracks and not need to be at an ASCAP paying venue or liable for the rights?
These things matter, especially in such a bullshit “you only bought a license” music world where often they don’t tell you about the license itself (not the consumer’s fault, only really interests musicians and copyright geeks like me).
Also, does this mean the tracks are licensed for public performance? So I can get paid $500 a gig and put on these tracks and not need to be at an ASCAP paying venue or liable for the rights?
These things matter, especially in such a bullshit “you only bought a license” music world where often they don’t tell you about the license itself (not the consumer’s fault, only really interests musicians and copyright geeks like me).
My understanding is none of the streaming services integrated into DJ software cover licences for public performance. Just as you don't get that when buying a track from beatport etc.
It specifically says on the Apple page [1]
"sculpt your sets directly from Apple Music before you perform ... for DJs at any level ..."
That can only realistically mean that you're paying for something to perform with. Otherwise it would be an incitement to copyright infringement...
Does Beatport say "Tracks for you to perform with as a DJ"? If not, I can't really see how the comparison works.
Apple Music even existing relied on trademark infringement so I guess expecting them to care about IPR is too much!?
https://music.apple.com/us/curator/dj-with-apple-music/17982...
"sculpt your sets directly from Apple Music before you perform ... for DJs at any level ..."
That can only realistically mean that you're paying for something to perform with. Otherwise it would be an incitement to copyright infringement...
Does Beatport say "Tracks for you to perform with as a DJ"? If not, I can't really see how the comparison works.
Apple Music even existing relied on trademark infringement so I guess expecting them to care about IPR is too much!?
https://music.apple.com/us/curator/dj-with-apple-music/17982...
It continues "Think of it as a sketch pad or a rehearsal space, a home for DJs of any level to master their craft and shape their future sets."
I agree Apple (and other services DJ software is integrating) are misleading people.
I agree Apple (and other services DJ software is integrating) are misleading people.
Great to have my AM library accessible, but falls short for a couple big reasons:
- Some of my best playlists were created using the mobile app, and AM seems to have a hard schism between its mobile and desktop versions (the playlists aren't there and would take a long time to recreate / multiple errors when trying to rebuild them).
- The features I want to use (recording, real-time acapella) aren't available for licensing reasons (understandable but kneecap what I want to actually do).
- Some of my best playlists were created using the mobile app, and AM seems to have a hard schism between its mobile and desktop versions (the playlists aren't there and would take a long time to recreate / multiple errors when trying to rebuild them).
- The features I want to use (recording, real-time acapella) aren't available for licensing reasons (understandable but kneecap what I want to actually do).
FWIW, I've never had an issue with playlists synching between mobile and desktop. I have had other issues in Apple Music, most annoyingly when tracks are randomly replaced by other versions of the song, but you might reach out to Apple support on this one if it happens regularly.
So if you looking to get started, get ddj-flx4 (or flx2) controller, plug it into your iphone, download rekordbox app and link Apple music into it.
Makes really nice bedroom/portable setup.
Makes really nice bedroom/portable setup.
Not necessarily, Rekordbox mobile never supported all of the streaming services supported on Rekordbox desktop.
Looking at my latest rekordbox iOS it does apple,soundcloud,beatport and tidal. I guess only one missing (that desktop has) is beatsource?
Yup, on iOS it's missing Beatsource, on Android it's missing both Beatport and Beatsource. Whether Android version will support Apple Music remains to be seen.
Dangit, from the title I was hoping this was like Spotify DJ for Apple Music, but with a bit more control. Like "Give me a Linkin Park mix, mostly older stuff, a good mix of hits and deep cuts" rather than whatever Spotify thinks I want at that moment. Anyone have a good suggestion for that?
[deleted]
[deleted]
Until they get Pioneer DJ to cooperate (iI doubt it as they have their own platform) it will be hard to reach mass implementation. Pioneer has become the de facto standard for pro DJ equipment.
Tidal has something similar.
I recently learned that DJs today just press a button to mix two tracks. Growing up mixing and beat matching used to be a skill to be proud of. Now it's just a button. So I was told.
There are even vinyl DJs around.
You can use sync, but I don't think it's that widespread.
You can use sync, but I don't think it's that widespread.
I mean I DJ vinyl but if I’m playing digital I’m absolutely using sync
I was in a tiny bar in Seoul a few years ago where the bar tender was also the DJ. This guy would go from making drinks to picking up a pair of headphones and cuing up the next track, pulling vinyl from a shelf. One of the coolest things I’ve seen.
It depends on the age of the DJ's career. There's a lot of ego involved with being a DJ, and using sync is seen as somehow "lesser"
because it takes no skill to hit sync, or even just visually match bpm numbers and the beat on the screen. Nevermind that there's a ton more to being a good DJ, for people that grew up with vinyl, the loss of the need to beat match by ear means you can become a DJ without having that particular skill. So older DJs with more established careers judge the younger newcomers for not having that skill, but for DJs that have only ever used digital and have never had to carry a milk crate of records around, they've never not had the sync button. And they don't feel any shame when using it.
There's no skill involved in pitching the two nearly-identical-in-BPM tracks and nudging them into rhythm.
Put any sync button DJ in front of a proper CDJ setup, give them a couple of hours to practice and they will be able to pull off a set.
Most importantly: it is the least important part of the job. Nobody in the crowd gives a shit about whether or not you're using the sync button, it makes no difference to them. They're not there to stare at you, most of the time they can't even see what you're doing.
Put any sync button DJ in front of a proper CDJ setup, give them a couple of hours to practice and they will be able to pull off a set.
Most importantly: it is the least important part of the job. Nobody in the crowd gives a shit about whether or not you're using the sync button, it makes no difference to them. They're not there to stare at you, most of the time they can't even see what you're doing.
> Put any sync button DJ in front of a proper CDJ setup, give them a couple of hours to practice and they will be able to pull off a set.
Please observe Grimes at Cochella: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E01QyNHBpcc
Please observe Grimes at Cochella: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E01QyNHBpcc
"give them a couple of hours to practice" != Spontaneously having to figure out a different workflow in front of thousands of people :D
(yes, she reacted suboptimally, just don't think it's fair to use here)
(yes, she reacted suboptimally, just don't think it's fair to use here)
Grimes isn’t a DJ she’s a self-admitted meth user who diddles around with a lot of hardware most people can’t afford in the first place and the results appeal to a very minor market (as evidenced by being dropped by her label and no critically or market acclaimed releases in 10 years or so).
Grimes is a performance artist who dabbled in music. She’s not a musician. Imogen Heap is a musician.
Grimes is a performance artist who dabbled in music. She’s not a musician. Imogen Heap is a musician.
not sure why you are being downvoted. Beat-matching is the most straightforward and least interesting part of being/experiencing a DJ. I think every DJ needs to know how to do it but IMO most of the overemphasis on beat-matching comes from cringe gatekeeping. To me, it's akin to thinking an actor remembering their lines is the focus of acting.
Mixing vinyl well is definitely an impressive skill but I (and I suspect the vast majority of people) don't care at all about how people are mixing tracks (until it's to the detriment of the music). Most people care about what makes them dance and/or feel something.
Mixing vinyl well is definitely an impressive skill but I (and I suspect the vast majority of people) don't care at all about how people are mixing tracks (until it's to the detriment of the music). Most people care about what makes them dance and/or feel something.
IMO it depends on what skill level of beatmatching and mixing we are talking about.
I have seen some unbelievable performances by matching wizards who added a whole other level to the performance with their skills.
The set itself was different because there would not have been a way to slice and dice the set together without those skills.
Really no different than a virtuoso performance on any other instrument.
I have seen some unbelievable performances by matching wizards who added a whole other level to the performance with their skills.
The set itself was different because there would not have been a way to slice and dice the set together without those skills.
Really no different than a virtuoso performance on any other instrument.
I'm a hobby / Bedroom DJ for a few years, and I still struggle with beatmaching vinyl ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
>no skill involved in pitching the two nearly-identical-in-BPM tracks and nudging them into rhythm
I mean, there clearly is if you ever try teaching a beginner to beatmix (whether vinyl or digital). I don't disagree with your other points.
I mean, there clearly is if you ever try teaching a beginner to beatmix (whether vinyl or digital). I don't disagree with your other points.
If that person tells you things again, I wouldn't take their word for it.
At gym I use light weight MP3 player + earhook style wired earphones
At home i use mopidy + speaker system.
Other times I use DAC + IEM.
I just make my own remixes for gym and home use. Other times I listen to youtube podcasts while running.
At home i use mopidy + speaker system.
Other times I use DAC + IEM.
I just make my own remixes for gym and home use. Other times I listen to youtube podcasts while running.
Just a hobbyist here but I’ve been using loop back on my RME interface for years. It was annoying…so this is a welcome addition and should speed up my AI music tools quite a bit.
I've been wanting to try DJing so this could be quite good for me as someone at entry-level who generally doesn't buy music unless it's only on Bandcamp.
Question is can I access MY library and playlists synched to Apple Music with this? I don’t care about being able to access the Apple Music library.
This is specifically about extending the Apple Music streaming license to cover DJ software. If you already own your own music (DRM-free digital or physical), you can already use those tracks with your DJ software.
not what theyre asking. I would also like to know
I've been able to mix together tracks from Apple Music (the service) I had on a playlist with wav files I've added in the past to... Apple Music (the app) straight from rekordbox and they worked fine.
I have been able to do this with Djay Pro since before this announcement. Not sure if it's now also on other platforms but it works great with Djay even for my own titles cloud synced through Apple music.
I just want to be able to play two songs on top of one another (on any streaming platform) and have them have 2 separate volume sliders...
If that's all you want you can very easily do this with a cheap mixer and two devices capable of streaming.
How is this legal? I thought you could not use streamed music commercially? If you’re a DJ making money on a gig you’d be violating that law.
No that’s not a law. Typically when DJing the venue is responsible for paying the ASCAP and other licensing fees. As long as the DJ didn’t pirate the music they are free to use whatever source of the music they want.
The fun part is paying ASCAP and BMI doesn’t guarantee you have the rights to play any song, just most songs. So you’d have to look up if the song you want to play is in the ASCAP library before you play every song. And if they don’t have the song you must contact the artist/label and get permission before playing it. Obviously this isn’t practical. But it illustrates just how difficult it is to be compliant with copyright law.
The fun part is paying ASCAP and BMI doesn’t guarantee you have the rights to play any song, just most songs. So you’d have to look up if the song you want to play is in the ASCAP library before you play every song. And if they don’t have the song you must contact the artist/label and get permission before playing it. Obviously this isn’t practical. But it illustrates just how difficult it is to be compliant with copyright law.
There are many rights involved and I am not a lawyer, but my understanding is that the venue pays ASCAP and BMI for performance rights, which covers the mechanical and songwriting royalties no matter how the DJ gets them. This new feature fills in a licensing gap with respect to the license that Apple Music extends to the DJ.
The venue pays a license fee to play music. Not entirely sure how they work out how to distribute the pay though. Lot easier with streaming but with physical media and music on USBs I'm guessing they just use the sales data on music and split up the licensing assuming what's being sold roughly matches what's being played.
> Not entirely sure how they work out how to distribute the pay though.
They don't.
Your money goes into a pot of money that also includes every radio, every TV channel, every song used in an ad etc. Every month (or year), your local music association (there's one in every country) sums up the play counts and redistributes the pot accordingly.
This is all to say that the only people that actually get paid from this pot of money are either gonna be domestic musicians or global top 40. Even if your tracks are super famous in clubs and every DJ that plays it accurately reports that, it's still very unlikely you're gonna make the payment cut. Even a relatively minor hit on the radio is valued more than a super-popular song in clubs because it is guaranteed to have a higher play count.
They don't.
Your money goes into a pot of money that also includes every radio, every TV channel, every song used in an ad etc. Every month (or year), your local music association (there's one in every country) sums up the play counts and redistributes the pot accordingly.
This is all to say that the only people that actually get paid from this pot of money are either gonna be domestic musicians or global top 40. Even if your tracks are super famous in clubs and every DJ that plays it accurately reports that, it's still very unlikely you're gonna make the payment cut. Even a relatively minor hit on the radio is valued more than a super-popular song in clubs because it is guaranteed to have a higher play count.
> Even a relatively minor hit on the radio is valued more than a super-popular song in clubs because it is guaranteed to have a higher play count.
Well that just seems broken.
Well that just seems broken.
Just checked, and I still can't create an 'intelligent' playlist/radio station based on multiple artists.
Yet another layer of abstraction for the DJ.
Apple owns the rights to the music catalog. Apple controls the access, and can limit or remove access to the music catalog.
Apple owns the rights to the tools and any subset of tools or virtual devices. Apple controls the access, and can limit or remove access to the tools and any subset of tools or virtual devices.
What was it Agent Smith said? "Me, me, me..."
This model doesn't seem long on the long-term for users or content creators.
Apple owns the rights to the music catalog. Apple controls the access, and can limit or remove access to the music catalog.
Apple owns the rights to the tools and any subset of tools or virtual devices. Apple controls the access, and can limit or remove access to the tools and any subset of tools or virtual devices.
What was it Agent Smith said? "Me, me, me..."
This model doesn't seem long on the long-term for users or content creators.
As someone who's just beginning to learn to DJ, and already subscribes to Apple Music, I will admit that I agree with you.
However, for me, the benefits of what Apple introduced here outweigh the costs: I don't have to purchase all of the songs I want to mix. As a beginner, this is huge. I can experiment with making mixes with nothing but my laptop, my Apple Music subscription and a copy of some free software like Serato Lite. I'm far from being at the stage where I know which songs will make a good mix just by listening to them, so being able to experiment for "free" sounds great.
People concerned about the issues you raised are always free to buy the music they want to mix, either physical copies, or WAV/MP3 downloads. Additionally, I'd like to point out that other streaming platform(s) such as Tidal already integrate with DJ software like Serato.
I'll add that I frequently buy LPs or CDs from my favourite artists. Just because I subscribe to a streaming service doesn't meant I don't believe artists deserve fair pay for their work. I've actually found dozens of new artists I like thanks to Apple Music (and bought hard copies of their music and/or attended their concerts.) Though, I think fewer and fewer people are buying physical copies of their music, which is a trend I don't like at all.
However, for me, the benefits of what Apple introduced here outweigh the costs: I don't have to purchase all of the songs I want to mix. As a beginner, this is huge. I can experiment with making mixes with nothing but my laptop, my Apple Music subscription and a copy of some free software like Serato Lite. I'm far from being at the stage where I know which songs will make a good mix just by listening to them, so being able to experiment for "free" sounds great.
People concerned about the issues you raised are always free to buy the music they want to mix, either physical copies, or WAV/MP3 downloads. Additionally, I'd like to point out that other streaming platform(s) such as Tidal already integrate with DJ software like Serato.
I'll add that I frequently buy LPs or CDs from my favourite artists. Just because I subscribe to a streaming service doesn't meant I don't believe artists deserve fair pay for their work. I've actually found dozens of new artists I like thanks to Apple Music (and bought hard copies of their music and/or attended their concerts.) Though, I think fewer and fewer people are buying physical copies of their music, which is a trend I don't like at all.
Overly nihilistic view. As someone who was a working nightclub DJ for 5 years, these kind of tools lower the barrier for entry into the hobby and trade and also serve as a great backup plan.
It’s not intended as a replacement to a curated collection of white labels, bootlegs and edits which you build up and over years.
It’s not intended as a replacement to a curated collection of white labels, bootlegs and edits which you build up and over years.
I never understood Apple’s obsession with DJ-ing, like that cringe showcase of the Macbook’s touch bar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsUZSod82bA
probably the execs are all stuck in the 90s
The large catalog of mixed DJ sets on Apple Music is the main reason I’m considering switching from Spotify.
Apple Music would be interesting to me if I could add my own legally purchased music. Mixing your own sets was possible with the iPod, even more so with a good operating system like Rockbox.
This is old and still too limited a feature to be marketed as new, well done Apple marketing department.
Apple has this in the form of a poorly-marketed feature called iTunes Match ($25/year). https://support.apple.com/en-us/108935
I no longer subscribe to Apple Music, but I have 169.5 days of purchased music that I can stream anywhere. Tracks that exactly match an entry in their catalog are presumably just represented as a pointer, and tracks which aren't available in Apple Music are uploaded.
I no longer subscribe to Apple Music, but I have 169.5 days of purchased music that I can stream anywhere. Tracks that exactly match an entry in their catalog are presumably just represented as a pointer, and tracks which aren't available in Apple Music are uploaded.
Readers should note that it's super buggy. Occasionally your music will be unavailable, even though it can match it to tracks that ARE available on apple music (it just says "not available in your region" and is greyed out). Sometimes it also "matches" to the clean version of the music (may god damn people who think that censoring music is a good idea) and there's no way to correct it. I've lost an impressive amount of music just forgetting what's mine and accidentally deleting it when trying to figure out why it's not playing.
It was half-baked when they shipped it and it still has the same launch bugs. Still, it's better than spotify.
It was half-baked when they shipped it and it still has the same launch bugs. Still, it's better than spotify.
for that case i'd just go with plexamp and self-host the music.
It sounds like you're confusing iTunes Match and iCloud music library. I've been using iTunes Match for about 15 years and never had any issues. It's not matching your stuff with Apple Music (which didn't exist when Match launched).
I especially admire the team that makes it. The CEO records demo videos that are so filled with enthusiasm and accessible expertise that you can't help but appreciate the product more each time you watch them, and the COO sends out email announcements that are actually useful and not spammy.
It's a niche product, but they fill that niche well.