Many DJs are adopting cloud and streaming services as their preferred way to play. We look at six reasons why leaving behind USBs could be the way forward.
For years now, streaming has been by far the most popular way to hear music. Whether it’s at home, in the car, or anywhere at all with half-decent Wi-Fi or phone data, streaming platforms are our constant companions, ready to serve us on demand with tens of millions of songs. But things are different for DJs. Most play with a format that’s back in the iPod era: downloading and managing music files, before exporting them for use on another device, in this case a CDJ or similar player. There’s nothing wrong with this as such. DJs understandably don’t want to disrupt reliable processes. But many are now curious about, or are already using, what’s set to be the next major way to play: cloud and streaming services, i.e. DJing via the internet.
The integration of streaming services in rekordbox actually dates back to 2017. Version 5.0 of rekordbox connected to Beatport LINK and SoundCloud Go+, but it was a feature that likely passed most people by at the time. Things tend to move gradually in the DJ tech world, and so it was just last month, with the arrival of the CDJ-3000 X, that our flagship media player fully embraced the era of streaming and cloud DJing.
The CDJ-3000 X joins the likes of the XDJ-AZ, OMNIS-DUO, and OPUS-QUAD in including built-in Wi-Fi, which, along with the convenience of not having to use an ethernet cable, increases the pool of venues at which cloud DJing becomes possible. An NFC (near-field communication) touchpoint and QR code on the CDJ means that if you’re logged into rekordbox on your phone, a simple tap is all you need to access your collection and start DJing.
For anyone new to cloud DJing, this all might sound a bit technical. Let’s back up and look at the two of the main workflows.
CloudDirectPlay, which is available through the Creative and Professional rekordbox plans, gives you direct access to your collection, which is stored via Dropbox or Google Drive. You build playlists in the way you usually would in rekordbox, but with cloud syncing enabled and your laptop or a compatible device (like the new CDJ) connected to the internet, the latest versions of those playlists are right there ready for you. This means no more uploading to USBs and, if you so desire, access to your entire music collection wherever you go.
With Cloud Library Sync, your playlists, Hot Cues, beatgrids, etc., stay in step across laptop and mobile. This gets around the frustrating scenario where you want to make a last-minute addition or tweak to your playlists but have already uploaded everything to your USB. There’s also the peace of mind that both your playlists for a gig, and your collection more generally, are stored securely in the cloud.
The main benefit of DJing from streaming services, meanwhile, is pretty obvious: access to millions of songs via platforms that you may use anyway. Last month rekordbox added Spotify, the world’s biggest streaming service, to a list of compatible platforms that includes Beatport Streaming, Beatsource Streaming, Apple Music, TIDAL, and SoundCloud. There are some nuances and restrictions on what you can do with the tracks, but for the most part the experience is the same as loading up your own music files. Some of these services (Beatport, Beatsource, TIDAL, SoundCloud DJ) even allow for offline music lockers if you’re using a DJ platform like rekordbox, a great insurance policy in the event of poor internet connection.
Speaking of which, the first question that DJs new to the cloud and streaming tend to ask: Will my track stop playing if the internet cuts out? The short answer is no. Whether you’re using rekordbox or a compatible unit like the CDJ-3000 X, the track won’t let you play it unless it’s fully loaded, although it might take a few seconds more for it to be analyzed and for its waveform to display. How long that track takes to load will depend on your internet speed and the size of the file, but we’re generally talking under 10 seconds, and with better connections, just a few seconds.
The extent to which cloud and streaming DJing will benefit you depends on your individual circumstances, so we’ve put together six practical use cases to demonstrate how all of this can work in the real world.
With different tiers of subscriptions for streaming services and DJ platforms like rekordbox—plus the greatly varying musical needs of the DJ—calculating exact costs is tricky. But here’s a simple example based on a DJ using a rekordbox-and-controller setup, along with an “Advanced” Beatport Streaming subscription, which costs $159 per year.
It’s $1.50 to download a general catalog track on Beatport, which means for the price of your subscription, you’d get 106 downloadable tracks. Put another way, instead of downloading 106 tracks, you can instead for the same price stream over 13 million. The numbers start to look even friendlier when you consider that it costs $1.69 for new-release tracks, $2.49 for exclusives, and an additional $0.75 for lossless files.
There are some caveats. The Advanced subscription used in our example offers an audio quality equivalent to 160 kbps, which is probably OK for playing at home or some small venues, but won’t quite cut it for club gigs. (You’d need the $299 per-year Professional plan if you want to play lossless FLAC files.) This plan also doesn’t have an offline locker, whereas the Professional plan will let you store up to 1000 tracks. You’d also need at least a Core plan with rekordbox here, as the free version doesn’t come with streaming integration, but you may well have a rekordbox subscription anyway.
Like with TV and film streaming services, the costs can increase quickly if you want multiple subscriptions. For instance, open format DJs or those who play more mainstream events might want to get Beatsource, TIDAL, Apple Music or Spotify. But even with the outlay of more than one streaming service, many DJs will still be saving plenty versus downloading their music.
Back in the vinyl days, a DJ’s style was often limited to the records that were available in their local shop. It wasn’t just that you couldn’t get your hands techno records. Depending on where you lived, you might not have know what techno sounded like.
The situation today is, of course, incomparably different—and DJing with streaming services takes things a step further. Instead of previewing clips of music and building digital crates for download as you slowly figure out your preferred genres, DJs can now dive right in and start mixing. Streaming services are integrated into rekordbox and compatible players in such a way to allow you to do just that. From the Beatport genre charts, to the custom playlists that come with Spotify, a new DJ could literally try mixing with 10 different genres in their very first session.
This could also be a frictionless way for more seasoned DJs to experiment. Would some amapiano work with your usual deep house sound? Could you add a 90s hip-hop medley to your usual playlists? You can instantly try things out without committing to downloads. Streaming allows DJs to go wider and deeper with their music collection than ever before.
Have you ever been completely convinced by the preview of a track, only to download it and find it underwhelming in the mix? This isn’t a major flaw of the download model. But not being able to hear tracks in the context you’re actually buying them for—a DJ mix—is a flaw nonetheless.
Club tracks are relational, which is a fancy way of saying that mostly they should mix well with other club tracks. You might love a track on its own but hate the way its sounds mixed with the rest of a playlist. Streaming gets around this with the exciting prospect of building your DJ crate by testing tracks live in the mix. You won’t spend money on tracks you don’t end up using, and you’ll be able to try out a vaster range of musical combinations, broadening your sonic palette.
Through a hybrid approach, this could even benefit DJs who don’t want to give up the security and sense of ownership that comes with downloading music. Instead of adding possible tracks to a digital shopping basket, you could add them to a playlist and then jump into rekordbox to feel them out. The tracks that stand out could then be given the honor of a download. In some setups the need to browse websites can even be cut out all together. Units like the CDJ-3000 X and XDJ-AZ let you browse and make playlists directly through their interfaces.
These are the types of use cases that might leave you wondering how you managed with your old system.
This one almost feels like cheating. A wedding guest approaches and politely asks for the one big Taylor Swift track you haven’t got. But then you remember: I just got a TIDAL / Apple Music / Spotify subscription. I have access to over 100 million songs. Of course I have it. You search rekordbox. 30 seconds later, the bridesmaids are running to the dance floor.
Whether it’s a beach venue, a music bar, a club geared towards tourists, or something in between, there are countless DJs across the world who play at the same venue night in, night out. In the past these could be challenging gigs, as you’d need a huge collection of music catering to many different moods and crowds. But with the advent of the cloud and streaming, if your venue has an internet connection you are ideally placed to take advantage of the benefits these systems afford you. No more nights rolling out the same playlist you used last night and the night before. Your selections can now be tweaked and updated in real time
This use case has some overlap with DJs on the corporate circuit. Sure, you don’t have the reliability of playing at the same venue every night. But if you can manage to get the internet sorted at most of your gigs, your ability to respond the unique demands of each crowd will be greatly improved by using a streaming service. Taking requests and deciding in the moment to play 10 reggaeton tracks back-to-back suddenly becomes a breeze.
Everything we’ve discussed so far relies on having a stable internet connection, which is why for most touring DJs, switching completely to the cloud won’t be possible just yet. The basic truth is that some venues will have internet and some won’t. (And this is to say nothing about festivals.) Using your phone’s 4G or 5G tethered to your laptop or a compatible player like the CDJ-3000 X is an option, albeit one that relies on having a decent signal. In time, though, reliable Wi-Fi may seem as essential in the DJ booth as proper monitors. Even if we’re not quite there yet, there are still compelling reasons why touring DJs should consider the cloud.
With CloudDirectPlay (available through the Creative and Professional rekordbox plans) your entire collection, along with all of your playlists, can be stored in a secure central location on Dropbox or Google Drive. Instant access to your collection means no more, “Damn, I wish I put [insert killer track here] on my USB!” If you found yourself playing on the new CDJ-3000 X and you have a Beatport Streaming plan or TIDAL DJ Extension add-on, you could also get said killer track that way. There’s also no more regrets over the last-minute tweak you wanted to make to your USB playlists. Music management and selection becomes a real-time process.
If you’re lucky enough to work with a team of people (or if you just have a mate who wants to send you something ahead of a gig), anyone could add files to your cloud location remotely for you to play. Picture a mastering engineer adding the latest version of your new track to your Dropbox just as you step up to the CDJs.
As an insurance policy, the cloud could also work wonders. Let’s say the bag containing your USBs gets stolen at dinner before the gig but the club has an internet connection and a pair of CDJ-3000 X. You’d simply log-on via the units and play as normal.
15 years ago, the idea that a DJ would turn up to a gig carrying just a USB and headphones seemed slightly mad. All of a sudden, it’s completely commonplace. We’re most likely approaching a similar moment with the cloud. It seems crazy to think that tapping your phone against an NFC touchpoint is how we’ll start DJ sets. But give it a few years…
Words: Ryan Keeling
