Here’s the problem: you’re trying to keep your head above water as a professional DJ. But right now, you’re basically not allowed to leave your house, let alone play out at a club. One solution might have been livestreaming your set to drum up some donation or subscription cash. But Facebook - home to the masses - keeps killing your stream due to licensing issues. What can be done? Fortunately, you’re not the only one who’s been thinking about it. Mixcloud Live has exited their beta phase and come to the rescue of many struggling DJs with a platform that allows them to stream on a legal and licensed platform.
OBS-friendly
It would be tempting for Mixcloud to launch their own proprietary version of OBS in order to maximize user lock-in. But for now it seems as though your favorite open-source broadcaster is still the go-to for streaming to Mixcloud Live. Great! No switching costs.
Producers get paid
Producers sure are gonna be happy about this. The best part about Mixcloud Live is that copyright holders get paid. You can sort of get away with it on Twitch, and YouTube does pay rights holders, but only if their music is pre-registered with a publisher or mechanical rights collection agency like Audiam.
The downside
Mixcloud Live currently requires a Pro membership, which costs $15/month to use. Why should you pay when you can stream for free on YouTube? The short answer is based in psychology. Free costs nothing because the creators don’t value the work enough to charge for all of it. Pro costs something because they do. The power of paid content platforms is both in attracting the quality and deterring the amateurs. Choice is always yours.
Mixcloud Live is breaking new ground. Not as a streaming platform - that’s all been done - but as a legal, licensed and fair way to keep DJing alive in a time of crisis. Be the change you want to see by considering signing up and streaming your sets to a new category of fans - the ones that are serious about what you do. While you’re at it, think about advancing your own DJ skills by signing up for a course by DJ Courses Online.