We all know that the days of carrying CDs or vinyls around are gone. But now, so are the days of carrying flash drives. Theoretically. Streaming services like Soundcloud, Deezer and Tidal allow DJs to download and stream music in most DJ software on demand. But streaming services still have a lot to prove before you can trust them with your DJ career. Here’s some stuff to chew on while you decide whether you’re gonna continue with the old school way of DJing (with flash drives or CDs).
The newcomer mentality
What do you look for in a streaming service? Cost is the major factor, of course. For a monthly subscription, you can now have access to millions of songs in the booth. So why have older DJs generally been so slow on the uptake? Surely it’s awesome to open VirtualDJ or Serato and simply search for a track instead of having to make predictions about what the crowd will want during your set prep? Buying music files and loading them onto a flash drive must seem nuts to newbie DJs, right?
Barriers to entry
The main reason streaming isn’t already the default mode of DJing is the fact that you need the internet. Public wifi and mobile data are spotty at best. Some services allow you to cache (pre-download) tracks, meaning that you can get them all on your device before the people even arrive. But Don’t gamble with real-time streaming, especially if downloads are happening one track at a time. At the very least, you should have a flash drive with all your tunes for the night.
The age of exploration
When the cost of acquiring and playing new music is so cheap, DJs are incentivized to explore and get out of their standard genre. For example, you might have been a techno DJ. But now, at no extra cost, you’re able to start mixing deep house or hip hop. DJs will increasingly become seen as versatile as in-app streaming becomes more mainstream. Here’s a good guide to help you understand how it all works.
Things take time. Soundcloud, Deezer, Tidal and others have been offering streaming services to DJs for about 10 years. But the real world is always playing catch-up with new tech. It appears that streaming is officially coming of age, and that 2023 will be the year that most DJs make the switch. While you’re considering making the switch, consider checking out the free intro video to the DJ Courses Online DJ Techniques Course.