Surely we can’t be far away from most DJs using streaming software for their sets? Given the tech is now there for everyone to have instant access to most recorded music via streaming, and given the sound quality on Tidal or similar is good enough, how far are we away from the end of DJs using CDs, memory sticks. You turn up with a few playlists on Spotify or whatever the chosen platform is, and use whatever DJ streaming software the venue provides. In fact why isn’t this happening already?
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According to the blurb rekordbox, Serato and Traktor will let you stream from Beatport, Soundcloud Go and Tidal. I guess its not more widespread yet due to venues and current WiFi limitations.
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I know a few that use Tidal and Spotify for radio shows, using software on their mobile to select.
In the future of course it will just be a memory implant plugged into a USB on Sonos… or is that already outdated?
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i thought it was happening, to be honest. i was at my friend’s bar gig prior to covid and he was playing a super-generic yacht rock-ish sort of set. i started teasing him a little bit and pretty soon he was pulling up all of these deeper album cuts and playing them - whatever software he was using was just basically streaming everything i suggested.
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I’ve been using Serato stems, with control vinyl, mainly to play more balearic stuff and i think it is a game changer. It seems to work best for isolating basslines, or the bare drums, if you add the melody or vocals to either of them it usually sounds pretty solid. I even process them while the song before is playing still and it works fine. Its not going to be for everyone though…
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If someone wants to pick a song, i can do a wee demo of the functions and upload it here.
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Algoriddim’s DJAY software has streamed from Spotify/Beatport/Soundcloud for yonks. Turning up at a public DJ set relying on playlists, you’re putting a lot of faith in the venue’s wifi and also hoping no-one keylogs your password and pinches your playlists.
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Currently i don’t think i want to go down the route of relying on wifi and then spotify/beatport/soundcloud for my music.
Also, it takes fucking ages for me to comb through discogs to find new records, record shops to find new releases, online magazine music reviews, beatport/juno download/bandcamp already, am i meant to be adding Spotify/Soundcloud/Deezer into the mix as well? I only have so much time in the day.
I’d be interested to know what type of djing people specifically in this thread would be using it for though, because maybe it would work better for certain types of gigs.
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I can’t think of an instance where it would be beneficial over USBs either. You’re potentially forsaken quality and increasing the risk of tech issues for what? Maybe easier housekeeping on some SaaS platform rather than your hard drive.
You got any actual recorded examples of this? Is it similar to what FK’s been doing?
I am happy to record one to show you guys, have you got an example of something you’d want to hear me try it with?
Seems to be the same type of thing FK is using yeah, i can only assign one effect to each “Stem” though i can choose a different one for the group of them together.
Just do your thing rather than worry about what you think we might want to hear 
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All you’re doing though is adding an extra element that could go wrong into the mix, if the wifi or the streaming drops out. I’m not sure what benefits that extra risk would bring. One other major considering is that most of what I play isn’t on those streaming services, either because it isn’t available, or the specific mix I play isn’t there, or because I’ve tweaked the track to my specific tastes. So, in the end, popping in a USB stck is so little hassle there really isn’t much there to recommend for streaming, unless I’m missing something (never tried it).
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Some some of headset thing where you just visualize your set - possibly with the aid of a compatible chip that you swallow.
That, or people learning to use pitch control properly.
That’s a good point actually. I have a lot of edits that won’t ever be released, plus unreleased mixes that producers have given me over the years, plus stuff that’s not out yet. I can see the convenience of just turning up anywhere and having access to everything in the cloud, but you’re right putting in a 500gb hard-drive that has 7k songs on it, is not exactly hardship.
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I do think the WiFi streaming approach to DJing will be fairly widespread in the not too distant future but I can only really see it being beneficial to generic bar / wedding type DJs to appease the Karen’s who are demanding thier favourite song. As has been mentioned your’re not likey to find a lot of leftfield / obscure stuff on streaming. Also, isnt Spotify’s bitrate quality really poor, like 256? And I wouldnt want to be risking a Soundcloud file on a good system. Even Beatports audio quality can be appalling.
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