Apple has finally entered the DJ space in a serious way. With native Apple Music streaming now supported across both DJ software and hardware, Apple is clearly making a long-term commitment to the culture and technology that power modern DJing.
We’ve seen Beatport, Beatsource and TIDAL offer streaming options for DJs for years. However, none of those platforms has the same global reach or influence as Apple Music. With over 100 million tracks and integration with popular hardware and software, Apple is now fast becoming the go-to option for DJs.
As a part of this big push into the DJ world, last week, we went to two major events they put on in London. Here’s the lowdown on what we learned about Apple’s plans for making big moves in the DJ space.
Apple Music Makes Streaming for DJs Easier Than Ever
Streaming has been part of the DJ world for a while now. Services like Beatport, Beatsource and TIDAL give you access to large libraries and work pretty smoothly through most DJ software like rekordbox, Serato and Engine. But until now, it’s never really broken into the mainstream, and it’s still mostly been used as a way to explore new music or take requests on the fly.
With Apple Music now integrated directly into the djay app and hardware from brands like Pioneer DJ and Denon, you can stream and mix tracks without needing anything downloaded. We saw this in action at Apple HQ, where DJs were mixing using nothing but an iPad, Algoriddim djay and Apple Music.
Later in the session, AlphaTheta (formerly Pioneer DJ) demonstrated the same integration on their hardware. Across both rekordbox and some of their all-in-one units, it was super simple to set up and worked seamlessly.
We don’t think this is going to fully replace having a USB full of downloaded music anytime too soon. But it’s starting to feel like streaming has become a serious option, rather than just something to experiment with or use as a backup.
Trying out the new Apple Music integration on the Denon SC Live 4
A few days after the Apple HQ visit, we helped run an event with Apple and InMusic at Platoon 7 Studios. We invited students from Toolroom Academy and a handful of rising artists to test out how Apple Music works with Numark and Denon DJ gear.
What stood out was how seamlessly Apple Music now works across InMusic’s entire lineup. Whether you’re on an entry-level Numark controller or a high-end Denon DJ Prime setup, you get the same full access to music. That’s because all of these products run on Engine DJ, which makes the experience consistent no matter what gear you’re using.
Apple Isn’t Just Supporting DJs, It’s Supporting Artists Too
Apple is now using its Shazam technology to identify tracks played in DJ sets. That means artists, especially independent ones, will start receiving proper credit and royalties when their music is used in livestreams or recorded mixes. This could help solve one of the most persistent problems in DJ culture by making sure that artists are properly paid whenever their music is played in a DJ set.
We also spoke with Tim Sweeney from Beats in Space, who popped in during the session. He told us how Apple is pushing more curated spaces like Apple Music’s Club Radio. These are available directly in Apple Music and focus on human curation from DJs and selectors rather than just relying on algorithms and charts.
Why Apple’s Entry Into DJing Really Matters
At first, this might just look like another big tech company entering a new market for the sake of it. But for DJs, this could have a much broader impact.
Apple’s size and reach mean it can do things smaller platforms can’t. And they’re clearly serious about what they’re doing here. They’ve already invested heavily in this push and clearly want to position themselves as the number one streaming platform for DJs (and are in prime position to do so, considering Spotify still refuse to work with any DJ software).
It’s significant that it’s the first of the mainstream streaming platforms to make a big move into the DJ world. Before, you’d have to use one streamer for your day-to-day music listening and then another one for your DJing. Now, you can use the same platform for both and discover new tunes for your sets while you’re going about your daily life. Unlike the other big DJ streaming platforms, Apple Music also gives you a much bigger library of tunes, comes with lossless audio quality as standard and has expert curation to help you find the best tunes.
We’ll wait and see what Apple has in store next. Much of their strategy has revolved around not necessarily inventing new things (smartphones, tablets, smart watches, and VR headsets were all around before the famous Apple versions), but massively improving them and creating a new standard. If they bring that disruptive approach to the DJ tech space, we could see some very exciting things coming soon. We’ll keep you up to date as soon as we know anything.
