Apple Music to stream underground DJ mixes, mash-ups

Image: Nervo at a Channel [V] Island Party in Sydney

The world’s second largest music streaming service, Apple Music, will become the first to stream and pay royalties on thousands of underground unlicensed studio remixes, mash-ups, DJ edits, bootlegs, live sets and podcast-style mixes.

It is through a new partnership with Dubset Media Holdings. Previously remixes were a problem due to copyright reasons for all streaming services. It was extremely difficult to identify the many original recordings within a single mix, which meant that dozens of labels and publishers had to be sourced and paid.

Dubset CEO Stephen White told Billboard, which broke news of the partnership, “Until now the major music services could not offer DJ mixes and unofficial remix content on their services. Although DJs were able to sample tracks during live performances, they were not allowed to legally distribute the recordings.”

White reveals that most mixes contain between 25 to 30 original tracks. Some can have up to a nightmarish 600 different rights holders.

Dubset’s MixBank technology can analyse a remix and identify the original recordings within each file (a one-hour mix needs just 15 minutes), get clearance (it has deals with 14,000 labels and publishers) and allows Apple to stream them. It means the DJ who does a mix, as well as the rights-holders of the originals, get a share of the royalties. (Royalties rates are equal for major and indie acts).

It also helps DJs get a huge profile boost, and fuel EDM’s further move to mainstream status. According to a 2012 by EMI, 650 million fans around the world listen to remixes or DJ mixes on a weekly basis. Given EDM’s explosion since then, that figure would be much higher.

The MixBank software also allows rights-holders to decide how much of their track they want in a mix, if at all, and also to demand final approval.

DJ superstar Tiesto, a Dubset ambassador, says, “Dance music fans are the biggest winners here because they will now have access to great remixes on the same platform that they listen to our original tracks.”

DJ Steve Aoki is quoted in Dubset’s media release: “Remixes are a huge part of our culture – they allow DJs and fans to put our own creative spin on music. Apple working with Dubset now is a really simple solution to something traditionally complex, and allows everyone to make money on this content for the first time.”

Commentators say that MixBank does have accuracy issues at times but is the best option nevertheless for clearance and compensation.

Apple Music hasn’t provided a schedule for when the DJ remixes will start, or how many remixes available via Dubset it will use on its platform.

But Dubset has begun negotiating with other services, which means underground mixes will become the norm. Whether this will significantly move traffic away from SoundCloud and YouTube remains to be seen.