Beatport CEO Robb McDaniels has told Music Week in a recent interview that the leading music store for DJs are working on plans to launch subscription and cloud locker services, and we could see changes as soon as Q3 of this year.
Depending on pricing, a subscription service could offer DJs extreme value for money, with many touring artists currently paying several hundred pounds per year on their set libraries, a subscription fee could seriously reduce the cost per track, though perhaps also reduce the revenue that the artist and label receive on the other end, an issue Spotify have found with some big artists.
The cloud locker would allow you to consolidate playlists and tracks into an easy to use folder in the cloud, this could then be downloaded directly inside your DJ software, removing the need for expensive USB’s.
While it is a sign of innovation, there will no doubt be wrinkles that Beatport will have to work on in time. And only trial, error and regular updates will tell us if the new services will be a success or not.