Even the most experienced professional DJs know that the future is tough to predict. The past few years have seen some major changes in the way people enjoy music and it’s been hard to keep up. But as we round a corner into 2023, it finally seems like there is a real light at the end of the tunnel.
If you’re looking for ways to stay ahead of trends and adapt your skill set accordingly, this post will break down what’s happening right now and what you can expect for next year for a dj equipment setup diagram!
1. Online DJing
The first thing you need to know is that the vast majority of people will be consuming music in some form of digital format by 2023. Whether that’s through the internet, a radio, or an earbud, it has become so ingrained in our daily lives that it is almost impossible to ignore. Without a doubt, the majority of DJs out there probably have an online presence somewhere on their website or homepage and this likely won’t change in 2023.
What might change is how people consume those online services. This generation has been exposed to music from all around the world and so will likely be more familiar with different genres and styles than previous generations. If EDM is any indication, we’re going to be seeing a lot more fusion genres like future house and trap pop. Traditional DJs should take this into account when it comes to creating unique content.
You will also likely see many people ignoring official DJ mixes in favor of the less predictable sounds of remixes or mashups. Remixes can be remarkably popular if they are done well and fan created mashups that bring two different songs together can make for some amazing creations. I’m sure some people will be doing something similar for their weddings as well!
In 2023, we’ll see a much greater emphasis on originality and remixes than we do now.
2. The Current State of Digital DJing
The first step in the future is to see where we are right now.
As it stands, there are three major online DJ services: Spotify, Deezer, and Mixify. Spotify’s free tier has been managed well as they have always pushed the boundaries of what seems fair for consumers. But at $9.99/month or $14.99/month for a premium subscription, they can be quite pricey for a lot of people.
Deezer recently launched their premium subscription service which will cost $9.99/month or $15.99/month. While this is lower than Spotify’s prices, they are a bit more ambiguous with their pricing structure and it isn’t readily clear if the $9.99/month option is unlimited or if it will have limited functionality!
Mixify launched a new subscription service that costs $9.99/month, but the main limitation of Mixify is that DJs can only charge for their mixes if they are playing original music and cannot host any remixes or mashups on their channel. This makes for a much smaller variety of content and caters to a niche crowd.
Finally, there is SoundCloud which offers a premium subscription that allows you to upload more music, get more plays, and more likes for $4.99/month.
The free alternatives include hosting your sets on your own website or through an open platform like Mixcloud or SpinsRadio. Of course you can also just ignore these services entirely and stick with traditional mixes of your favorite songs!
The platforms that are thriving are those that provide a good level of flexibility and make hosting DJ mixes easy to do. While some people might be taking advantage of the free options out there, everyone should be planning for how they will monetize their mixes in the future if they want to stay competitive.
3. The Rise of the Remix
In a lot of ways, we could talk about this topic with more clarity in 2022 than we can today. Unfortunately, it looks like the biggest players here are Apple, Amazon, and Google respectively who have all remained quiet on how they plan to handle remixes. However, it’s clear that monetization of remixes is an important subject for them and will likely remain so for at least a little while longer.
The main reason that everyone has been so quiet is that DJ remixes are currently banned from all streaming services including Spotify and Deezer. That may change soon, but it’s hard to say.
At this stage, if you’re a DJ who’s been investing in remixes or mashups and has been making your mixes available on sites like Mixcloud or SoundCloud, you will likely see the most benefit from opening up your remixes to streaming services. That might mean rebranding your mix to be more neutral or shifting your use of content from only hosting songs and into adding a more original set of music videos.
4. The Next Generation of DJs
For the first time ever, an increasing number of young people are getting into DJing. It’s a huge shift as it was the last generation that took up the job.
Last year I was asked to do a follow up article on what we saw happen when we first launched our blog and I found that my biggest problem was keeping up with all the news. The amount of articles and research blogs popping up all over the place is becoming difficult to keep track of!
This time around, the number one thing that stood out to me was identifying where young people are getting into DJing and how they might be different from older generations.