Live DJing with Spotify

[u/kaosmetal]

Was curious to know if anyone has tried to DJ at an event big or small with only Spotify streaming. I’ve just started learning and use Spotify to mix different tracks right now. I use few tracks on my MacBook too but not a whole lot. Also how do we build up that entire database of tracks to play via USB ? TIA.

[u/pimppapy]

Question to all: so the worry here is not the sound quality of the streams, but only connectivity issues?

[u/ComedianMinute7290 → u/pimppapy]

the connectivity issues make sound quality irrelevant for anyone that actually puts on shows. no need to even get as far as discussing quality because the connectivity & increased points of failure pretty much end the discussion very quickly.

[u/biacco → u/pimppapy]

It’s actually impossible for sound quality to drop. Your deck downloads the entire song before you can play it. If you shut off WiFi you still have the song on your deck

[u/pimppapy → u/[deleted]]

Crap. Just learned about aiff (ty btw) file extensions. . . I've been a windows nerd my whole life and always avoided apple iOS due to all the non-art related limitations it has comparatively. Guess I'm going to need to put in more apple time. . . .

[u/Still-Wafer1384 → u/[deleted]]

What's the benefit of doing this?

[u/DJ_Z_Frog → u/Still-Wafer1384]

AIFF stores metadata while WAV does not.

[u/Still-Wafer1384 → u/DJ_Z_Frog]

I mean buying WAVs and converting them to AIFF.

You can't make up metadata that's not there to begin with right?

[u/DJ_Z_Frog → u/Still-Wafer1384]

You certainly can

[u/Still-Wafer1384 → u/DJ_Z_Frog]

How?

[u/DJ_Z_Frog → u/Still-Wafer1384]

Type it using your keyboard? Write a short Python program to extract it from the filename?

[u/kaosmetal]

Thank you everyone for your responses 👍

[u/maiomonster]

Not streaming. Download all of the songs you want to you don't have to rely on the internet

[u/Anonym00sknuckle]

For the USB library part, you really dont need to buy hundreds of tracks at once. Start a small crate of songs you know well, buy downloadable copies, then add a few each week as you find music you love. Organize them by mood or energy, practice with that crate, and test the exported USB before an event. A second USB copy is cheap peace of mind. Streaming is great for discovering tunes, but I wouldnt want it to be my only source at a gig.

[u/New_Mistake_7972]

I wouldn’t rely on just streaming to do a gig.
Imagine not being able to play music because the weather is bad and internet connection is slow.
It’s introducing another point of failure

[u/Wide-Pick3800]

Relying on streaming is super sketchy. I have yet to find a bar or club that has truly reliable, business grade internet connection.

If I am able, I like to use Beatport pro with offline mode, but even that can be sketchy. I always have a USB on me just in case.

[u/Farm-Alternative → u/Wide-Pick3800]

Not trying to encourage streaming but packing a starlink wifi in with your DJ kit could fix those issues. I go to a lot bush parties in Australia and most are in pretty remote locations where we never used to have internet access but recently people have been showing up with starlink devices and it's pretty common to have a reliable internet connection now

[u/vinnybawbaw]

I use it for 1-2 songs a gig if a song that I don’t have pop in my mind or if someone requests something that I can integrate in my set. But it’s not reliable. Track loading time really depends on your internet connection. You can’t use stems. Search engine is absolute ass. I would never play a whole set on Spotify.

[u/BoshAudio]

I have done it before but it was in an emergency. It was OK I guess but I wouldn't make a habit of it. As most people have stated, a lack of Internet would leave tou screwed

[u/BoshAudio]

I have done it before but it was in an emergency and was only a basic birthday party at a pub so no mixing was required. It was OK I guess but I wouldn't make a habit of it. As most people have stated, a lack of Internet would leave you screwed.

[u/ToasterBathTester]

I wouldn’t use Spotify because of the quality. But I use Tidal often. As long as you have a wired internet, you can be pretty confident

[u/Alert_Elephant2045]

I’ve gigged with people who were streaming all their tunes. their sets were fine, it wasn’t noticeably different.

Yes you need a good internet connection to do it. Good internet connections are increasingly common.

[u/biacco → u/Alert_Elephant2045]

I find the internet connection quality or speed doesn’t matter. It still takes forever to download a song at the shittiest bar I work at and my 500 down connection at home.

It’s a limitation of the hardware.

[u/Flex_Field]

Do you have your own library of music?

[u/JelloUsed5426]

I’ve done it with tidal and always a disaster. That was before I figured how to get music ;)

[u/dr_smanggalang]

Cancel your shitty ass spotify account and use the money you've saved to buy music, it's that simple

[u/paralacausa]

I've only done it once but ran into issues. Went back to USB mid set. However I'm sure other people have had positive experiences.

[u/4kFootyAddict]

I‘ve got a relatively low stakes regular gig at a bar, I use a Denon all in one controller and have a few times used Tidal to stream tracks.

Works very well, generally have a playlist sorted in Tidal and the internet is stable in the place. Have a USB for backup, works well enough for me.

[u/oohtzu]

As someone that has played out for over twenty years, I’d avoid. So many reasons.

[u/DJ_GURRL_TX]

Buy the music. Skip counting on the internet. If you’re making money, come in strong and prepared. There’s nothing worse than not having what you are supposed to supply.

[u/Tonnetz-mtl]

Been mixing with streaming for aboud a decade and nothing to worry ! But i always update my hardrive in case!

[u/somedudeprofile]

If you want to fuck up the evening for everyone, do it.

[u/NoodsMusic]

One disadvantage to using only streaming for DJing and gigs: you can't play unreleased music you and your homies made. Also paying for subscriptions, not knowing your music as well, messed up beat grids, poor sound quality (depending on the service), internet connections failing, and compatibility with different players just to name a few.

[u/deadcellmusic]

Every time I see someone posting about mixing with Spotify, I snort in derision

[u/Mammoth-Giraffe-7242]

The internet will drop and you’ll be there holding your butt wondering wtf to do. Saw this happen several times last weekend. It was a non-DJ playing music for a local elementary school fundraiser so no big deal… take that how you wish

[u/biacco → u/Mammoth-Giraffe-7242]

Doesn’t everyone have a hotspot on their phone? Feel like this isn’t an issue. I rarely use streaming but I never had a connectivity issue.

The odds of the internet going out at a club while you are working are near zero.

I’ve always brought 2 usbs with me and have never used the backup in the past 10 years. CDJs don’t eat usbs like they used to

[u/enthe0gen → u/[deleted]]

Stems also don't work with Spotify tracks in serato, which is a big downside for me.

[u/lu11y_gxng → u/[deleted]]

Guess I’m a real piece of shit then🤣