Apple Music will soon stream DJ mixes and remixes following a deal between Apple and Dubset Media Holdings.
Through the partnership, Apple will be allowed to add DJ mixes, mashups and underground songs to its streaming service, which were previously prevented from the site because of copyright issues.
As a result, several thousands of cool mashups and hour-long mixes were successfully pulled out of the underground to join Apple Music, allowing users to stream through the service.
Based on an estimate by IFPI, 20 percent of Internet users around the globe access and regularly listen to certain types of music services that are not licensed. The deal instantly makes Apple the first music streamer to allow the type of music to be streamed to its subscribers.
Moreover, it will allow the company's Apple Music streaming service to gain a competitive edge against Spotify.
The process of licensing DJ mixes and remixes based on original recordings is actually more complex compared to other licensing procedures. One reason for this complexity is the fact that a single mix has the possibility of having 600 unique rights holders alone.
Dubset CEO Stephen White says that typically speaking, a single mix contains 25 to 30 songs that would demand payments to record labels ranging from 25 to 30 and to publishers for each track, which numbers anywhere between 2 to 10.
Dubset will reportedly employ its proprietary technology called MixBank in pulling apart the mixes and figuring out what is inside each mix. The technology has been designed to identify a recording as well as the stop and start point in each mix. It then identifies the respective rights holders found in a dataset, along with direct feeds and multiple partnerships that are involved.
The final step in the process, which is believed to be more difficult, is done through MixScan, the company's proprietary piece of software.
Analyzing an uploaded mix normally takes around 15 minutes for a file that has a 60-minute duration. MixBank will study the recordings along with the controls and restrictions that are prescribed by rights holders.
Some of these controls and restrictions involve blacklisting an artist, track or album. Other types involve creating a rule on the song's length limit in a mix or remix; preventing an artist from getting associated with certain other artists; and controlling the type of territories where the content will be allowed.
At the end part of the process, rights holders are allowed to give a final approval for the file prior to its distribution following an optional review.
"Remixes are a huge part of our culture," said superstar DJ Steve Aoki.
