Earlier this year, SoundCloud announced some huge news for users that subscribe to Soundcloud Go+, changing the game for DJs during their sets. They’d soon be able to stream Soundcloud music directly into their DJ software of choice. This week, the first DJ software has become available for this feature: Serato DJ.
The new integration provides a space in which DJs can stream SoundCloud’s catalog into their Serato software. This means that on-demand music becomes much easier for DJs who may not have a particular track in their library that they’re hoping to play. It opens the doors to broader music discover, and it no longer limits artists to the library of tracks they’ve purchased and put into Serato.
Kerry Trainor, SoundCloud’s current CEO, announced the exciting new feature:
“Today’s launch is the first time DJs can mix and stream SoundCloud’s massive catalog directly in professional-level DJ software.”
As of now, Serato is the only platform available with this SoundCloud integration. The integration currently allows for usage with DJ Lite 1.1 and Serato DJ Pro 2.1. To use the streaming within Serato, you’ll also need a WiFi connection as streaming offline isn’t available through Soundcloud (yet). More software – including Virtual DJ, Native Instruments, Hercules, and DEX3 – will be integrated in the near future.
We’re curious to see how well this feature actually works. Will the streaming allow tracks to play out of a large speaker system at a high-quality rate? We all know the pains of streaming music that has a deteriorating bitrate. Plus, there’s nothing more painful than the crackling sound of a low-quality track trying bump on a sound system.
If you’re a DJ using Serato and hope to take advantage of this new feature, a SoundCloud Go+ membership is only $9.99. All in all, this isn’t a high pricetag for the features it offers. Will this be the next new thing for DJs to rave about? Only time will tell.
