Apple Music could become more attractive to listeners of EDM and Dubstep tracks, after signing a deal to stream remixes and DJ mixes. The agreement with Dubset Media Holdings will allow the Apple music streaming service to host mash-up tracks and lengthy mixes lasting up to an hour, a style of music that is usually ignored by streaming services due to the difficulty of licensing the track and the large number of elements taken from other songs.
Remixes of songs rarely appear on streaming services, or even on sale, as every sample used in the track, or every track in a longer DJ mix, needs to be licensed before it can be used. Billboard reports Dubset is able to use MixBank, a proprietary system that can analyze the track to identify up to 100 potential matches per sample, leaving secondary tool MixScan to identify the recording’s stop and start point within the mix, as well as the corresponding rights holders.
For most mixes, aspects of 25 to 30 songs could be used, and with each sample needing agreements for between two and ten publishers, though Dubset has already made agreements with over 14,000 labels to cover such arrangements. Taking approximately 15 minutes for a 60-minute mix, the tool can also identify if a track has licensing issues, such as artists being blacklisted from certain albums or other musicians, length of songs used, and even regional limitations. The creator of the mix is then told if it is cleared, and is then given options for distribution, and Dubset arranges all licensing and payments. If the mix fails, the DJ is told what went wrong, so it can be adjusted and resubmitted.
The inclusion within Apple Music is only the beginning for the company, as it anticipates offering tracks to 400 distributors around the world. The popularity of the mixes may help, as the IFPI estimates approximately 20 perceont of Internet users listen to some form of unlicensed music, such as remixes.
The Dubset agreement arrives at the same time as a notification from Apple on Twitter that music producer ‘deadmau5’ will be hosting his own show this Friday at 6pm ET on Beats 1.
