Users can select tracks in both programs from Beatport’s vast library or import their own collection, then mix the tracks into each other in “Party Mode.” Party Mode provides “latency-free,” real-time mixing on the web-based platform from anywhere in the world. While users mix together in real time, dynamics can be used to color the track like EQs, crossfaders, filters and more.

Party Mode also provides a 100-person audience to listen, request songs, and create shared session playlists within the software.

The system was first demonstrated in 2021 with DJs Jamie Jones and Loco Dice playing in Berlin and London, respectively. It gave audiences the chance to not only hear but see how this technology can work in full.

To use Party Mode as a DJ, you must first have a subscription to Beatport Streaming, starting at $9.99/month. Viewers need a Beatport account to join Party Mode, but you do not need a subscription to join. A Beatsource subscription starts at $9.99; A premium subscription costs $34.99/month.

Find more information and sign up on the Beatport DJ website. Sign up for a Beatsource subscription on their website.

For years, platforms would lump amapiano into other genres such as Afro house, deep house, and dance/electro-pop. Tracks that were incorrectly categorized will be re-listed under amapiano.

The move comes after prominent names such as DBN Gogo, Focalistic, Major League DJz, and labels such as Jozi Entertainment began evangelizing the sound.

Starting in the Gauteng province of South Africa, amapiano borrows heavily from musical and cultural roots practiced in Black townships across the area. The name ‘amapiano’ merges the Zulu language’s plural article of ‘ama’ with the western instrument of a piano. The term has been around for about nine years and is used to exemplify the coexistence and collaboration of African and Western cultures.

Its foundations are rooted in Kwaito, a genre music created in the ’90s during South Africa’s transition to democracy. The resulting genre is a mixture of house, tech house, and jazz that is being embraced by younger and more DIY-focused South African artists.

Beatport introducing a category for the genre means that the platform can better promote the sound through banners, playlists, and more while helping amapiano artists foster their careers.

More info is available in Beatport’s amapiano section.

For $30 monthly, Pro subscription users get access to all of Beatport LINK’s full features and full track playback. DJs using this subscription tier can create unlimited playlists with Beatport’s vast music catalogue in high-quality format. From there, users can play tracks on LINK subscription enabled devices. Any tracks that were purchased on Beatport can be downloaded again and used in Beatport LINK.

The LINK Pro subscription also comes with web and mobile app availability for DJs to download and play tracks on the go. This is key for moments where WiFi connections might be unstable or nonexistent.

Beatport LINK’s service works with many different platforms like Tribe XR and Serato. At the time of writing, however, support for Native Instruments’ Traktor Pro and Denon DJ’s Engine OS is not yet available.

Find more information on the Beatport LINK website.

The LC6000 PRIME provides a secondary area of audio when paired with other Denon media players. The Denon DJ website explains that the pairing “streamlines track selection workflows and expands creative capabilities without the need of a computer.”

The LC6000 PRIME runs via USB and features an 8.5-inch capacitive touch jog wheel with a full-color screen.  A “smooth” 100mm pitch fader accompanies lights near the top, bottom and center to notify DJs of zero position and sync direction.  Eight color-coded performance pads line the bottom of the device, adding more buttons for hot-cueing, looping and beat slicing. A fully rotational knob controls music library navigation, and a touch strip provides individual track browsing (“Needle Drop”). Reinforced “Cue” and “Play” buttons give DJs long-term protection from damage due to excessive tapping.

The LC6000 PRIME’s versatility also extends to multiple DJ software platforms like Serato, Virtual DJ, and Algoriddim djay Pro.

Denon’s Engine OS powers the LC6000 PRIME and also provides access to streaming millions of songs via Beatport, SoundCloud and TIDAL.

Denon is a Japanese electronics company founded in 1910 by American entrepreneur Frederick Whitney Horn. The company helped develop the CD-ROM format alongside Sony in 1984. The DN-2000F, Denon’s first twin-deck CD player, was released in 1993. In April 2014, inMusic Brands acquired both Denon DJ and Denon Professional from D&M Holdings.

The Denon LC6000 PRIME retails at $699. More information is available on Denon DJ’s website.

The service allows users to mix tracks from Beatport’s 9 million-song library in real time using digital players and a mixer. Also included are MIDI input, controller support, hot cues and looping. The electronic music download store hopes to eliminate the time needed to acquire and catalogue music in preparation for DJ sets.

A public beta of the service is available to anyone with a LINK, LINK PRO or LINK PRO+ subscription in addition to those using LINK-integrated products by Pioneer DJ, Serato, Hercules, and others. It currently only runs on Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Opera, although additional browser compatibility is in the works.

Notably missing is the option to buy tracks directly from the interface, with payouts instead based on the LINK subscription model. Writing for CDM Create Digital Music, Peter Kirn argues that the online music marketplace passed up an opportunity to encourage artist support at a time when the COVID-19 crisis continues to ravage their finances. “The issue I have with Beatport DJ is, it has the potential to do these things but then … well, doesn’t,” he explains.

Beatport was founded in Denver in 2004, and it rose to popularity as a download store catering to dance music fans as CDJ media players gradually replaced vinyl record turntables. The company was purchased by SFX Entertainment in 2013, who then rebranded as LiveStyle after declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016.

Try out the public beta of Beatport DJ here.

In conversation with West, Troxler touched on the the author and activist’s love for house music as well as the genre’s place in the broader context of Black music. Later, he discussed the significance of spaces like The Loft in NYC and Chicago’s Warehouse with Trent and Humphries. Common themes in both live streams were comparisons between soul and techno/house in addition to how the music industry’s influence on Black music arguably circumvented social movements.

“When Beatport approached me to host a month of streams during Black History Month, I was truly honored,” Troxler told Beatportal. “Being from Detroit and mentored by people like Omar-S, Keith Worthy, and Scott Grooves, as well as understanding that techno and house history is Black history, this is a story that was so deeply connected to my family’s heritage, it has always been deeply important to keep the origins of dance music alive for the next generation.”

Future installments of the live stream series will take place on February 15th and 22nd as well as March 1st. Paul Johnson, Stacey Hotwaxx Hale, Al Ester, DJ Holographic and Channel Tres will be among the interviewees.

More information including the full schedule is available via Beatportal.

Loopmasters operates as a record label specializing in sample packs for sound designers. The Brighton-based company founded in 2003 also includes subscription service Loopcloud and plugin library Plugin Boutique. Both will be included in the buyout. Loopmasters Founder Matt Pelling and Plugin Boutique General Manager Gareth Halsall will continue to head up their respective brands while reporting to Beatport.

“Matt Pelling and the entire Loopmasters team are world-class people who have built amazing products for the producer community that simply belong in our ecosystem,” said Beatport CEO Robb McDaniels.

“The phenomenal growth of Plugin Boutique, the leading global seller of virtual instrument plugins, and the recent launch of Loopcloud, an innovative subscription service for the samples market, are a testament to the talent of their team, and we couldn’t be happier to welcome them to the Beatport family,” he continued.

Beatport and Loopmasters have yet to announce any new integrations resulting from the buyout at the time of writing.

Image credit: Loopmasters

Sentric aims to offer publishing deals tailored for each rights holder’s specific needs while increasing the speed and frequency of payouts. The company claims to have teams dedicated to finding new income opportunities through creative and sync licensing for television, film, advertisement and other placements.

“Our aim is to ensure every electronic music artist, producer and label has the opportunity to enter a publishing deal that’s right for them and for those already published by us, to increase the speed and value of royalties paid,” said Sentric executive Mark Lawrence. “It’s not acceptable for creators to wait two or three years to be paid. By partnering with Beatport and collecting from the store directly, we are able to invoice for and pay our clients quarterly.”

Lawrence, who went on to say that the partnership would “close electronic music’s publishing deficit,” is the founder of music publisher Black Rock. Sentric acquired a stake in the company in 2018 and subsequently launched Sentric Electronic, the first step in the company’s foray into the electronic music market.

More information on the services offered by Sentric Music Group is available on their official website.

Allowing access to Beatport and Beatsource’s extensive 6 million+ song catalogue, the DJ Pro 2.4 beta will give Serato users the ability to stream songs on the fly, creating a multitude options for selecting the perfect tracks in real time. Serato had previously added support for TIDAL and SoundCloud streaming, and the 2.4 update now extends selection options even further.

Also included in the update: the option to “make audio available to other applications,” a godsend to those who have taken to live streaming DJ sets during quarantine. The feature could ease the strain for users struggling to work out how to route direct audio out through applications like OBS and XSplit.

Serato’s DJ Pro 2.4 beta comes after Pioneer DJ‘s Rekordbox software integrated Beatport and Beatsource LINK support last year.

Using the two streaming services, equipment owners will be able to search for music from each of the platforms’ libraries and download tracks directly onto the device. This allows DJs to access music from their online collections without the need of external storage. When downloaded, the tracks are analyzed and song information including key, BPM, and waveform are displayed.

On their YouTube channel, Denon DJ shared a video demonstrating the features included in the latest Engine OS update. Although brief, the video provides a visual tutorial DJs can use to learn the new features.

In addition to the Beatport LINK and SoundCloud GO+ integration, several bug fixes were deployed alongside a new BPM detection algorithm and “Quick Source Menu.” The latter is an interface that allows users to quickly switch between media devices, streaming services, and more.

Version 1.5 of Denon DJ’s Engine OS is out now. Download the latest update and read the complete patch notes on their website here.