Apple Music Strikes Deal to Stream Previously Unlicensed DJ Mixes and Remixes

Many previously unofficial remixes and DJ mixes may soon be available to stream legally, with all of the artists involved getting paid. Apple said it has reached a deal with digital music distributor Dubset that will permit Apple Music to offer remixes and DJ sets that previously raised too many copyright concerns, Billboard reports. “It’s a huge step forward for the music industry to be able to deliver mixed and remixed content into legal services,” Dubset CEO Stephen White told Pitchfork. Pitchfork has reached out to an Apple representative for comment. Update (3/15, 3:19 p.m.): An Apple rep has confirmed the Dubset agreement to Pitchfork.

Dubset announced it will use its new MixBank platform to deliver the mixes and remixes to Apple Music. Mixbank is designed to identify each track and then check the underlying copyrights against licensing rules set by the owners of those copyrights. “Everyone’s getting compensated,” White told Pitchfork. “The label gets paid, the publisher gets paid, the DJ gets paid.”

Tiësto praised the Apple deal in Dubset’s press release, calling the move “an amazing development.”

Dubset wasn’t ready to name label or publishing partners just yet, but White said to expect some announcements at next week’s Winter Music Conference. He also declined to discuss how the revenue works, but said payments to rights holders will be “time-based.” For instance, say, a mix consists of exactly half of one song and half of another song. When a person streams the entire mix, half of the royalties would be allocated to the first song and half to the second song.

Beyond Apple Music, Dubset is also looking to partner with other streaming providers. “Our goal is to serve this content to every music service,” Dubset president and COO Bob Barbiere told Pitchfork.

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