Beatport has been very quiet about their plans for launching an in-DJ-software streaming service since they acquired the remnants of Pulselocker last April, but we all kind of assumed they were working on it. In Amsterdam at ADE last year, we revealed how Beatport Cloud and LINK were set to launch in 2019. Now there’s a new update: development is nearly complete to integrate the Beatport LINK streaming DJ softwares.
Beatport LINK
Beatport LINK is the name for in-software integration of Beatport’s library, and is based on the same techonology as Pulselocker. With Pulselocker, DJs could store (copy-protected) songs in an offline locker that are playable in DJ apps or dynamically load tracks into your software on the fly. The issue wasn’t ever the technology, it was the library – which was incredibly limited and underwhelming.
So naturally, everyone got really excited when Beatport bought the company after it crashed and burned. The funny thing is that Beatport has never actually formally announced Beatport LINK – they’ve been mentioning it behind closed doors to artists, but it wasn’t until today’s press release covering the new relaunch of Beatsource that we’ve seen them publicly acknowledge the project, its name, and the official development status:
Beatport’s purchase of Pulselocker early in 2018, paved the way for the company to seamlessly integrate its store into DJ performance software, enabling DJs to easily access a massive catalogue of music.The first integrations of the Beatport LINK product with leading DJ performance software applications will be completed in the coming months. Similar to Beatport, Beatsource will have an online a la carte download store as well as Beatsource LINK as a subscription service that allows music to be played directly into performance software and stored in offline mode via the company’s proprietary locker technology.
What Platforms Are They Working With?
The official press release doesn’t acknowledge specific apps, but it is important to remember that Pulselocker integration already was built into a number of apps – so it seems unlikely that Beatport won’t at least consider working with those not-mentioned apps (Serato DJ Pro, Virtual DJ, Rekordbox DJ).
Editor’s note: this article has been modified from the original to reflect that no software partners for LINK have been officially announced. We’ll have more details from Beatport and their partners when they’re closer to launch.
