Spotify doesn’t directly integrate with any DJ software or hardware – Serato, Rekordbox, VirtualDJ, Pioneer, Numark, Denon etc).
We explain the options below for how to DJ with Spotify, and will keep this updated whenever anything changes, which is very likely.
You could at one time DJ Spotify directly with Algoriddim’s djay Pro but that hasn’t been an option for some time. It was a key selling point for djay. We are sure that all the DJ software providers would love to have a Spotify integration, but it isn’t going to happen.
So you have to use a workaround, or rethink how you build your music collection. We wrote about Spotify pulling out of the DJ market in 2020. Combined with the Tidal price increase it’s something aspiring DJs need to understand how to workaround.
When DJ Jaxk was getting into DJing, the first thing he asked me was “How do I DJ using Spotify?” Spotify’s market dominance in streaming is such that it’s a shock to new DJs that it’s not easy to just use their lovingly built up Spotify playlists when they decide to get involved in DJing.
Many new DJs will never own any music in vinyl, CD or MP3 format “
The honest answer is that as well as learning how to beatmatch, set up the equipment, cue the next track etc he was also going to have to learn how to DJ with Spotify when it involves a few moving parts. Spotify does not directly work with any DJ software. We will show you how to transfer your Spotify playlists to Tidal or other streaming services.
Table of Contents
What can DJs use Spotify for?
- Discovering new music – The pool of music is second to none.
- Creating short lists of the tunes you want to DJ (especially for commercial tracks).
- Listening to music, just like non-DJs!
- Sharing links to tunes with friends and followers.
- Building your online profile.
Option 1 – Switch to Tidal
Not what anyone wants to hear, but the simplest way to DJ with Spotify is actually to not use Spotify. Switch completely over to Tidal. Tidal is integrated directly into Rekordbox, so as long as you have a wi-fi connection you can access virtually any tune ever made via Tidal directly in Rekordbox. You can even set cues and loops etc. However Tidal recently almost doubled the price to use it’s streaming to DJ with. Who knows where this will end up in the future, and this might not be a long term option. Plus with the monthly price at nearly £20 to use Tidal for DJing, we are aware of previous Tidal users moving away.
Option 2 – Keep Spotify and use a sync service
Remember if you use a Spotify sync tool then you’ll have to deal with:
- Spotify is not designed as a DJ-first service. Edits, intro versions and obscure tracks won’t be available to you. If you only DJ commercial events this might be fine, but even then intro versions etc are very useful to have in your collection.
- What is in your playlist today might not be there next month. Artists come and go from streaming services – Think Taylor Swift. You’ll have to keep an eye on what is in your playlists to make sure nothing goes missing.
- No streaming services have identical tracks. There are likely to be some tracks unavailable on Tidal from your Spotify playlists. This might be a deal breaker.
- Your venue will have to have strong wi-fi or else Tidal won’t work and you won’t have any tunes to play.
- Cost – You will have to pay for Spotify, Tidal, and Soundiiz (or another sync service).
- You’ll need your laptop in the venue to access Tidal through Rekordbox.
For these reasons DJs don’t use these tools in most clubs. Remember that most club DJs don’t even use a laptop (there are obviously many exceptions to this, but in dance music clubs a laptop is fairly rare) These sync services are great for weddings and other functions and events though.
How to sync Spotify to your DJ software
If you do decide that you want to DJ with Spotify, then there are a variety of different tools available to sync Spotify to Tidal, which makes your Spotify collection and playlists available in Rekordbox. If you use the paid service they will even be kept in sync whenever you add or remove tracks from your Spotify playlists. You won’t have to go into Tidal unless you want to. We have had good success with Soundiiz both free and paid versions so are focussing on that for this explanation.
Why use a Spotify to DJ software sync service?
- You have been asked to play a style of music, or type of event that you don’t normally play. You are the next hard techno superstar DJ – DJ MEgAbeAtz – but you’ve been asked to play at your cousins 16th party. You don’t own any of the commercial tunes they have requested.
- You’ve been given a Spotify playlist by someone wants you to DJ. It is going to be much easier to actually work from that playlist than try and download the tunes, buy them through Beatport etc.
- You are sure that the venue you are playing in has rock sold wi-fi, even when it is full of guests.
- You want to break into wedding/corporate DJing and need access to ever tune ever.
Step by step guide to how to use Soundiiz to DJ with Spotify
- Sign in Soundiiz using your Spotify and Tidal login details
- Choose the playlists you want to transfer (you’ll need the paid version to select more than one) (We probably won’t sync Guardians of the Galaxy in this case….)
3. Set the sync from Spotify to Tidal
4. Press sync, it should be an instant process.
5. Remember to check if any tracks weren’t transferred. Some tunes on Spotify won’t be available on Tidal (and vice versa).
6. Supplement your collection by adding tunes from Tidal to it.
7. In your DJ software make sure that Tidal is available – Tick the box in the Layout section of Rekordbox (below)
8. Log into Tidal through Rekordbox and you are good to go
9. Remember if you use the free version of Soundiiz you will need to manually re-sync your collections via Soundiiz. Therefore if you plan to use this method ongoing taking a paid plan is a good idea which will automatically keep Spotify and Soundiiz in sync.
Option 3 – Buy the tracks
If you want to play in clubs this is the only real route to take. We are saying that there is no way to DJ with Spotify at this level. The wi-fi in Berghain is notoriously weak.
Trust us, you want your tunes under your control. If they are on your USB stick or on your laptop then you are good to go. Remember We7? – We7 was a Spotify rival. Imagine if you had invested all your efforts into using it to manage and stream your tunes. We7 closed down in 2015. We aren’t saying any of the streaming services will shut, but they definitely don’t care about your upcoming DJ set. Tidal recently almost doubled the price to use it’s streaming to DJ with.
Buy the tracks and build you collection through Beatport, Beatsource, Soundcloud, etc. Bonus – Your collection will be backed up because you can re-download them at any time. Manage your collection directly in Serato, Rekordbox or Virtual DJ, or via Apple Music. By downloading the tracks you’ll be in control of your collection, and not need wi-fi. You can then DJ anywhere via USB or laptop.
Option 4 – How to “DJ” with Spotify DJ mode
What happens if you just want to DJ from a Spotify playlist? Maybe for the afters, maybe for a family or corporate event. You might be the person everyone knows as a DJ, so people ask you how to do DJ. Or maybe you are thinking of giving DJing a try, have a Spotify account (who doesn’t?) and just want to be the person who manages the music for the event.
If you just make a playlist and let it play, Spotify will leave gaps between songs. This might be OK, but it hardly gets the party started. Plus many songs have long fade outs and ins, so in reality there might be large chunks of time where only very quiet music is actually playing. Spotify have you covered though. It’s not exactly “real DJing” – but it’s the easiest solution straight out of the box with Spotify.
- If you haven’t already, download the app. You won’t want to have to take a laptop with you to the event.
- Sign up for Spotify Premium – You aren’t going to want ads blasting out between songs.
- Create a playlist for your party – “Grandma’s 80th birthday grime bangers” for example.
- If possible use offline mode to download your playlist. This is the safest route as it means you aren’t relying on wi-fi. Event venues often have wi-fi that can’t cope with a large crowd, and you don’t want the song cutting out half way during New York, New York at the end of the wedding.
- Go to Preferences and set Spotify to Crossfade Tracks and AutoMix. – This merges the songs together and cuts out the gaps. It’s not perfect, and there will definitely be some clashing beats and non-optimised crossfades, but it gets rid of the awkward silences and we guarantee most people won’t notice.
- Take a phone charger, and keep your phone plugged in during the event for obvious reasons. If you do need to check on the Liverpool/Jets (insert your team here) score during the event make sure that you don’t accidentally pause the Spotify music, or even worse blast out the football commentary to the guests while you are trying to keep up to date with the match.
- You can take requests! – Just like a real DJ you can add (and remove songs) to the playlist as it’s playing. Grandma might want to hear some more trap, so you can bring those bangers further forward in the playlist.
Here’s the official Spotify DJ video
Option 5 – Stream via Beatsource or Beatport
This is possible, however these services just don’t have the commercial tracks that are available in Spotify. You definitely couldn’t DJ a country wedding with these services. It is easier to download tracks you have bought on these services so that they are available without wifi, but for a commercial event you’ll need additional tracks from elsewhere.
How to DJ with Spotify – Summary
This guide has shown how to Dj with Spotify, and that it is possible to use your Spotify collection as the base for DJing, even if it’s not possible to DJ directly with Spotify in the traditional sense. But there are effective workarounds which we have explained.
DJing with Spotify is a missed opportunity for the DJ software companies. Imagine if you could DJ with Spotify in Rekordbox or Serato. We can but wish.
Let us know your thoughts and experiences with these solutions below in the comments.