Once upon a time, popular music was created by guitar-wielding troubadours and virtuosic pianists. But times have changed: Now the world’s hottest hitmakers are in front of digital audio workstations equipped with DJ software.
The major cause for the surge in the number of DJ producers is the fact that music making tools have become much more accessible. Over the past decade, the right to manufacture digital audio software for music production, which were released by hardware producers in a highly competitive software industry, has been democratized. Producing music no longer requires a recording studio, and producers don’t need to be formally trained in production or engineering. Instead, they can create music in a home studio, on a laptop or even on a smartphone.
Also, the Internet is at your fingertips, with plenty of educational resources and tutorials on YouTube, online communities and more so Producers can learn how to and improve their beats quickly.
The rise to prominence of electronic dance music (EDM) has also had a major influence on how much music DJs are able to produce. The popularity of EDM has created a bigger audience and thus a bigger market for new and innovative tracks. And DJ music producers have seized on this opportunity and are rolling out music to satisfy the public’s insatiable appetite for EDM music.
The changing face of DJ sets has also led to more and more musicians needing to create fresh content. Because they play far more often in either clubs, at festivals or through online streams, people simply need more new material than ever before to continually produce sets. In order for new music to catch attention, there needs to be a regular stream of fresh songs, which leads to a higher volume of music being released.
Additionally, the streaming music era has facilitated the career cycle of a DJ producer. Streaming platforms like Spotify reward frequent releases with more visibility on playlists and automation in algorithms. Thus, if a DJ seriously wants to grow audience and influence, it isn’t enough to mix other people’s records. At a certain point, you’re going to need to put some songs out or come up with some remixes if you don’t want to get washed away in the deluge of New Music Friday.
Collaboration is now one of the foundation stones of DJ music production with Producers, constantly working with other artists, for example they could be working with a […], 10 different artists could be on the album of just one DJ getting their work out there more quickly.
A significant factor in the shift towards prolificacy is the way music is consumed and has changed. One of the cardinal tenets of our era is that it’s extremely difficult to get anyone to pay attention to anything for more than a few minutes. This is made far easier, however, if you move on to something different every few minutes, which is what the contemporary consumer — especially the music-listening young consumer — is expected to do. So long as he has Wi-Fi, teenage Tatiana can stream an infinite amount of music on Spotify, none of which she really owns and all of which she could barely list three weeks later (which is one reason why Spotify may be about to go public). Accelerating the pace of music releases, meanwhile, makes it easier for music labels to cajole people into paying to listen to songs they might or might not pay much attention to (which is another reason why Spotify may be about to go public).
Additionally, with the advent of social media, artists can more easily maintain a near-constant connection to their fanbase, stretching what would be a nine month release cycle into 202 weeks, or about the span between Star Wars movies. On Instagram and Twitter and TikTok, artists can post occasional teasing comments or snippets of the work in progress, pricking the general excitement but also contributing to the fan’s sense that their beloved writer or musician is a presence in their life. A producer’s easy social media presence amounts to a string of cryptic announcements telegraphing how much work has been done on the album, followed by the album.
In today’s digital age where access to music has become limitless, the role of the DJ has been transformed. The DJ is no longer just a purveyor of music, but is now a music producer as well. Being a DJ is no longer loud music at clubs, being a DJ now consists of playing turntables at massive shows, filling small arenas and creating an album after releasing several mixed tapes. The growing prolificacy of DJs is due to a number of factors: new technology, changes in musical preferences, the digital age, and the ability to be self-taught
The first reason for more DJ music producers is changes in technology. Digital music has revolutionized the way music is produced and played. There are numerous types of electronic dance music, all with sophisticated system requirements including: laptops, software programs, and gadgets to create their music. DJ technology has progressed greatly in the last few years. DJ equipment keeps getting better, faster, and cheaper every year. Creating top-quality tracks became ridiculously cheap. With the rising popularity of electronic music, the need for DJs has become high.
