Apple Music Now Uses Shazam Technology to Pay Rights Holders in DJ Mixes

Apple has announced the creation of a process to properly identify and compensate individual creators involved in making DJ mixes that are streamed on Apple Music (via TechCrunch).

applemusic dj mixes feature
The process reportedly uses technology from Shazam, and Apple is working with major and independent labels to work out a system whereby streaming royalties are fairly divided among DJs, labels, and artists who feature in the mixes.

Since the rise of streaming services, the job of paying rights holders whose music is used in a DJ mix has been a lingering issue. The rise in popularity of the EDM genre has also resulted in an increasing number of remixes, mash-ups, and DJ mixes that incorporate samples from other songs, making working out who should be compensated even harder.

‌Apple Music‌ originally introduced DJ mixes and mash-ups in 2016 through a partnership with Dubset Media Holdings to identify and pay for licensed music within mixes. Now, Apple is using the Shazam technology it acquired in 2018 to identify and compensate everyone whose content appears in a mix.

"Apple Music is the first platform that offers continuous mixes where there's a fair fee involved for the artists whose tracks are included in the mixes and for the artist making those mixes," DJ Charlotte de Witte told TechCrunch on behalf of Apple. "It's a step in the right direction where everyone gets treated fairly. I'm beyond excited to have the chance to provide online mixes again."

As part of the rollout, Apple is showcasing the thousands of mixes already available on the service within its dedicated genre section for DJ mixes within the ‌Apple Music‌ app. Studio K7!'s DJ Kicks archive of mixes will also start rolling out on ‌Apple Music‌, giving users access to mixes that haven't been on the market in over 15 years.

The new technology will also let ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers see the names of individual tracks within a streamed mix, as well as give them the ability to skip or save the songs for listening offline.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

New iPhone 17 Pro Details: Brighter Display, Best Battery Life, and More

Wednesday September 3, 2025 5:33 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models will feature a number of significant display, thermal, and battery improvements, according to new late-stage rumors. According to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital," the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature displays with higher brightness, making it more suitable for use in direct sunlight for prolonged periods. The iPhone 16 Pro and...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Prices Estimated Ahead of Apple Event Next Week

Tuesday September 2, 2025 1:50 pm PDT by
Just one week before Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series, an analyst has shared new price estimates for the devices. Here are J.P. Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee's price estimates for the iPhone 17 series in the United States, according to 9to5Mac: Model Starting Price Model Starting Price Change iPhone 16 $799 iPhone 17 ...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case Leak Reveals Three Key Changes

Sunday August 31, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface. The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas. Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

iPhone 17 Pro: 5 Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 1, 2025 4:35 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series this month, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming to...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Coming Next Week: Eight Reasons to Upgrade

Thursday September 4, 2025 7:38 am PDT by
We're only days away from Apple's "Awe dropping" fall event scheduled to take place on Tuesday, September 9 – and along with the new iPhone 17 series, we're going to get a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra for the first time since 2023. By the time the Ultra 3 is unveiled, it will have been two years since the previous model arrived. The intervening period has left plenty of room for...

Top Rated Comments

Eddy Munn Avatar
52 months ago
That's a pretty cool application of the technology. Nice one Apple Music team. ?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexe Avatar
52 months ago

Urgh, just call it what it is - dance music and it's been popular for 40 years.
It's not "dance music". If you have to leave out one of the three words from the acronym EDM, it definitely shouldn't be the word "electronic". If anything, it's "electronic music". The vast majority of all music genres is music intended to "dance" to.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dwalls90 Avatar
52 months ago
If Apple was able to bring mixes to Apple Music while paying artists fairly, using a technology other competitors don't have access to, that would be cool and make me consider moving away from Spotify.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
N1noodle Avatar
52 months ago

Urgh, just call it what it is - dance music and it's been popular for 40 years.
Well no, you can dance to metal or shake your body etc, you dont call that dance music do you?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chucker23n1 Avatar
52 months ago

As long as you're trying to play big picture, why pin the start of it at 1981?
Because the Roland TR-808 didn't exist before 1980.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pauloregan Avatar
52 months ago
I listen to DJ mixes all the time. I was at uni in the 90s. Apple need to improve the access to these. You have to goto browse, scroll all the way down to categories, find DJ Mixes and there you go. Everytime!

Surely there's room for a favourite category option etc.
The above would give more money out then.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)