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Harry asked: “What about all these people who are DJs and they want to be able to do an online radio show in the future? How in the world are they going to be able to do that? Are they going to be able to buy songs on iTunes or someplace and be able to do that? I don’t know how you would do that if you were using Amazon Prime or whatever. Because that’s just playing music, not storing it on your computer for doing DJ shows. Anyone have any ideas?”
Harry, future DJs will probably buy MP3s, there’s iTunes like you said, but Amazon, and Google also sell them, as well as plenty of specialized independent companies like Nugs.net for live shows.
They could also just stream the music from their computers, if they’re streaming shows, they probably trust their bandwidth.
There are some legal issues too, streaming services probably ban commercial use as part of their licenses, but any streaming DJ with good listenership will probably have to pay for an umbrella license to stay legal and not get sued, so that may supersede the streaming license, the DJ would have to talk someone well versed in the legalities of the music world to be on the safe side.
There are some legal issues too
The other thing we shouldn’t overlook is that, for now, aspiring online DJs can buy CDs, they’re getting harder to find, but they’re available online.
Harry, Here’s how setting up online stations works today: With few exceptions (like when Apple Beats 1 is live), most online radio stations are voicetracked. The DJ sits in her studio recording only the intros and segues between songs. They can hammer out a four hour show in about one hour if they’re a pro. Next, automation software — you might think of it like iTunes for broadcasters — plays these voicetrack files before, after, and sometimes over the music scheduled for the show. It all sounds live, but isn’t, and doesn’t require any human intervention. Or CDs. Or playing mp3s. The biggest hurdle, Harry, is not a technical one: it’s managing all of the licensing fees involved. That’s a whole other show.