Digital DJ Licensing - Reasons For Licensing

Reasons For Licensing

The license usually has two separate functions: To allow a DJ to copy and digitize music from other sources to a computer's hard drive, and to allow playing of music bought from an online music store. In the first case, a license is needed because a copy of the original recording is used, and in the second, because the copyright collecting agencies of the countries which require licensing hold, that music bought from online music stores such as iTunes or Beatport requires additional licensing before it can be played publicly, thus making downloaded music not comparable to cds and vinyl, which do not require an additional license on the DJ's part to played, as the venue where the music is played usually pays for a music license which allows recorded music to be played. The reasoning for this is that music from online music stores is usually licensed solely for private use.

The licensing systems are emerging since DJs have started to transfer their music collections on to laptops for use with vinyl emulation software or other DJing tools for various reasons, including reducing the amount of baggage, ease of searching, and the ability to have a much larger collection available than what would be practical if the music was stored on a larger physical media; and because the copyright laws in some countries do not permit the professional and/or public use of copies, even if copied from legitimate sources.