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Warner Music joins Sony as latest major label to offer legal DJ mixes with Dubset

Warner Music joins Sony as latest major label to offer legal DJ mixes with Dubset

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DJs and producers will be able to use songs from Warner Music artists in recorded sets

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Dubset, the rights clearance startup that helps DJs use licensed songs in their sets or remixes and monetize the content, has inked a deal with Warner Music. Warner Music Group is one of the biggest music labels to sign a deal with Dubset, meaning a large majority of music that DJs want to play — which includes artists like Daft Punk, Bruno Mars, Cardi B, and Migos — is now available to them with full monetization privileges. Essentially, artists using the Dubset platform are legally clear to include songs from Warner’s catalog in full-length mixes, and distribute those mixes to Apple Music and Spotify.

Dubset announced the partnership in a newsletter that was sent out today. “Dubset’s team has worked tirelessly to expand its catalog, giving DJs a broader set of tracks to use in DJ sets that can be distributed to streaming services,” the letter reads. “The licensed songs that DJs can include in their mixes has expanded at a blinding rate due in large part to deals signed with Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and Merlin (also known as the fourth major).”

Sony was the first major label to work with Dubset, partnering with the company in August 2017. Since then, indie distribution label Merlin and Tidal have also made deals with Dubset. Most recently, SoundCloud partnered with Dubset in October 2018 to ensure that its creator user base is able to clear the rights to samples and remixes when they’re uploaded to the site.

“The licensed songs that DJs can include in their mixes has expanded at a blinding rate.”

Universal Music Group is now the only major label to hold out on making a deal with Dubset. But the company has made significant inroads within a few short years, signing up multiple entities on both sides of the aisle. Legitimizing gray area material is proving to be appealing for labels and streaming platforms, as they both benefit from the added exposure and revenue it can provide.

Dubset CEO Stephen White previously told The Verge, “For artists, [this deal] means that the music being used in remixes and mixes is now being properly controlled, properly monetized, and they’re getting fairly compensated for the use of their works.”