Why We’ve Moved to Subscriptions

Our journey so far

Since the beginning, Algoriddim’s mission has been to make DJing accessible to everyone, anywhere, at any time. When we launched the first version of djay back in 2006, it was completely free as we wanted to remove any barriers whatsoever for casual music listeners to embrace the art of DJing. This had a profound impact on DJing for years to come.

As our user base grew and as users grew with our app, they started to need more advanced features. We listened to our users’ feedback and took djay to retail in 2007 as a $50 purchase available through our online store and as a CD/boxed software in physical stores (djay was originally printed on CDs and sent across the globe... we’ve come a long way!). A considerable number of users of the free version updated right when we announced the $50 upgrade. We were blown away by the loyal support of these early adopters.

Those users helped bootstrap Algoriddim and it has allowed us to continuously improve and expand our app. We have stayed independent ever since, thanks to the millions of djay users around the world who have contributed to the global phenomenon that djay is today.

Why have we made djay free with an optional subscription?

With smartphones and tablets being so ubiquitous now, we want to once again open up DJing to even more people than ever before. We decided to make djay a free download again. Moreover, in the same way that djay made mixing music accessible to the masses, we wanted to do the same for creating music... music production relies on access to an extensive library of content.

For a high quality and seamless experience, we have licensed content from world-class artists and labels. Moving to in-app subscription gives us an easy way to add more packs, more sounds, and more videos in a way that ensures everyone has access to the same downloads without further cost barrier. Djay users pay monthly to access every official download as they’re added.

No more paid upgrades

In the past, we would release one major update every two-to-three years as a paid upgrade or new app. Since the App Store (the main distribution channel to purchase our apps) didn’t provide a way to distinguish between new and existing djay users, there was no way we could reward existing users for their loyalty any more.

While we published constant smaller updates throughout the year, this long release cycle meant we would also have to hold back major features for the next major release, which sometimes resulted in a long wait to include them. With the new subscription model, our team can now focus on making the existing version the best product with every innovation going directly into the product as soon as it’s ready.

Over the years, we have built eight different versions of djay and vjay on the iOS App Store alone, and we couldn’t even offer cross-grade between the apps: djay users had to buy the apps on both iPhone and iPad individually and pay for add-ons such as effects separately. With this new release of djay, we wanted to simplify the process and unify the brand. With the free download, users that choose to subscribe only pay as long as they need to use the app and can be sure that all app features will be the same across all of their iOS devices.

Subscription provides ongoing value

The change to subscriptions allows us to offer a free trial before djay users choose to spend money. In the past, the iOS apps were full price without the option to try them out first. And unlike the traditional model on desktop where you offer demo versions with stripped down functionality (thanks to the old shareware mindset of the 1990s), the free trial implemented as part of the subscription model on the App Store allows you to use the full experience for a full week. It’s the ultimate try before you buy experience!

While the free version offers everything an aspiring DJ needs to get started, power users demand more professional features and content. With a simple in-app purchase via the App Store, all features can be made available instantly. The subscription has no obligation, so djay users can cancel at any time.

The FREE version of djay includes the following features:

• The two-deck Classic Mode, with vinyl control, a mixer, scrolling waveforms, looping, EQ, filter, and five FX
• TIDAL integration, with Playlists, Browse, Match, Search, and more (requires TIDAL Premium or HiFi subscription)
• SoundCloud integration, with Playlists, Browse, Match, Search, and more (requires SoundCloud Go+ subscription)
• iTunes integration, with filtering by Artist, Album, and Genre
• Ableton Link tempo syncing
• Plug & play support for all official djay controllers including their built-in audio interfaces: Reloop Mixon 4, Beatpad 1 & 2, Mixtour, Pioneer DJ DDJ-WeGO 1–4, Pioneer DJ DDJ-200, ION iDJ 2 Go, Numark iDJ Live 1 & 2, Numark Mixdeck Quad

The PRO subscription has all the above, plus:

• Custom playlists, including smart playlist filtering
• 2 decks Pro view: view decks and library side by side
• 4 decks Pro view: mix up to four music tracks at once with full control and library
• Single deck preparation view
• Automix AI: Automatic DJ mixes based on machine learning
• Cutting-edge AI Neural Mix™ technology allowing DJs to instantly isolate beats, instruments, and vocals of any song in real-time
• VJ video mixing view with support for external monitors
• Pre-cueing with headphones
• Advanced MIDI learn system to map each control on users’ hardware individually
• Support for 50 controllers from Pioneer DJ, Reloop, Numark, Denon DJ, and others out-of-the-box
• Support for multi-channel audio interfaces
• Looper music performance mode lets you play up to eight quantized audio and video loops out of a possible 48 loaded
• PLUS, over 1 GB of high quality samples, loops, FX and visuals, with much more added in the future:
  • 30+ Audio FX from Sugar Bytes, including:
    • Space Flanger
    • Stutter Delay
    • Filter Machine
    • Wobble
    • Time Travel
  • 1240+ Audio loops from Loopmasters, including:
    • Ambient house
    • Deep house
    • Analog techno
    • Electro swing
    • Latin house
    • Neuro DnB
    • Retro 80s
    • Trance
  • 300+ Audio samples from Future Loops, including:
    • Chill
    • DJ vocal drops
    • Trap
    • Percussion pack
    • Hip hop vol. 1-4
  • 20+ Video loops from DocOptic, including:
    • Geometric Ride
    • Liquid Moon
    • Party Time
    • Space Clouds
    • Wave Twists

Thank you to our existing djay users

The new version of djay replaces all of our existing iOS apps with a single, unified app on the App Store for new users. However, our existing apps will continue to be available for existing djay users to install.

The team at Algoriddim knows that without our devoted fans and users, we would never have the opportunity to relaunch djay as a free app with all of the extras you can subscribe to.

Existing djay users who have previously purchased djay 2, djay Pro, or vjay on iOS, and who have not upgraded yet using a previous upgrade offer, may be eligible for a special free upgrade offer for the newest version of djay. To ensure you have full access to the latest improvements and features, check out the special offer available on our website.

Have your say

We want to hear any feedback and suggestions you may have about the features and functionality in the new djay PRO, so please don't hesitate to get in touch with us. We hope you enjoy using the new djay as much as we enjoyed making it!