I was recently chatting with Mojaxx over at DJcity about the new Numark NS4FX DJ controller – a reasonably well-featured, mid-price ($499) controller for Serato DJ software. His view of it was a bit less rosy than mine, mainly because he pointed out that to upgrade the supplied, cut-down version of Serato to a decent “pro” version costs a full $299 extra.
I was shocked – I hadn’t realised the cost of the software had drifted up so much over the years, and it go me thinking about the “hidden” cost of DJ software, especially from a beginner’s point of view, for whom of course added cost has to be weighed up carefully against reward.
It’s not just Serato. Virtual DJ, for instance, has always been expensive to buy ($299 is its current price, and I think it cost not far off that 10 years ago). It’s not just the price itself, either, but also how you pay: Rekordbox and djay Pro AI are subscription only, and of course some people hate paying subscription for anything.
So in this article, we’ll look at how much you’ll be expected to spend on DJ software over and above the cost of your equipment, how things have changed over the years, and where this may all be going. We’ll also give you tips for making your money go further.
Watch the show
Phil Morse
