Pioneer DJ's latest controller is a preview of DJing's streaming future

The DDJ-200 works with SoundCloud Go+ and Beatport’s new LINK service.

Pioneer DJ’s latest controller is an affordable, entry-level device made for playing streaming music directly from a smartphone.

Although the $149 DDJ-200 can connect to a laptop and use downloaded files in the traditional manner, using a phone and Pioneer DJ’s WeDJ app will allow you to play a set using DJ-friendly streaming services SoundCloud Go+ and Beatport LINK. If you have Algoriddim’s djay iOS app, you can mix tracks from a Spotify Premium account or Deezer, if you use MWM SAS’s edjing Mix for iOS and Android.

The DDJ-200 is the latest development in the DJ industry’s push towards a streaming future, and arrives alongside Beatport’s announcement of LINK, a new subscription service for DJs that provides unlimited access to its seven million tracks. Although LINK is currently only accessible through WeDJ, integration with Pioneer DJ’s pro-focused Rekordbox software is coming in fall 2019.

While the DDJ-200 is one of the first controllers to market itself as made for streaming apps, SoundCloud has also partnered with Serato, Native Instruments, Virtual DJ and Mixvibes to bring streaming music to their platforms. Serato DJ will even let you stream tracks from Tidal in your sets. Spotify integration however, is limited to Algoriddim’s djay.

Pioneer DJ’s new focus on streaming is likely to upset digital traditionalists, who prefer the feel of plugging a USB drive full of WAVs into a CDJ. However, the future of the locally stored digital music file is uncertain. Rumors have circulated for years that Apple will eventually stop selling iTunes downloads, and Beatport’s launch of LINK suggests that dance music MP3s could go the same way. If so, Pioneer DJ’s new controller is a preview of where DJing is headed over the next decade.

The DDJ-200 is available now for $149/£139.