The impact of the iPod on DJing
When the iPod was launched it changed the way we listen to music, and they way we collect music, the iPod was a ground breaking music storage device and player, created by Apple as part of its ‘digital hub’ category, the iPod was unveiled in October 23 2001, it was immediately apparent that the iPod was breaking new groups for music lovers around the world, the impact was further amplified by Apples characteristically mass appeal advertising and high brow design.
From a DJing perspective, there were already shifts in technology towards CDs from Vinyl, the invention of the iPod extended this evolution, and allowed, new blood, and more music to be carried around. DJing is inherently very resistant to technological changes and even after iPod DJing has started to become popular, some 7 years after the iPod was first launched, there is still a resistance to DJs using the iPod as a DJing device. Strange considering DJing is about the newest music.
The implications of the iPod for DJing has been fantastic, allowing virtually everyone to begin programming playlists using a feature of the iPod to select and queue up songs in playlists. Whilst there were (and still are) some limitations to DJing on an iPod, the iPod has meant that DJs can carry entire catalogs of music in their pocket in a format that is easy to navigate and control, add to this that (especially later generations of) the iPod is very cost efficent, and has its own software, now we see special docks and units specifically designed with DJing on an iPod being created, and whilst these are still costly, prices drop every few months, making the iPod more accessible to a wider audience, the implications are that more new DJs and potential DJing talent now have the means to practice and appreciate DJing, and due to the iPods popularity, the appreciation of DJing and music has also been increase, especially when the iPod has now become a must-have icon.