Laidback Luke at Marmarela in Alicante, Spain on Aug. 25, 2017. (Credit: Rubén Ortega)
With close to 200,000 subscribers and 13.5 million views, Laidback Luke’s YouTube channel is popular in the DJ and producer community. His weekly vlogs, which are both entertaining and insightful, have received praise from fans and DJs alike.
However, Luke recently received some backlash for a tip that he gave in one of his episodes. When answering a viewer’s question about where to get music legally without spending too much money, Luke replied, “a really good hack is good ole’ trusty SoundCloud. There are ways to actually rip tracks from there and save them as an mp3. And then you’re able to play them out.”
The comment didn’t sit well with some people, one which was house DJ/producer Chocolate Puma, who reached out to Luke via Twitter:
we share your view on the art of dj’ing, but isn’t telling dj’s to rip 128kbps files from soundcloud an insult to the art of producing?
— Chocolate Puma (@ChocolatePuma) December 9, 2017
Luke replied:
You’re right, and I guess I’ll need to clarify that in another VLOG. FYI I played rips that sounded amazing on club systems ????
— Laidback Luke (@LaidbackLuke) December 9, 2017
Not one to hold back when it comes to tech issues, DJcityTV’s Mojaxx also weighed in:
@LaidbackLuke I have a lot of respect for you man, but if you’re telling young DJs that playing 128kbps Soundcloud rips is ok, I must fundamentally disagree with you, I’m afraid. https://t.co/VLUtwyfNhZ
— Mojaxx (@MojaxxDJcity) December 9, 2017
Luke responded to Mo as well:
Fair enough. Please look at my thread and you’ll see where I come from. We’re on the dawn of a new era here, the era of streaming. And you’ll hear SC streams in the club as soon as DJ consoles connect to WiFi. It’s modern times.
— Laidback Luke (@LaidbackLuke) December 9, 2017
Then, on Friday, Luke addressed the situation and clarified his comments in his latest vlog. At the end of the episode, he instructed his viewers to check out Mojaxx and DJ TLM‘s respective videos about SoundCloud rips and music rights.
Watch the video below. Shout out to Luke!
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