Aslice, a Revenue-Sharing Platform for DJs and Producers, Is Shutting Down Its Operations

The revenue-sharing platform Aslice, first released for private beta testing, was established in 2021 by American DJ DVS1 with a clear vision to facilitate fair payments between DJs and producers. The platform operated on a donation-based model, allowing producers to receive a share of the performance fees from DJs who played their music.

Throughout its operation, Aslice was vocal about income inequality and the “fundamentally broken compensation models” in the electronic music industry. For this reason, the company sought to address this issue with a technology-based solution, promoting a more equitable distribution of income between DJs and producers.

Richie Hawtin, one of the producers registered with the platform, praised Aslice’s mission, saying, “Aslice is one of the most important, exciting, and altruistic projects our scene has ever seen! It shines a light on the disparity in economics between producers and DJs and recognizes the intrinsic value music has for every performance. DJs have nothing to say without the music and artists behind it.”

As shown in their report ‘A Slice of Fairness,’ conducted together with Audience Strategies and published ahead of its closure announcement, Aslice managed to collect and re-distribute $422,696 from 935 DJs to 27,395 producers across 57 countries during its nearly four years of existence. In total, the platform processed 85,265 unique tracks from 355,163 reported plays.

Aslice also noted that 29% of the 4,069 registered producers generated money from their work through the platform for the first time in their careers, demonstrating its potential to create new revenue streams. Additionally, 60% of producers reported that their Aslice earnings exceeded those from other, more traditional sources, like sales, streaming, and performance rights.

The company also emphasized the broader potential of its solutions if more high-earning artists adopted it. They highlighted that the top 10 DJs on the platform were responsible for 65% of all earnings distributed.

Finally, the report outlined the challenges and “financial realities” that led to Aslice’s closure. High innovation and operational costs were significant factors, with the company investing approximately $250,000 while generating only $63,404 in revenue over the three years. The report also mentioned industry skepticism and limited uptake by high-profile DJs as other factors hindering the platform’s success. For example, their analysis suggested that if just 40 more DJs at the level of their top 10 users had joined the platform, it would have been financially viable.

The closing of Aslice can be considered a setback for electronic music artists, producers, and all those dedicated to challenging the revenue imbalance in the electronic music industry. However, the company’s in-depth report offers critical insights into the industry's current landscape and Aslice’s achievements. It can thus serve as both an example and a source of inspiration to those committed to finding new solutions to this ongoing issue.

For those who have used Aslice, the company has announced that it no longer accepts playlist submissions from DJs. However, unregistered producers still have until 31 December 2024 to sign up and get verified with Aslice to receive final payouts.

If you’d like to explore the entire report, you can access it on the company’s website.