Aslice, the platform launched in 2022 to facilitate the sharing of DJs’ booking fees with the producers of the music they were playing, has announced its closure.
Confirming the news in a social media post today (September 3), the team behind Aslice thanked “friends, DJs, producers, partners and advisors” who used and were involved with the platform for showing that “a better future is possible through collective action”.
Aslice was launched by the US techno DJ DVS1, real name Zak Khutoretsky, and operated a donation-based system which saw DJs pledge a percentage of their booking fee to the producers whose music they played in their club and festival sets. Around 7,400 playlists have been shared by just under 1,000 DJs since the platform was set up, leading to the distribution of more than $422,000 of their earnings with over 27,000 music producers.
As part of its winding down process, Aslice underwent an external review carried out by data analysis firm Audience Strategies. Its report, titled ‘A Slice Of Fairness’, pointed to the “financial sustainability challenges” that come with running a company like Aslice and have ultimately led to its closure. Annual operational costs were estimated at around $250,000, while the company itself only made $63,000 while in business.
Barker, the producer whose music has appeared on Ostgut Ton and Smalltown Supersound in recent years, said in an Instagram post: “Aslice, the last hope for dance music producers in this comically unfair economy, is closing. To say I’m disappointed is an understatement.
“I’m also angry. The reason it’s ceasing operations is because many of the highest paid DJs in the world decided not to contribute. DJs earning eye-watering sums for a gig, sometimes thousands each time they press play, seemingly took no interest in supporting those making the music. It really couldn’t have been made any easier for you people.”
