How to Take Song Requests with Serato DJ (Spotify, Apple Music & TIDAL)
Serato DJ Pro is the most widely used professional DJ software in the world. Here is how to collect song requests from your guests and get them straight into Serato, using BeatTribe and the streaming service of your choice.
One of the biggest advantages of Serato for taking song requests is flexibility. Unlike some DJ software that connects to only one streaming service, Serato DJ Pro supports Spotify, Apple Music, and TIDAL. Since BeatTribe also syncs to all three, you can use whichever service you already subscribe to. Your guests‘ requests flow into a playlist, and that playlist appears right inside Serato.
This guide walks through the complete workflow, the streaming options, and the subscription details for each so you know exactly what you need before your next gig.
How the workflow fits together
The chain is simple once you see it laid out. Your guests submit requests through BeatTribe by scanning a QR code. You approve those requests in your BeatTribe dashboard. BeatTribe syncs the approved requests into a standard playlist in your chosen streaming account — Spotify, Apple Music, or TIDAL. Serato, which connects to all three, shows that playlist in its streaming browser. You load and play the requested tracks directly in Serato.
BeatTribe does not need to integrate with Serato directly. It syncs to your streaming service, and Serato already reads from that service. The streaming platform is the bridge.
Choosing your streaming service
All three of BeatTribe’s sync targets work with Serato. Here is a quick overview of what each needs:
Spotify
The largest catalogue and the service most guests recognise.
Requires Spotify Premium
Apple Music
Officially supported in Serato DJ Pro and Lite. Streams at 256kbps AAC.
Requires an Apple Music subscription
TIDAL
Lossless and hi-res audio, with the largest DJ-focused feature set.
Requires Individual plan + DJ Extension
If you already use one of these for your sets, that is the one to sync BeatTribe to. If you are choosing fresh, Spotify gives you the catalogue your guests are most likely to request from, Apple Music is a smooth official integration, and TIDAL offers the highest audio quality and the deepest DJ features.
Setting up BeatTribe for your event
Create your event
Sign up at beattribe.io and create a new event. Name it, choose a theme, and set up your must-play and do-not-play lists to control what guests can request.
Share your QR code
Display the QR code at the venue or share the link in advance. Guests scan and request from their phone with no app download. The whole process takes them under 20 seconds.
Approve requests
Review each request in your BeatTribe dashboard and approve or skip it. Only approved tracks sync to your playlist, so you stay in full control of what reaches Serato.
Sync to your streaming service
Connect your Spotify, Apple Music, or TIDAL account to BeatTribe and sync. BeatTribe creates a standard playlist in your account with the approved requests.
Enable automatic approval and sync in BeatTribe PRO if you trust your crowd. Approved requests then flow into your streaming playlist automatically, with no manual syncing during the event.
Connecting streaming to Serato
If you have not already linked your streaming service to Serato, the process is the same for all three:
Open the streaming settings
In Serato DJ Pro, go to Setup, then Library and Display, then Music Streaming. Turn on Show Streaming Services.
Choose your service and log in
Select Spotify, Apple Music, or TIDAL, then click to log in. Serato authorises through your browser. Once connected, the service appears in your Serato library panel.
Find your BeatTribe playlist
Expand your streaming service in the Serato library panel. Your playlists appear there, including the one BeatTribe created from your guest requests. Open it and load tracks straight onto a deck.
Organise and manage your streaming playlists from the streaming service’s own app or your browser. The next time you open or refresh Serato, the latest version of the playlist is ready. With BeatTribe automatic sync running, new approved requests appear without any manual work.
Subscription requirements
Each streaming service has its own subscription requirement to play tracks inside Serato. None of these are BeatTribe requirements — they are the streaming services‘ own policies for DJ software, and they apply whether you use BeatTribe or not.
Spotify requires a Spotify Premium subscription. Apple Music requires an active Apple Music subscription. TIDAL requires an Individual plan with the DJ Extension add-on, and note that the TIDAL Family plan does not work for DJ software.
If you already DJ with one of these services in Serato, you are all set and your BeatTribe playlist behaves exactly like any other playlist. If you are setting up streaming for the first time specifically for this workflow, choose the service you are most comfortable subscribing to and factor in its requirement above.
Serato does not allow you to record your sets while DJing with streaming tracks from any of these services. If recording your sets matters to you, you will need local files for those tracks. This is a Serato and streaming licensing limitation, not specific to BeatTribe.
Frequently asked questions
The bottom line
Serato’s support for all three major streaming services makes it one of the most flexible DJ applications for taking song requests. Your guests request songs from their phones, you approve them in BeatTribe, they sync to Spotify, Apple Music, or TIDAL, and the playlist appears right inside Serato ready to play. Pick the streaming service you already use, make sure you have the right subscription tier, and the whole workflow runs smoothly.
For working DJs, this turns guest requests from a booth-crowding distraction into an organised, controllable part of your set that lives right alongside the rest of your music.
Start taking song requests at your next gig
BeatTribe is free to start. Guests scan a QR code — no app needed. Approve requests from your dashboard and sync to Spotify, Apple Music or TIDAL for Serato.