How to Take Song Requests with Virtual DJ (Using BeatTribe and TIDAL)
Virtual DJ is one of the most popular DJ applications in the world, especially among mobile and wedding DJs. Here is how to take song requests from your guests and get them straight into your Virtual DJ setup, using BeatTribe and TIDAL.
Taking song requests at a live event has always been a bit awkward. Guests crowd the booth, shout titles you cannot hear over the music, and you lose your focus on the mix. A digital request system solves that, but most of them stop at collecting the requests. The real question for a working DJ is: how do those requests actually get into the software I am performing with?
For Virtual DJ users, there is a clean answer. This guide walks through the complete workflow, including the one subscription detail that trips up a lot of DJs the first time they try it.
How the workflow fits together
Before the steps, it helps to understand the full chain so you know what is happening at each stage:
Your guests submit song requests through BeatTribe by scanning a QR code. You review and approve those requests in your BeatTribe dashboard. BeatTribe syncs the approved requests into a standard playlist in your own TIDAL account. Virtual DJ, which connects natively to TIDAL, shows that playlist in its online music browser. You load and play the requested tracks directly from within Virtual DJ.
The key insight is that BeatTribe does not need to integrate directly with Virtual DJ. It syncs to TIDAL, and Virtual DJ already connects to TIDAL. TIDAL is the bridge between your guests‘ requests and your DJ software.
Setting up BeatTribe for your event
Create your event
Sign up at beattribe.io and create a new event. Give it a name, choose a theme, and set up your must-play and do-not-play lists if you want to keep certain tracks in or out before guests start requesting.
Share your QR code
Display the QR code at the venue — on tables, a sign near the booth, or a screen. Guests scan it and submit requests from their phone with no app download required. You can also share the link in advance so guests request before the event.
Review requests in your dashboard
As requests come in, approve or skip each one from your BeatTribe dashboard. Only approved tracks make it into the synced playlist, so you keep full control over what reaches your decks.
Syncing requests to TIDAL
Once you have approved requests coming in, connect your TIDAL account to BeatTribe and sync. BeatTribe creates a standard playlist inside your own TIDAL account containing the approved requests. This is a normal TIDAL playlist — nothing proprietary — which is exactly why Virtual DJ can read it.
Turn on automatic approval and sync in BeatTribe PRO if you trust your crowd. Approved requests then flow into your TIDAL playlist automatically as they come in, with no manual syncing needed during the event.
Connecting TIDAL to Virtual DJ
If you have not already linked TIDAL to Virtual DJ, it takes about a minute:
Open the online music browser
In Virtual DJ, look at the folder list on the left side. Find the Online Music section near the bottom.
Select TIDAL and log in
Click Online Music, then TIDAL. Log in with your TIDAL account credentials. Virtual DJ will authorise through your browser.
Find your BeatTribe playlist
Once connected, all your TIDAL playlists appear inside Virtual DJ — including the one BeatTribe created from your guest requests. Open it and your approved requests are ready to load onto a deck.
The TIDAL subscription requirement (important)
This is the part that catches a lot of DJs out, so it is worth being clear about. Connecting TIDAL to Virtual DJ and seeing your playlists is one thing. Actually loading and playing the tracks requires the right TIDAL subscription.
Since 2024, TIDAL requires a DJ extension on top of an individual subscription in order to work with DJ software. Without it, your playlists will appear in Virtual DJ, but when you try to load a track onto a deck you will get an error rather than music.
First, the TIDAL DJ extension requires an individual TIDAL subscription. It does not work with the TIDAL Family plan. Second, a free trial or basic tier will not allow playback in DJ software. You need the individual plan with the DJ extension active.
This is a TIDAL policy that applies to all DJ software, not something specific to Virtual DJ or BeatTribe. The same requirement applies whether you are using Serato, rekordbox, or djay. If you are already using TIDAL in Virtual DJ for your regular sets, you are all set and your BeatTribe playlist will work exactly like any other TIDAL playlist. If you are setting up TIDAL for the first time specifically for this workflow, factor the DJ extension into your plan.
Troubleshooting the most common error
„Download error: requested quality is not allowed in user’s subscription“
This is by far the most common error DJs hit, and it almost always comes down to the subscription requirement above. If you see it:
Confirm you have the TIDAL DJ extension
Check that your TIDAL plan is an individual subscription with the DJ extension active. This is the most frequent cause. The Family plan specifically will not work for DJ software playback.
Sign out and back in within Virtual DJ
Right-click the TIDAL folder in Virtual DJ, sign out, then sign back in and let it re-authorise through your browser. Several DJs report this clears the error when the subscription is correct but the session has gone stale.
Make sure Virtual DJ is up to date
Streaming integrations change over time as the services update their requirements. Running the latest version of Virtual DJ avoids issues caused by outdated streaming handling.
Occasionally an individual track has a licensing or availability issue on TIDAL rather than a subscription problem. If everything else plays but one track does not, try removing and re-adding it, or find an alternative version of the same song.
Frequently asked questions
The bottom line
Virtual DJ and BeatTribe work well together through TIDAL. Your guests request songs from their phones, you approve them, they sync to a TIDAL playlist, and that playlist appears right inside Virtual DJ ready to play. The one thing to get right is your TIDAL subscription — an individual plan with the DJ extension — and once that is sorted, the whole workflow is smooth and reliable.
For mobile and wedding DJs especially, 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 TIDAL, Spotify or Apple Music for your DJ software.