On October 13, 2026, AlphaTheta, the company behind rekordbox and Pioneer DJ, launched Studio Plan: a subscription to Bitwig Studio Essentials, a music production app that can open the tracks in your rekordbox library. It costs $7 (€7) a month or $72 (€72) a year after a 30-day free trial, and it is separate from the rekordbox DJ plans. Bitwig announced the matching update, Bitwig Studio 6.1.4, the same day.
What Studio Plan gives you
Studio Plan is a DAW (digital audio workstation, the software producers use to build and edit tracks): Bitwig Studio Essentials, the entry-level edition of Bitwig Studio. You activate it with a new app, Studio License Manager, using an AlphaTheta account and a Bitwig account. One subscription covers up to three Mac or Windows computers. The download for Windows PCs with ARM chips is planned for early 2027.
Studio Plan and the rekordbox DJ plans are separate subscriptions: neither includes the other, and canceling one does not cancel the other. The trial does not turn into a paid plan on its own: AlphaTheta's terms say you are only charged if you sign up after it. Afterwards, Bitwig's free demo mode stays available with limited features.
How the rekordbox link works
With rekordbox 6 or later installed, your library appears in Bitwig's browser, where you can filter by artist, genre or playlist. Open a track and Bitwig creates a new project at the track's tempo and key. Your hot cues show up as markers, and you can cut the track into clips along rekordbox's song structure (phrase) analysis or your own cues. Vocal positions appear as placeholder clips, and the beatgrid comes across too, including grids you fixed by hand.
Tracks from streaming services and intelligent playlists do not appear in Bitwig, so you need the actual files. Digital DJ Tips describes the link as one-way: Bitwig reads your rekordbox data. Stem separation (splitting a track into vocals, drums, bass and the rest, see our stems guide) is promised but not there yet. AlphaTheta says it "will be added in a future update", and Bitwig said on October 13 that it comes to all editions "this winter".
The link is not exclusive to Studio Plan. Anyone with Bitwig Studio, Producer or Essentials and an active upgrade plan gets it in version 6.1.4. Bitwig also sells Essentials outright for $99 (€99), with 12 months of free updates.
Studio Plan next to the rekordbox plans
Here is how the new plan sits next to the four rekordbox DJ plans on AlphaTheta's plan page. Each DJ plan includes everything in the cheaper ones.
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | Main additions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 / €0 | $0 / €0 | Library tools, streaming services and stems; DJ gear only if it unlocks rekordbox (Hardware Unlock) |
| Core | $12 / €12 | $120 / €120 | Any supported DJ gear, DVS (control with timecode vinyl), mix recording, DJM-type effects |
| Creative | $18 / €18 | $180 / €180 | Video, RMX effects, sampler sequencer, saving edited tracks, cloud library sync |
| Professional | $36 / €36 | $360 / €360 | 5TB of Dropbox storage, collaborative playlists, library sync on 8 devices |
| Studio Plan | $7 / €7 | $72 / €72 | Bitwig Studio Essentials with the rekordbox library link, no DJ features |
Prices checked October 2026. Yearly prices are billed once a year. A Cloud Option add-on with 1TB of Dropbox storage costs extra on Free, Core and Creative.
Spotify on XDJ units, SoundSwitch lights and more
Version 7.2.18 (August 18, 2026) lets you sign in to Spotify on compatible CDJ, XDJ and all-in-one units through rekordbox, once the unit runs the latest firmware. The release notes do not list models, but the firmware notes we checked name two: the XDJ-AN (firmware 1.20, August 18) and the XDJ-AZ (firmware 2.00, October 6) now play Spotify through Streaming Direct Play, which streams tracks on the unit itself. The CDJ-3000X firmware history, up to version 1.41 (September 29), does not mention Spotify.
rekordbox's streaming FAQ ties Spotify to a Premium subscription and says Spotify tracks cannot be stored offline, so you need an internet connection. Spotify tracks now appear in Export mode (where you prepare music for DJ gear), but they still cannot be loaded on a player through a USB export or LINK Export, and rekordbox cannot record a mix or make stems with them. If you play from USB sticks, see our laptop or USB stick guide.
Version 7.2.19 (September 24, 2026) added SoundSwitch, the lighting software from inMusic. SoundSwitch can analyze your rekordbox library and script a light show for every track, for professional DMX lighting or smart bulbs such as Philips Hue and Nanoleaf. It needs a rekordbox Creative or Professional plan plus a separate SoundSwitch license, and DMX lights need an interface.
Earlier, version 7.2.16 (July 9, 2026) added support for the CDJ-1500X and XDJ-AN, wireless turntable control with Phase, Spotify tracks in your Collection and in Automix, and AI vocal detection on every plan. It also dropped Beatsource, which has been integrated into Beatport. Apple Music users need to update: from April 1, 2027, AlphaTheta says Apple Music tracks will stop loading on rekordbox older than 7.2.0, the mobile app older than 4.5.4, and XDJ-AZ or OMNIS-DUO units without firmware 2.00.
What people said
AlphaTheta pitches the plan at DJs who want to make their own edits, remixes and tracks, saying the cost of DAW software and the complexity of production "have traditionally been barriers to getting started". Bitwig wrote that its goal with AlphaTheta was "to bring together DJing and music production workflows". Digital DJ Tips was cooler, opening its first thoughts with "Yet another subscription from AlphaTheta!" and calling Studio Plan "a straight rental".
Serato took a different route. In May 2026, it added its own DAW, Serato Studio, to its Serato DJ Suite bundle ($14.99 a month or $499 to buy); it shares your Serato DJ library, crates and cues.
What it means for DJs
If you have always wanted to make your own edits, this is a low-cost way to start with music you already know: a longer intro that is easier to mix, a shorter version for a busy night, or a bootleg with new drums under a vocal you love. Your rekordbox tempo, key and cues come with the track, and the 30-day trial costs nothing.
Before you pay, weigh the catch. Streaming tracks will not open, and stem separation, which AlphaTheta itself pitches for remixes, is not there yet. It is also one more subscription: two years cost $144, while buying Essentials from Bitwig costs $99 once. If you already make music in another DAW, you can keep editing there. And an edit does not change who owns a track: AlphaTheta and Bitwig both note that, except for personal use, copyrighted music may not be used without the rights holder's permission. Read do DJs need a license before you play out or upload an edit.
Still deciding where your library should live? Our DJ software comparison puts the main apps side by side.
Sources: rekordbox (Studio Plan announcement), rekordbox (Studio Plan page), Bitwig, rekordbox 7.2.18 release notes, Digital DJ Tips, MusicTech.