Jordan Page, who DJs in New York under the name VeryAdvanced, says he's tried to DJ on Instagram Live once a week since the pandemic began, but has been frustrated by copyright takedowns: "It sucks. It happens at the least convenient times, too." Reginald Sinkler, a veteran New York DJ operating under the monikers P.U.D.G.E. and Pudgemental, agrees: "[Copyright takedowns] affect the flow of your craft, and the efficiency of delivery when you have to stop and restart the live feed and wait for people to join again. It definitely takes away momentum and leads people to move away from your page."

Page is also a stylist and event producer, and says the suspension of nightlife has affected his income and social life. Sinkler, who has been DJing in New York since the mid-90s, and has been trying to livestream approximately every other day. Still, it's hardly profitable. "I've received a few donations or tips from Djing on livestream, but it's not comparable to the amount I can make at gigs," he says.

A spokesperson confirms that Instagram worked closely with DJ D-Nice to ensure that the "Home School" stream went smoothly. But when asked to clarify the normal rules for streaming DJ sets on Live, they say there are a few more limits to what's allowed: "While our partnerships with music rights holders allow people to add music to the moments they share on Facebook and Instagram, music rights are complex, and there are layers to the limitations in how we can allow people to include music in their Live videos."

Without clear guidelines for how to proceed, DJs are left guessing. Are the takedowns algorithmic, or the result of human moderation? If it's an algorithm, what's the best way to fool it? Some believe the takedowns are triggered by the duration that someone plays an individual song.