DJs who stream on Twitch may soon have to share any money they earn with record labels, according to Twitch CEO Dan Clancy.
Interviewed by channel TweakMusicTips, Clancy revealed that Twitch is close to agreeing a deal where both DJs and Twitch itself will have to share money with labels when music is streamed on monetised channels on the platform.
Twitch will soon require DJs to share part of their revenue with the music industry.
"We're going to have a structure, where we are going to have to share money with the labels, it doesn't come for free… we're going to split whatever the cost is."#TwitchNews #TOSg pic.twitter.com/YndPV8JIcH
— Zach Bussey (@zachbussey) April 10, 2024
How this is going to work is not currently clear, but what is clear is that this new feature will apply only to DJ streams and not to other types of streams – such as general livestreams or videos on demand – which are subject to different copyright rules.
The history of DJ livestreaming and legality
When it comes to live streaming, Twitch has become the preferred platform for DJs, even though there has been little formal talk as to how the record labels are benefiting from any livestreaming happening on the platform. It is the only major platform that has not been aggressive in penalising DJs for streaming on it, notably different to Facebook and Instagram.
Allegedly, the reason for this is that Twitch (which is owned by Amazon) has been quietly paying money to record labels in the background for the use of copyrighted music, and the record labels have tolerated the situation because they have been promised a better solution down the line – It looks like this is that solution.
Read this next: The Ultimate Guide To DJ Livestreaming
While most DJs who stream on Twitch don’t earn any money from it, those who do monetise can at least look forward to clarity on what they can and can’t do on the platform going forward, a development that will lend their preferred streaming channel a legitimacy it hasn’t had until this point.
What about Mixcloud?
Until now, the only platform that has clearly stated that it has all the legal boxes ticked for livestreamers has been Mixcloud. However, it doesn’t have the reach or popularity among DJs that Twitch has achieved without those things.
If Twitch does strike a deal with the record labels, then it will likely become the unassailable leader in DJ livestreaming online. We’ll keep you informed as and when we find out more.
Phil Morse
