By Mia Sato , platforms and communities reporter with five years of experience covering the companies that shape technology and the people who use

Twitch announces a program allowing DJs to split revenue with record labels

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2024-06-06 17:30:16

By Mia Sato , platforms and communities reporter with five years of experience covering the companies that shape technology and the people who use their tools.

Livestreaming platform Twitch announced a new program aimed at DJs today that will allow creators to use copyrighted music in their streams by paying a fee.

Twitch signed deals with major record labels like Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music as well as “hundreds” of independent labels, the company says. CEO Dan Clancy hinted in April that the company was working on building an official system for DJs.

In order to cover the cost of the rights, streamers will pay a percentage of their earnings from a stream to rights holders. The percentage, which Twitch hasn’t shared publicly, will vary slightly depending on which monetization methods streamers use. They’ll share that cost with Twitch in a 50 / 50 split, though Twitch says that, initially, it will cover “more of the cost.” Some DJs will have access to a one-year subsidy paid for by the platform that covers the difference between their earnings and money paid to labels and artists. DJs who aren’t monetizing on Twitch won’t be required to pay fees.

“DJs often build upon and leverage pre-recorded music from other artists as a critical part of their creative expression,” the company wrote in a blog post. “However, when streaming pre-recorded music over the internet, there are a variety of copyright issues that need to be considered that vary across regions.”