As lockdown makes Twitch one of the most popular sites in the world, their new hire will help broaden their horizons.

Twitch have announced that Tracy Chan will be joining their team as the head of their Product and Engineering in Music. He joins the team from a 4 year stint at Spotify where he directed their Product Management. With a strong history in digital music he’s hoping to bolster Twitch’s possibilities, particularly in these unprecedented times.

The live-streaming website has seen a boom with the COVID lockdown being enforced the world around. People are flocking to websites and live-streams have become the ideal solution for personalities to reach out, chat with fans, and – in the case of musicians – provides a new platform to perform.

With live events cancelled for the months ahead musicians have been looking to new ways to reach their fans whether for income that they no longer earn or just to connect with their fans around the world. Twitch has become a favoured platform, allowing artists to hop on, share the link with fans, and play live from their home.

It’s the perfect time for Chan, and his expertise in developing platforms for creators and tools for them to track performance, to help Twitch to enhance it’s platform with artists in mind. He was a leading figure behind the hugely popular Spotify for Artists and Spotify Analytics platforms for artists on Spotify.

Chan will work with Twitch’s head of music, Mike Olson, to evolve the possibilities for artists and fans. Twitch hope that his skill set can be used to connect fans with the musicians they love in more intimate and unique ways.

Twitch has been a favoured platform for artists to livestream, over other options like Instagram and YouTube. Artists have cited that Twitch makes it easier for them to earn to make money, largely thanks to recent updates to their platform to help streamers do just that.

Chan said in a statement: “I have spent my career building Creator tools and I believe there is a massive opportunity to help artists connect with their fans through virtual performances and live streaming, which is what led me to Twitch. Across the board, and especially at this moment in time, we are seeing disruption in the music industry as artists are having to find new ways to both make money and interact with fans.

“As Twitch looks to expand its offerings for music creators and within the music industry as a whole, I am confident that together with the team, we will be able to build the necessary tools to support artists now and as they continue to explore their new virtual stage.”