Image credit: Kadyn Pierce

Twitch have announced new music licensing deals that will correctly pay artists and rightsholders for the music used in DJ livestreams.

Twitch, the hugely popular Amazon-owned live-streaming platform, have revealed great music news. Twitch have announced music licensing deals with all three of the major labels as well as independent licensing agency Merlin.

Thanks to their new deals, Twitch will work to pay out royalties to artists for use of their music in livestreams. The livestreaming platform has become a popular place for musicians, particularly DJs, to go live. The platform plays host to livestreamed DJ mixes all the time. Thanks to the new deal, Twitch will now pay rightsholders for the use of music within DJ streams.

Twitch clarify that the new deals will apply for paying royalties only in live DJ mixes and doesn’t apply to other uses of music on the platform. This also doesn’t include VODs, Clips, and Highlights “because they involve different rights than live-streams,” says CEO Dan Clancy.

Clancy adds that there are more than 15,000 DJs using Twitch to reach audiences. Speaking to DJs directly, he says: “DJs will need to opt-in to a new agreement that will apply to all streaming on their channel. For those who only stream DJ content part-time, we recommend creating a second standalone channel dedicated to DJ live-streaming.”

Before now, DJs have had to livestream their mixes containing copyrighted music at their own risk. They risked their content being taken down with the potential to receive copyright strikes.

In celebration of the new deals, Twitch will launch their Twitch DJ Program later this year. It allows DJs to opt in, marking their content in the category of DJs. Twitch will then “set aside a portion of earnings generated by DJ channels” that will be used to pay rightsholders and the musicians behind the tracks.

However, music that isn’t licensed under the Merlin or the three major labels – Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music – will remain unpaid as of yet. Twitch streamers presumably face the same potential risks from using unlicensed music in their streams as before.