There was a flurry of activity in the space this week, but none are as potentially game-changing as the reveal that DJs on Twitch will have to share their revenue with the music industry. The reveal happened during TweakMusicTips' interview with the CEO, where Clancy went into basic details about the state of DMCA and music on the platform. Twitch originally made deals with parts of the music industry in late 2021 after several waves of DMCA takedowns. However, those potential introductory deals were signed at the height of Twitch's popularity and are likely ending. As such, whatever new deal is coming into effect is no longer financially viable for Twitch (especially considering all the cost-cutting measures). So, they're passing part of the cost onto creators.
Amidst these changes, two crucial questions arise: How will Twitch track this, and what will the financial implications be for DJs? Sources tell me Twitch engineers are developing the tracking system using Audible Magic, a content recognition tool that Twitch already uses for muting audio on VODs. However, the exact cost of this new policy remains a mystery. Will it be a fixed fee per song, or more likely, a percentage of the DJs' total income?
And then, let's ask the elephant-in-the-room question: Will this only impact DJs? From the interview, it was clear that DJs are the target of this. But what constitutes a DJ? Someone putting together a live mix? Or is it someone who plays copyrighted music throughout a large portion of their stream? How it will be defined has significant ramifications. And while I'd like to think the music industry recognizes that live content is different than TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram, I'd be naive to assume they would only want to apply revenue sharing to DJs. But for now, we'll have to wait and see the details for DJs because, as Natasha Bedingfield would sing, "The rest is still unwritten."
Twitch News
- DJs on Twitch will soon need to share part of their revenue with the music industry.
- Twitch is aiming to launch the Warning Tool for moderators in May.
- Mod View launched on iOS mobile devices this week. They are working on an Android version, but there is no timeline for release yet.
- Creators can now set two new goals for Bits or Cheerers. You can set a goal for the number of Bits or the number of unique people who cheer Bits (Cheerers).
- A new experiment introduces a Gift a Sub button beside the Subscribe button.
- Mobile subscriptions and gift subs are getting a visual redesign.
- The Just Catting category, launched as an April Fools prank, is now a permanent Twitch category.
- Mod Appreciation Day was April 11, 2024.
- Stream Display Ads (SDAs) are launching on mobile devices. These non-interruptive ads display multiple times per hour for 30-60 seconds and have been on desktop viewing since 2021.
- Many streamers learned that members of their community were having their subs canceled unexpectedly. After an investigation, Twitch determined it was an isolated situation and that it would restore broken sub streaks.
- Twitch incorrectly notified Twitchcon Rotterdam ticket buyers that they still needed to complete their transaction. More than 24 hours later, Twitch finally emailed those incorrectly notified to put their fears at ease.
- Twitch CEO Dan Clancy has said Front Page carousel viewers are unlikely to be watching the streamer, and most have the audio muted while the video plays in the background.
- TwitchDev has announced that Legacy PubSub will shut down around April 14, 2025. EventSub has reached feature parity.
- EMEA Community Marketing Manager Sarah McCue was featured in Forbes European 30 Under 30 Games.
- Sherwood wrote an opinion piece on Twitch becoming a Spanish language platform.
BEFORE YOU LEAVE: You've read 63.4% of this post! Subscribe for free to unlock the rest, including industry news, game codes, and more!
