Can you Play Music on Twitch?

Twitch is an American online live streaming app. Twitch is the worlds world’s favorite live streaming app. It was founded in 2011. During the initial days, It was mainly for gaming live streaming, but now any type of content in audio and a videography form can be live-streamed on Twitch. It was not that famous in India, but now in India, it has started gaining popularity. Twitch also provides a platform to earn a livelihood. Many people who stream on Twitch have made it a full-time job.

Twitch provides a comprehensive platform for live streaming. For those who are passionate about games and want to achieve a career in the same field, then Twitch is for you. Though many types of content are shown on Twitch, gaming is the leading one among all, as Twitch has started with gaming streaming. Streamers have also started adding music to their stream to provide a fantastic experience to their viewers. If there are many views and followers on your channel, Twitch will reward you well. You can earn your bread butter through Twitch. After the pandemic, many people started streaming on Twitch. One question always arises can you play music on Twitch. Be it a streamer or a follower; Music is something that enhances the beauty of your video. So, let us let’s see the criteria for playing music on Twitch.

Usually, if you play any music on any such applications like YouTube, Twitch, and others, you get a copyright issue which means you cannot play this music. The same happens on Twitch. If you put any piece in your stream that is not allowed, DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act, a part of the US copyright law) will be takedown. It automatically prevents streamers from using Twitch if they continue to play the music they are not allowed for. Now you must be thinking streamers cannot put music in their streams? No, it is not like this. There are some ways to put music in your streams without any copyright issue and any takedown by DMCA.

How streamers can do so?

1. If the music is produced by you or wholly owned by you, but before streaming, check that you have all the rights to reproduce it if you have record label deals.
2. If music is licensed to you, there is a plan called epidemic soundtrack; if you subscribe to this plan, you get the license to put music on Twitch and YouTube, Instagram, and more. After subscribing to the epidemic soundtrack, you can freely upload whatever music you want without worrying about DMCA.
3. Music provided by Twitch on the soundtrack is also an option in which you can add music. In this, you have limited music available for your streams, and it works only on Twitch but yes soundtrack, also provides music without any copyright issue.

If you use any of the three above options, you can safely upload music to your streams without worrying about DMCA. Some guidelines which we should know about Twitch music are

1. If you upload a piece of music from YouTube in your videos or streams you are not allowed for, they either take down your content or ban your channel for twenty-four hours.
2. If you are playing music with copyright issues in the long term, then your channel may lead to termination.
3. On Twitch, you cannot play music-based content. Like on a gaming stream, if you play, just dance, rock band, and others. It is not allowed as per Twitch guidelines.
4. If streamers use music from Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and many other music services, Twitch will raise the copyright issue as record labels or the artist owns the piece.

Though streamers have subscriptions for those music services, they cannot play music. Many misconceptions are going on in the mind of streamers regarding what and when we can use music in our streams. Many streamers think that buying a CD and mp3 of music gives them the right to upload it, but it does not work that way. If you have created music by yourself, you can only upload music. Buying CDs and mp3 doesn’t don’t give ownership of artists’ music to streamers, and if music is not your own, you cannot upload that music.

Radio-style music program, DJ sessions, karaoke performance, playbacks, Representation of songs, YouTube, Spotify, and other music services. Streamers are not allowed to play music from any of these music services as the DMRC issue is for the song’s ownership, which belongs to the record labels and artists. But you can use the music of these music services, which are copyright free. There are copyright-free playlists also available on these music services. You can use that for the same.

Uploading music to your streams and videos will enhance your content and attract followers. It is a good step towards the growth of your channel. Music is something which everyone likes these days. Take advantage of this to help you to increase views on your videos. Being on Twitch requires a decent number of followers and ideas to get an established channel. Streamers have to use many tips and tricks to gain followers and views on their streams. Including music in the stream is one of those good options which will help you increase views on your stream.

Though Twitch is not giving leverage to play any music in your streams, you still have options available on the twitch music library and other music services that provide copyright-free music. This is how you can play music in your streams without copyright issues. But don’t use any piece that you can penalize, take down, and ban from Twitch. Better to play safe than risky.