Twitch is launching an official DJ category (2024)

FAQs

Can you legally DJ on Twitch? ›

Thanks to a historic partnership with major labels like Universal, Warner, Sony and hundreds of independent labels, Twitch is proud to be the first major service to provide a long-term home for DJs to legally livestream using the vast majority of popular music.

Twitch works with a third-party service to scan VODs as a proactive way to help broadcasters avoid having videos containing potentially unauthorized audio. If copyrighted audio is detected in a VOD, we automatically mute that portion of the VOD.

Understanding DJ Program Earnings. To cover the music rights costs associated with the Twitch DJ Program, we set aside a portion of earnings generated by your channel to be paid to music companies for the benefit of the musicians they represent. These costs will be a percentage of total revenue.

A subscription to Mixcloud Pro gives you access to Mixcloud Live and unlimited uploads. This means you can upload as many live stream recordings or non-live recordings as you want. By making sure artists are paid, Mixcloud enables DJs and curators to be the best possible version of themselves.

DJing With Spotify For Free: Don't Do This 😠

You really shouldn't download music from Spotify illegally. And there probably isn't any safe way to do it, but I've heard of people trying this method.

One of the ways DJs avoid copyright infringement is by obtaining sync licenses. A sync license allows a DJ to use a copyrighted song in their mixes.

To play music publicly, DJs often need a Public Performance License (PPL) for each piece of copyrighted music they play. These licenses are typically granted by collecting societies like ASCAP or BMI.

It's also important to note that for Twitch in particular, even covers you perform of copyrighted songs are against Twitch's guidelines and rules and could still result in your stream getting banned.

How many DJs are on Twitch? ›

According to Twitch, there are currently “tens of thousands” of DJs on the platform.

A new feature on Twitch will allow DJs to use copyrighted music in streams in exchange for paying a fee to labels and rights-holders, the platform has confirmed.

Estimated income

Getting just five to 10 average viewers per stream can take time, so keep in mind that Twitch may not be the best way to make fast money. However, if your goal is to earn monthly income as a professional gamer, getting started on Twitch is a first step.

The Twitch DJ Program lets you stream DJ sets using the vast majority of popular music. A searchable catalog constantly updated with new releases means you'll be able to view the millions of tracks that are covered to stream as a part of this program as a part of Twitch's deals with music rights holders.

Yes, you can use copyrighted music on Twitch, BUT only if you have legal permission to do so. Otherwise, no, according to Twitch's terms, you are not allowed to play copyrighted music on your stream. Legally using copyrighted music is not as simple as crediting the original artist or copyright owners.

Smoking a cigarette or vape while on stream wouldn't require a label, but intentionally drawing attention to the fact that you're smoking, or promoting smoking would need a label.

NCS is a copyright-free record label that covers unlimited channels across various services, including Twitch. Thousands of songs are available, across various moods and genres. Use NCS music in your live streams and VODs.