NMPA CEO: Twitch Harms Everyone By Refusing to License Music (Guest Column)Īmazon-owned Twitch has operated under the DMCA for years without backlash, but ever since the pandemic turned the music industry’s attention to Twitch for livestreaming concerts, spurring huge growth for the platform, music trade organizations like the NMPA and RIAA have accused Twitch of taking advantage of the DMCA to avoid paying for music - similar to the way the organizations have pressured TikTok, Facebook and YouTube to sign licensing deals in the past. When Twitch users stream music in their videos, Twitch technically has no liability for any resulting copyright infringement as long as it responds to rights holders’ takedown requests, per the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and its “safe harbor” provision for platforms which host user-uploaded content. Twitch has deals with performing rights organizations including ASCAP and BMI, but it does not have music licensing deals with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group or any of their respective publishing companies. The two parties have come to an agreement in principle, although nothing binding has been signed, according to a source familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Another source in the publishing industry says that a deal may be announced next week, but that it has not yet been signed.
If Twitch would have simply advertised Monstercat as a solution to get around DMCA, without selling Affiliate, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.Twitch and the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) are close to signing a music licensing agreement, multiple sources tell Billboard, potentially ending an arduous, year-long stalemate between the livestreaming platform and publishing organization. It already feels stressful and frustrating to climb the Affiliate hurdle, but this Monstercat and Twitch partnership just feels hollow. Maybe this is Twitch’s way of leaning into that but I have to say, that’s not the play to make. Twitch Affiliate has felt like it has lost value over the years anyway. That’s the big problem, is that it completely devalues all the work streamers are doing to try and grow. They could have made some kind of deal with Twitch without selling Affiliate slots, we think. The Monstercat Gold service was already in existence before Twitch affiliate came into play. Now, being able to spend five bucks to have no fear of DMCA strikes? That’s wonderful.īut it was couched in language to let people buy into Twitch Affiliate status, and that’s where the problem lies. We don’t know where this will go in a year. Sure, Twitch isn’t likely to suddenly start letting people buy into Partner, but they can sure buy into Affiliate. It feels like a sort of slippery slope, though I’m reluctant to use that metaphor. I don’t see it as a way to make a living, but something fun to do in downtime.Īpparently, Monstercat took down the “you’re one step closer” part, but it was there in the first place. Sure, they hit Affiliate pretty quickly, but it all plateaued out, and the “75 viewer” average feels all about impossible.
How can you tell a streamer who has 0-5 viewers max that they’re another step closer to monetizing Twitch and making it their livelihood? As a point of reference, this writer has been streaming on Twitch for about four/five years.
Not everyone had that struggle, unfortunately. It makes virtually any streamer that had to put in any work to grind out that step feel worthless. There are people who spend years grinding for Affiliate on Twitch, and now you can buy it through Monstercat for five bucks? That’s really unfortunate. ? /4Gaw3ExHmj- Monstercat November 17, 2020 Monstercat and are teaming up to bring fast-track Affiliate Status for #MonstercatGold subscribers! Gold provides 1000s of songs to use in your livestreams, and as an Affiliate, Twitch unlocks monetization tools for your channel!