It’s always been a bit confusing knowing what music you can broadcast on your Twitch stream without being hit by a copyright strike.
Now, Twitch is making that process a lot simpler with the introduction of its Soundtrack by Twitch feature.
What Is Soundtrack by Twitch?
As announced on the Twitch Blog, Soundtrack by Twitch is a new beta feature that gives streamers a curated collection of rights-cleared music.
The system integrates into streaming software and appears as a separate audio source. Previously, if you broadcast copyright-protected music on your stream, the entire archived recording was at risk of being muted. Keeping the music to a separate source mitigates that concern.
It also means that you can easily switch out the music from the source if you wanted to broadcast or store the stream outside of Twitch.
The music available on Soundtrack by Twitch has been curated by the streaming platform, along with “select streamers and industry partners”. The songs come from music artists and labels who have granted worldwide rights for everyone to hear their songs for free.
Currently, Soundtrack by Twitch is available for OBS Studio 26.0 or later. Twitch Studio and Streamlabs OBS compatibility will be coming soon.
The feature is available to a select group right now, but will roll out to more streamers in the coming weeks. You can register your interest by signing up to the waitlist.
What Music Is Available on Soundtrack by Twitch?
Twitch has partnered with a wide range of label and distribution partners to ensure the music choices span genres.
These include the likes of Empire, Future Classic, SoundCloud, and United Masters, with artists such as Above & Beyond, mxmtoon, Porter Robinson, RAC, SwuM, and more.
If you’re a musician and want your music to be available on Soundtrack by Twitch, visit the support page for more information.
Playing Music on Twitch Is Now Much Easier
The ability to play music on a Twitch stream has always been murky territory. In June 2020, Twitch had to take down a huge number of archived video clips because of DMCA strikes. If streamers receive three strikes then they get banned, though they can contest the decision.
Now, streamers can use Soundtrack by Twitch to take the confusion and fear of being banned away.
If you’re a streamer, you should check out the feature. It’s shaping up to be a great way to build an audience for your channel.