Twitch will first warn streamers who play music about removal

Twitch will warn users who play licensed music during a live stream without permission before the platform removes videos. To be able to do this, the platform will set up a new process with which rightholders can report infringements.

The live streaming service says in an email to streamers that the new process will be “more flexible and forgivable” with streamers who accidentally or unknowingly use licensed music in their streams. Twitch has no agreement with record labels for the use of music in streams on the platform; the service believes that streamers should arrange this themselves.

The use of music on the platform is therefore not allowed. A year ago, streamers reported a significant increase in the number of background music take-down requests. Under the new procedure, these users would therefore first receive a warning. There are exceptions. For example, Twitch can still decide to remove videos if it turns out that a user uses licensed music more often, or if the stream simply consists of music.

The new infringement lawsuit is part of an agreement between Twitch and the American Association of National Music Publishers NMPA. Furthermore, the parties have not disclosed much about the content of the agreement. In this press release, the two parties clarify that the aforementioned infringement procedure will be an opt-in for music rights holders. Those rights holders can still choose to send a classic DMCA request, after which Twitch will immediately take a video offline without warning.

In addition, the two parties indicate that the agreement paves the way for new revenue models in gaming, streaming and music. Billboard writes, based on anonymous sources, that as part of the agreement, Twitch will pay the record labels an undisclosed amount for previously unauthorized music use. In addition, the two organizations want to discuss how music on the streaming platform can still be used in the coming period.