When one door closes, another opens. 

For the longest time, streamers on Twitch have been dealing with the risk of getting their VODs (Video on Demand) muted when playing copyrighted music. With the launch of Soundtrack, this may no longer be a problem for streamers, and may even provide an additional boost for artists and labels. 

Introducing Soundtrack by Twitch (Beta), a rights cleared music tool designed specifically for Twitch creators.

Stream worry free with our highly curated music library, rolling out starting today.

Join the Soundtrack (Beta) waitlist: https://t.co/OoOe71phmp pic.twitter.com/DqlzcU3Y6o

— Twitch (@Twitch) September 30, 2020

The new tool released today allows creators to play licensed music when broadcasting live. Streamers will then have access to numerous playlists and stations categorised by genre, and when played, streams on a separate audio channel rather than with the live stream itself. In other words, it’s an application on its own, so Twitch can remove the music when necessary.

Soundtrack is a game-changer as many creators on Twitch have been running into copyright issues due to playing licensed music on stream. This runs the risk of getting their archives muted, or worse, a copyright strike that may lead to a permanent ban on multiple violations.

Though Twitch is largely popular among gamers, other content like digital live shows and DJ sets fall under the umbrella. Musicians like Mike Shinoda, Shura, Bohan Phoenix, and more have been highly active on Twitch to create music and interact with their fans.

Are you a musician, label, or publisher?

Visit our help page to learn how you can get your music in Soundtrack: https://t.co/jFKvRzqyDU pic.twitter.com/0KtAWp6nGd

— Twitch (@Twitch) September 30, 2020

While it’s still in Beta, Soundtrack currently has a pool of independent artists and labels they’ve featured in their playlists, including the likes of Porter Robinson, RAC, Flume; and Monstercat, Distrokid and SoundCloud. As the application links to the artist’s pages, like Spotify, this could be a new platform for the Twitch audience to discover new artists, and vice versa. The playlists will be updated regularly and will continue to feature an even wider selection over time. 

These are the Soundtrack by Twitch (Beta) Label & Distribution Partners so far. More details on how to submit your music whether you're a musician, label or distributor can be found here: https://t.co/AFXaZ7qapm pic.twitter.com/heGuwKX9Ha

— athena یاس (@athenakoumis) September 30, 2020

One of my favorite parts about this is the track promotion feature. When a streamer uses Soundtrack by Twitch on their channel, if viewers like what they hear they can find out the track ID & get links to the track off platform! See it live in action on https://t.co/6UWNJCNN2k https://t.co/p5I65Ll1OC

— athena یاس (@athenakoumis) September 30, 2020

Twitch Soundtrack is comptaible with OBS Studio v.26.0 or later, with Twitch Studio and Streamlabs OBS compatibility coming soon.

If you’re a streamer, join the waitlist here. If you’re an artist, learn how to submit your music here.