Twitch's New DJ Program Breaks Barriers, Raises Royalty Questions

Twitch is making waves in the music world with its newly announced DJ Program, giving DJs a legal avenue to livestream mainstream music for the first time. This initiative is backed by groundbreaking licensing deals with major music labels including Universal Music Group, Sony Music, Warner Music Group, and the independent rights agency Merlin. With these agreements in place, Twitch is positioning itself as a major player in the music space, offering DJs a safe, long-term platform to perform live sets without worrying about copyright strikes or DMCA takedowns.

“This announcement is a huge step forward for DJs who want to share their music online. Twitch helping solve this problem shows how much potential there is, and how important DJs are to the Twitch community,” said Steve Aoki, an internationally renowned DJ and producer.

The DJ Program will allow DJs to stream the "vast majority of popular music" within a new DJ category, marking a significant shift from the historical challenges that DJs have faced in streaming their performances online. Previously, DJs risked receiving takedown notices or penalties, making it difficult to share their art in a legal, sustainable way. As part of the program, Twitch will absorb some of the costs of licensing the music, though DJs will see a revenue cut of around 30%, which will be allocated to music rights holders.

Multi-platinum producer Damion "Damizza" Young, who has long advocated for artists' rights on and off social media, expressed both excitement and caution about the new deal. "I'm glad people will be able to DJ live on a platform and be able to break music," he said. "But how will the royalties work? We're still figuring out those things because if Sony, Universal, and Warner did a deal with Twitch for royalties, what portion is going to go to the artist? But I'm glad DJs have an outlet—DJs are what break artists, they've always been the ones who break new music. I'm happy for the DJs, but for the artists, we still don't know." He also pointed out that there are about 15,000 DJs currently streaming on Twitch, highlighting the significance of this move for Twitch's creative community.

“As the architect and godfather of DJ culture, it’s incredible to see a platform create a program that empowers DJs to experiment with their craft, build community, and expose fans to music from all genres and time periods,” said Grandmaster Flash, a pioneer of DJ culture and a vocal supporter of the initiative.

Twitch CEO Dan Clancy underscored the importance of creating a viable future for DJs on the platform. "The status quo on Twitch was not sustainable, and any viable future for the community required us to find a solution," Clancy said. He emphasized that without this program, DJs faced serious risks of copyright penalties, which could have restricted their ability to stream entirely. The new partnership ensures that both DJs and musicians can benefit, though details about how much revenue will make its way to individual artists are still being worked out.

While many DJs and Twitch users are celebrating this move, questions remain about how royalties will be divided and whether the deal will truly benefit musicians as much as it benefits the DJs streaming on the platform. For now, the program represents a major step forward for DJ culture, which has long struggled to find its place in the streaming age, especially with the complexities of copyright laws. As the program rolls out, DJs are being offered an initial subsidy from Twitch to help cover costs, but the industry will be watching closely to see how this revenue-sharing experiment unfolds.

Photo Credit: DJ Jazzy Jeff, twitch.TV