Twitch unveils agreement with National Music Publishers’ Association

Twitch announced today that it’s looking to de-escalate music rights issues on its platform by teaming up with the National Music Publishers’ Association.

In a statement released today, both parties jointly said they’ll “work together to build productive partnerships” between publishers and Twitch.

The actual substance of the agreement seemed to be rather lacking, though. This agreement won’t change the way that streamers have to deal with DMCA notices and other copyright issues. 

Instead, Twitch is offering music publishers the ability to opt into a deal that still protects their music rights but seems to be less punishing for streams who might accidentally play copyrighted music.

While streamers still won’t be able to use copyrighted music in their broadcasts, this agreement could lay a foundation for deals with music publishers in the future that would give streamers some licensing for music on Twitch.

“We are pleased to reach this agreement with the NMPA and excited about our shared commitment to empowering songwriters and other creators to share their work and passions while connecting with audiences,” Twitch head of music Tracy Chan said. “That’s what Twitch is all about, and we know that great music starts with a great song. We look forward to innovative collaborations that further unlock the incredible potential of our service and our community for music publishers and their songwriter partners.”

Twitch will also provide “new opportunities” to publishers that will bring “future collaborations” between the music industry and Twitch, according to the statement. But specific details of any collaborative efforts were not disclosed.