In a strategic shift, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy revealed during a recent Q&A session that the platform is negotiating terms with music labels that would require DJ streamers to share a portion of their revenue with record labels, Engadget reports.
The move is part of a broader effort to resolve ongoing copyright issues and prevent DMCA takedown notices that have been a persistent headache for streamers on the Twitch platform.
According to Clancy’s interview with TweakMusicTips, this new revenue-sharing arrangement would not only involve streamers but also see Twitch contributing financially to the labels. The proposal marks an effort on the part of the platform to stabilize the historically turbulent relationship between Twitch and the music industry, which has been fraught with copyright challenges.
The discussion with the labels is a response to the different copyright challenges presented by livestreams versus pre-recorded content. Clancy highlighted the complexity of managing these rights in real-time broadcasts and suggested that DJs may need to self-mute their videos to avoid the possibility of infringement until a more robust system is in place.
Twitch’s proactive approach reflects its acknowledgment of the labels’ growing demands for a more equitable share of the revenue generated from music content. Clancy’s openness about the ongoing negotiations suggests that Twitch is nearing a formal agreement, although he did not specify how the platform plans to monitor compliance or enforce the new rules once they are established.
