Twitch Reaches Partnership With Music Publishers

Twitch Reaches Partnership -- Not A Licensing Deal -- With Music Publishers
Four Color Zack performing on Twitch.

After a year wherein numerous independent creatives employed as DJs struggled then learned how to adapt their skills to streaming platforms, Twitch — one of the most popular of platforms for disc jockeys to continue to play as well as earn sustainable incomes — has partnered with the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) on a long-awaited agreement focused on building “productive partnerships” between the livestreaming service and publishing organization, according to a press release announcement.

The deal is not quite yet a licensing deal. Instead, it’s a time window during which Twitch and the NMPA will negotiate an arrangement for handling music use on the platform going forward.

“We look forward to working together toward building long-lasting partnerships with Twitch,” NMPA president/CEO David Israelite tells Billboard. “This agreement provides the framework for that relationship to develop.”

2020 and 2021 has seen Twitch operate under the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), shielding content-hosting platforms from liability for copyright infringement by users, outlining a process for rights holders to file “takedown notices” to report unauthorized music uses. However, this process frustrated users after the NMPA and RIAA together filed thousands of takedown notices over the past year, for minor violations.

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