While I am very encouraged to see the addition of a "DJ" category on Twitch, and by the work that has been done to negotiate a fair compensation and royalty framework for music labels and artists — at least based on the details that have been shared thus far on the Twitch Blog and linked DJ Program page — there is much work yet to be done to evolve this program to the point that it will be feasible and reasonable for DJs to actually opt-in without fears that they can continue offering a similar livestreaming experience that their fanbase has come to love without getting banned from the platform or suffering other untoward repercussions for having opted in.

Based on what has been publicly presented thus far, the Twitch DJ Program seems to fundamentally lack an understanding of how the electronic music scene functions, and evolves. Which is admittedly confusing given that the Twitch handle of the platform's CEO is @DJClancy, but I digress. As with live musicians who test new material out on Twitch before releasing it or performing it out at live shows, so too do many DJs test out pre-release tracks on their Twitch streams. There are three categories of activity here:

1. DJs who are not producers, but who know producers or are part of pre-release pools where they are sent tracks to "test" in their sets — whether live or livestreaming — to get market feedback and build a buzz for these tracks before their official release.

2. DJs who are also artists who contribute their musical talents, such as vocals, to electronic music tracks, and who test them out pre-release for the same reasons as above.

3. DJs who are also producers, who not only test out pre-release tracks as per above after the tracks have been finalized, but who test out various iterations of tracks before they have been finalized to obtain market feedback from their Twitch viewers, many of whom are also electronic music producers.

These types of pre-release activity are not unique to Twitch, and are widespread in the electronic music scene in general, and have been for decades. In fact, it is a hallmark of "top DJs" who play live events, to include unreleased tracks in their sets, oftentimes tracks they have no involvement in the production of. It seems particularly odd that the Twitch DJ Program would explicitly outlaw the very activity that makes and keeps "top DJs" at the height of their popularity.

It has been disheartening to see widespread fear and confusion amongst the many dozens of Twitch DJs — particularly those who are also artists and/or producers — over the past few days on social media. And as a viewer (and moderator for several DJ streamers) I am gravely concerned that Twitch has missed the proverbial cue point here and is about to drive some of the streamers I and many others love most, off of the platform. It doesn't require a great stretch of the imagination to guess where they will go, and I for one do not want that to happen. I also believe that Twitch has the collective brain trust available to it — within its staff, streamers and larger Twitch electronic music community — to be able to navigate this thoughtfully, tactfully and effectively to allay fears and build out a DJ Program that reflects the realities of the electronic music industry that we've been so fortunate to have and experience on the platform as an unexpected blessing of the pandemic.

While I am not a DJ, musical artist or electronic music producer, I do feel it reasonable to say that I am part of the fabric of the DJ community on Twitch as a viewer, moderator and supporter.

I watched >3k hours last year alone, and have easily watched >10k hours since August 2020 when I joined the platform, many of which have been of DJ streams. Per my last Twitch recap, I am in the top 10% of "Music" category viewers (predominantly DJ streams), and a "Top Twitcher", "Category Champion" and "Majestic Moderator".

I've spent over $1000 every year since 2020 supporting Twitch streamers — predominantly DJs — with subs and bits, and invested hundreds of hours of my time moderating DJ streams. Outside of Twitch, I've spent thousands of dollars and invested hundreds of hours of my time trying to bring a larger audience to Twitch DJ streams in an effort to make it more sustainable for more DJs to derive a meaningful income from Twitch streaming.

Lastly, I've attended live electronic music events and been an avid fan of DJs for over 25 years, and can say without question that Twitch has been instrumental in globally linking together fans of electronic music across the dozens of genres and subgenres thereof, to form vibrant, engaged and passionate communities of DJ streamers, viewers and moderators, including many individuals who actually contribute their musical talents to producing and releasing tracks that give us fans something to listen to in the first place. I deeply and sincerely hope that Twitch takes the time to get this right with an approach that reflects the true essence of electronic music culture before officially rolling out the Twitch DJ Program.