Twitch, Amazon Music, Audio Fingerprint and DMCA Solution
Recently a lot of streamers have been getting DMCA notices for streams that are 2-3 years old. 50 Cent - In Da Club has been flagged on many channels along with other music from RIAA. This is a problem because streamers are now scared of getting punished or banned off the platform for listening to the music they want to listen to. This is not good for the longevity of the platform if it wants to survive the entertainment industry.
To be brutally honest, Twitch is not good for the music industry at all. If a streamer has 10,000 viewers and is listening to a song it only counts for one single stream/play/view instead of 10,000 which is what the music industry wants. They want to be able to claim more streams and plays on their songs as that's how they make money.
Twitch is owned by Amazon, which also owns Amazon Music. Amazon needs to purchase rights to a larger range of music for their Music platform. Amazon is a TRILLION DOLLAR market cap company so I think they have more than enough funds to be able to purchase some streaming rights to more songs.
With a wider range of music to play on the Music app, Twitch could implement Amazon Music within a broadcast and can then count viewers towards streams for the Music played.
This will only work if the streamer is listening to the music through Amazon Music. If they are listening to a copyrighted song that's not on Amazon Music, then they should not broadcast unless they want the possibility of getting a DMCA notice. Amazon and Twitch can only enforce what is within their control.
Another solution would be for Twitch to implement and use other music platforms such as Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Music and their streaming rights for music.
Another solution is to use audio fingerprint matchers like Shazam to identify what music is being played in the background. Then counting the streamers viewers as listeners to whatever song is being played.
Overall, Twitch needs to be able to match the music that's being played in a live stream and count the number of viewers/listeners the streamer has. If they cannot solve this streamers will not be able to broadcast while listening to their favorite music without getting a DMCA.
I do not believe anyone within the past few weeks should have any sort of strike or punishment on their channel for past music DMCA/copyright notices.

15 comments
-
XORCIST_official commented
Yes, you should be getting notices. You need a SYNCHONIZATION LICENSE to keep VODs - this is nothing new. Twitch doesn't pay for that as it's expensive. What Twitch has (and I checked) is an ASCAP license which allows for livestreaming of DJ/VJing and music in the background with the only caveat that you can't save it in any way, shape or form.
Why DMCA is a thing is bizarre. With the ASCAP license, it shouldn't be.
-
monkeyslikebananas commented
This is it. This is probably the biggest thing Amazon can do with Twitch and Amazon Music. Have everyone on the stream be able to experience synchronized listening via Amazon music. boom no more DMCA. Users who don’t have Amazon music get a secondary channel with no music or free to use music.
Music discovery is completely untapped on Twitch right now.
-
GranSumire commented
Since the release of Soundtrack by Twitch, I have been having of this idea:
Why don't we have and web and/or desktop application for Amazon Music that we can add to our broadcasting softwares such as StreamlabsOBS?
This way, creators would influence their viewers to sign to Amazon Prime more often and would be able to listen to music while streaming, avoiding the DMCA strikes.
An application that words as Watch Parties for musics, where viewers have to prove they are prime subscribers, that shows an widget above the broadcast video on Twitch, so viewers can listen to the streamers music stream.
This way, the music artists on Amazon Music would also see thousands more of streamings on their songs.
It is an win-win-win improvement.
-
GhostGlitch2600 commented
An app/plugin that lets streamers stream while playing amazon prime music (not sent through the stream or recorded on VODs) but a data channel encoded into the stream that allows viewers to sync the music through their own amazon prime music subscription. Would help with DMCA problems.
-
StarRiderSC2 commented
Totally. there is an option to "listen along on Spotify" in discord that could be used as reference.
-
Eagorath commented
as we're all aware of how DMCA takedowns are raiding creators world wide.
I would think Twitch could make it fairly simple to satesfy label companies by partnering with lets say Amazon Music or Spotify where a streamer uses one of said programs (like Spotify).. plays regular songs with 600 viewers, the song would get 600 playoffs.
This would technically give the label and artist the revenue for the songs the streamer plays right?
Can be that hard to do, concidering their ads system basically works the same way? where each viewer count as a "play" on the ad video. -
DaemonEros commented
Es un camino viable a la realización de un sistema completo de satisfacción para el usuario, al poder aportar de manera activa en la ambientación musical de los streams. Una manera de buscar que el viewer interactúe con mayor interés en los streams. Briando una herramienta de votación, para que en la encuesta se decida qué música será la siguiente, y que el software logre aplicar la música directamente en el sonido transmitido desde la plataforma. Esto puede favorecer a los mismos streamers, que pueden ser fuente de información de las preferencias musicales entre su comunidad y los usuarios.
-
Piuizando commented
Integrate amazon music with twitch live, Only subscribers of amazon prime can listen to the music that stream is broadcasting.
Same system as the watch party, with pause and choice of music from subscribe -
Tsaion commented
Well written. This needs more votes.
I had an idea myself but this is much more detailed.
-
DrBrainTickler commented
I also must point out the twitch handles this in a far more reasonable way than other platforms do. YouTube it's disgusting for example. I recommend everyone boycott YouTube in general. Twitch and Amazon Are family, they actually care and they've got the money to back up how much they actually care.
-
DrBrainTickler commented
The copyright flagging is indeed absurd. All of these copyright trolls should not be enabled. They should be forced to come after each individual person just like any other legal issue and it should not be the job of any social media platform to police the internet.
Additionally, all of the musicians and other content creators of varying forms of which would cry theft because we put their work in our stream, they should be thanking us because we are advertising for them for free and the world is not going to know about them or get addicted to their work unless we are allowed to share it with each other. When we share it, our comments are on top of it or other distractions and it's enough for people to get addicted to the work but it is not the best way for them to consume it so they leave and go buy it or watch it on YouTube without stream interference and at their leisure... The copyright trolls need to be marked and thrown under a bridge, buried or forced to go back to eating their bowl of raw sewage that they think is so valuable and leave the rest of us alone.
-
ssinisters commented
With the issue of DMCA it is understandable why it had to be done but for some creators music is a part of the stream. It is a tough siuation but maybe an inclusive deal with Spotify can be something to look foward to. there can be a partnership with spotify where you can link it up with your twitch profile.
-
joaomacae commented
Então ja que a nova lei de copyright ja esta em vigor, eu pensei em usar o amazon music, ja que a plataforma twitch é da amazon e la eles tem os direitos das musicas
-
joaomacae commented
Então ja que a nova lei de copyright ja esta em vigor, eu pensei em usar o amazon music, ja que a plataforma twitch é da amazon e la eles tem os direitos das musicas
-
Rux_ commented
Think about when you are listening to your favorite music while watching your favorite streamer... Then they raid someone who is listening to music that clashes with yours. You either left their stream, or shut off your own music, right? With talks about cracking down on the usage of copyrighted music on Twitch. I would like to offer an idea that is similar to Discord and their integration with Spotify and their listening parties.
Let the streamer play music through Spotify, and allow viewers to join in and listen to the music that their favorite streamer is listening to. Those same viewers could also decide to listen to their own music, if they would like. I don't know all the logistics that would go into separating music from the stream for the broadcaster. Same could be done with Amazon Prime music, YouTube music, and the like.
Tell me what you think. I would love this to become a thing in the future. Let the discussion begin.