Having Lots Of Fun

Twitch recently told its streamers that it now has a ‘no recorded music’ policy. Streamers are protesting.

The problem arises since several songs in video games are licensed but not for streaming. That means that the automated copyright takedown scheme of Twitch also flags video games. Some players said tiny sound effects are enough to cause DMCA concerns, such as the chime of a grandfather clock or a wind rush. So how will video game streaming survive when the system is triggered even by sound effects?

Twitch streamers have fully embraced the ‘no recorded audio’ policy by providing their own sound effects!

Streamers turn off all in-game audio and use their own mouth to provide content. Others stream in dead silence, showing just how the sound can be crucial to the background. Watching these streamers is fun, but it shows how poorly Twitch is dealing with the problem. Some streamers are also playing songs in complete silence on Rocksmith, so all you get is their guitar strumming rhythm. People still watch, but for how long is complete silence going to be entertaining?

The platform could sign licensing deals with all major labels to avoid these issues.

This is what has been done by Twitter, Facebook Live, TikTok, and a million other streaming platforms. Instead of providing a catalog of free-to-use licensed independent music, Twitch is attempting to blaze its own trail. If in-game sound effects triggers DMCA takedowns, how is a game streaming platform expected to survive?

Until Twitch takes the proper steps to license music for its users, the silliness is only poised to get more ridiculous. Twitch is a multi-billion dollar platform that is owned by one of the world’s largest corporations. There’s no reason why it can’t properly license music to enjoy and keep both sides satisfied for their consumers.