No, deleting your VOD after streaming copyrighted music on Twitch is not a guaranteed way to avoid consequences, as copyright claims can happen live, and rights holders can still pursue action even if you remove the VOD quickly or use VOD muting features. While Twitch's system mutes VODs for music it detects, a rights holder can still issue a DMCA takedown or account enforcement for the live infringement, potentially leading to strikes and bans, so using licensed or DMCA-free music is the safest approach.
Twitch has a content recognition system that scans VODs and clips to detect copyrighted audio. When any copyrighted audio is detected in a VOD, any portion of the VOD containing that audio will be muted. Find out more at our Copyright Audio Warnings article.
Technically using copyrighted music without proper licensing is against TOS. It'll get your VODs muted and if the copyright holder contacts twitch about it you can have your account banned.
Using copyrighted music in your content, even for just one second, is not allowed. This can lead to legal consequences, especially if the copyright holder has the necessary license.
Copyrighted audio warnings are enabled by default but can be disabled in the Stream Settings page of your Creator Dashboard. We hope these warnings can help you make more informed decisions regarding what type of content to include on your channel moving forward.
TL;DR: You can play music on Twitch, as long as you hold the correct license, use a trusted music platform like Epidemic Sound, or select music from 'Soundtrack by Twitch' catalog. Otherwise, your content may be muted, demonetized, or removed.
Qualifying Affiliates and Partners may move up from Level 1 (60/40 net revenue on subscriptions) to Level 2 (70/30 net revenue on subscriptions) at any time if they meet the 300 Plus Point threshold for 3 consecutive months to qualify for Level 2.
Yes, you can use copyrighted music on Twitch, BUT only if you have legal permission to do so. Otherwise, no, according to Twitch's terms, you are not allowed to play copyrighted music on your stream.
Intellectual Property Rights
For example, without permission from the rights holders or unless otherwise permitted by law, you may not share: Performing other people's copyrighted content, including playing another artist's copyrighted songs. Other Twitch creators' content or content from other sites.
You can only play copyrighted music on Twitch if you own or have licensed the rights to it. You can buy a license to claims-free or royalty-free music tracks and use them as background to your recorded Twitch video.
For certain egregious uses of these rights holders' copyrighted works, Twitch will issue a warning to creators for their first offense, and issue penalties for subsequent offenses. Twitch may also suspend livestreams and/or delete recorded videos that include copyrighted music in a prohibited way.
Top Six Most Popular Royalty-Free Songs
NCS. NCS is a copyright-free record label that covers unlimited channels across various services, including Twitch. Thousands of songs are available, across various moods and genres. Use NCS music in your live streams and VODs.
Well technically affiliate is possible in a week. I personally know two streamers who have hit affiliate in 7 days, but 12,000 gifted subs is definitely a scam. To put it in perspective that would be $60,000.00. People are generous, but even the biggest streamers are not getting that many gifted subs.
Small Streamers
5 – 10 average viewers: $50 – $200 per month. 20 average viewers: $200 – $400 per month. 50 average viewers: $500 – $750 per month. 100 average viewers: $1000 – $1500 per month.
So you get 2 points a minute. 100,000 / 2 = 50,000. So 50,000 minutes or 833.33 hours.
All live streams are scanned for matches to third-party content, including copyrighted content in the form of another live broadcast. When third-party content is identified, a placeholder image may replace your live stream. You'll be warned to stop streaming the third-party content.
Even with a Spotify Premium subscription, having access to Spotify songs doesn't mean you have the legal right to play them during a broadcast. To protect copyright holders, Twitch has strengthened its DMCA enforcement. Only copyright-free or properly licensed Spotify tracks can be legally played during your stream.
However, there is no such thing as truly 'copyright free' music. It just means that you pay a company for a license to use a track, and they will deal with the royalty distribution. So, the royalties are still there, you just don't deal with them.
The "15 Second" or "8 Bar" Rule
The reality is that there is no legal protection in copyright law for these types of use. If you use a piece of a composition or sound recording that is copyrighted, you will need a license.
Modify Tempo, Pitch, or Effects: When you want to use a specific song but lack permissions, consider altering the tempo, pitch, or applying effects to create a unique rendition. By transforming the original audio track, you can avoid infringing on copyright while still incorporating the elements you desire.
If copyrighted music is detected in the VOD, then it gets muted. So, many streamers set up their audio so there is a "Twitch VOD track" that is all the sound from their stream minus the music. This means the VOD isn't muted anywhere.