Is Twitch Good for Musicians: Advices and Overview

Is Twitch Good for Musicians

Are you interested in the question – is Twitch good good for Musicians? Here you can find information on some aspects of music streams on Twitch.

Is Twitch good for Musicians and why are they there?

Due to current events regarding pandemic, there has been a significant change in attracting musicians and other celebrities to collaborate with their fans by creating and distributing original content through live streaming platforms such as Twitch. 

Services that are constantly evolving, such as Twitch, Facebook, allow the user to create a live stream or “stream” available to the viewer. This stream can come from the creator’s smartphone or the other device, his computer or PC, or even a game console such as a Playstation or Xbox.

As a result of the uncertainty in the entertainment industry, including a widespread wave of canceling music festivals and the cancellation of live performances, many artists are heading out into the digital world to chat with their fans.

While it may seem as simple as clicking a button to go “live” to the world, there are countless business and legal considerations that a musician or other entertainer must consider in order to take full advantage of their digital streaming channel.

How to make right streams?

Speaking about if is Twitch good for musicians one has to mention legal aspects. Without going deep into the legal issues of music licensing, any music played live while streaming or included in a video is subject to proper authorization. 

What about licensing?

This means that if the musician does not perform new original works to which he has full rights; he must actually have written permission from the copyright holder to perform these works, including a license to use his own previously licensed works. 

How to get Twitch views: the most effective strategies

This permission can be granted by the owner of the recording, such as the recording label. Failure by a streamer to obtain appropriate permission to record music may result in content created being removed for copyright infringement. 

In addition, the stream may be “muted” or otherwise “disabled” due to unauthorized use of the protected work. 

In addition, popular streaming services such as Twitch and YouTube have policies related to “repeating” copyright infringers, which could lead to account suspension or eventual termination. If the user is unable to obtain the rights to music, they can instead work with music license companies, which provide a “general” license allowing the use of any media contained in their respective catalog.

Is Twitch Good for Musicians (Photo: www.musicinafrica.net/)

You should look professional

In addition to the proper rights to any music included in the stream, it is generally preferable for the entertainer to structure their social networks and their actual stream in the most professional way they can. 

This is especially important when positioning yourself as a market “brand”, especially when a person wants to attract sponsors and other brand partners to his streams. 

In order to establish the sufficient level of professionalism that most major brands prefer, the streamer should try to use the best visual settings: correct dimensions, image hi-res and graphic “overlays” as well as “emotes” to provide the most visually appealing and user-friendly fan experience. 

Proper use of streaming software like OBS is also beneficial and can help further professionalize the music stream. 

In addition, a user wishing to provide a professional and visually appealing presentation must have the necessary streaming equipment, including a webcam and microphone.

In an effort to get great social coverage on a streaming platform, a musician must be prepared for consistent streaming in order to gain an active viewership. 

Schedule so that the audience can plan their day around watching the artist’s content or live streaming. 

Income to come

The next big question – is Twitch good for musicians in terms of earning money for content? This new social platform can give the artist a chance to generate additional income. 

For example, live streaming can offer an innovative opportunity for existing brands of talented people to connect with their fans. This means that now a talented person or artist can present a new sponsorship offer to their existing sponsors in the form of a live musician stream. 

In this regard, the musician may offer to place the sponsored brand logo on the “overlay” of his stream, or the person may demonstrate the sponsored product while streaming. The musician may even simply provide the sponsoring company with additional coverage through this new social media channel as a form of “added value”.

In addition, using Twitch, Mixer, Caffeine, or any other live streaming service it can also create opportunities for new potential brand partnerships. 

New potential sponsors from gaming industry

Specifically, a musician may now be able to “pitch” traditional, gaming brands for sponsorships that were not authentic prior to using this new streaming platform. This includes discussing potential deals with various gaming products such as gaming headsets, chairs, controllers, monitors, graphics cards, and streaming equipment.

 It is important to note, however, that gaming brands generally value authenticity and high levels of engagement, which is why artists who want to move into the gaming arena must proceed with caution, professionalism, and correctness.

In addition to potential new sponsorship initiatives, the artist can also create new opportunities for new companies that can benefit from the direct involvement of fans around the world. 

For example, in addition to widely used digital marketing techniques such as posting on Instagram or Twitter, this new channel can provide an artist with new opportunities to easily and cost-effectively incorporate sponsored brand products into their stream. 

This can include products such as soft drinks, energy and alcoholic drinks, automotive brands, sponsored food and snacks, and any beauty and hygiene products.

Is Twitch good for Musicians and why are they there? (Photo: www.gamereactor.eu)
Is Twitch good for Musicians and why are they there? (Photo: www.gamereactor.eu)

Other methods of income generation

Along with partnerships and influencer brand support, the person using a streaming platform can generate income through several other means. 

A streamers can generate income directly from the streaming platform for any advertisements displayed before and during their streams when they reach a certain number of viewership (Twitch affiliate). In addition, some platforms like Twitch provide additional income opportunities for their users.   

For example, Twitch provides a “subscription” option (known as a “subs”) available for purchase by a Twitch user. These “subscriptions” represent the user’s monthly payments to the streamer to access “exclusive”, private or other unreleased content, and to allow the use of “emotes” for subscribers only. 

“Emotes” are images that a viewer can enter into a stream’s chat and that are specific to a particular streamer. 

The existence of subscribers can allow a person to create unique content that is protected and requires a paid subscription to view.

One of the largest streaming platforms, Twitch, provides a tiered subscription service that allows a viewer to subscribe to a specific broadcaster’s channel for a monthly recurring fee of $ 4.99, $ 9.99, or $ 24.99 depending on which “tier” they subscribe to. Each subscription level usually corresponds to a different level of access and content available to the buyer   

Together with the subscription fee, Twitch provides its streamers with additional earnings in the form of “bits”. 

“Bits” are animated encouraging “emotes” that the viewer can use in the streamer’s chat to support them. 

“Bits” are virtual goods and a form of cash currency that can be purchased online through Twitch through Amazon Payment or PayPal. “Bits” can also be earned over time by a viewer watching online ads displayed by Twitch.

Twitch currently pays its “affiliates” one ($ 0.01) cent for each “bit” a fan uses on their channel. 

What’s more, since Twitch is owned by Amazon, Amazon Prime members can use the tokens earned from their Prime membership to subscribe to a specific Twitch channel. In such situations, since the “tokens” are renewed every month, a Prime member can re-subscribe to the broadcaster’s channel using only their Prime “tokens”. 

In addition to “subscriptions” and “bits”, third-party services provide platforms that allow the viewer to make “donations” to the streamer. 

One such widely used platform is Streamlabs. This means that the viewer can actually deposit money directly to the musician using one of these third-party services without buying “bits” or purchasing a monthly Twitch subscription. 

What musician can do during the stream?

Is Twitch good for musicians – the answer is “yes!”. So, what can they do there?

While the content of the music stream has slight limitations, only in accordance with the site’s “Terms of Service”, there are many unique ways that a person can use their stream. 

This artist can provide the viewer with access to live rehearsals and workouts, as well as provide an “in-studio” or other “behind-the-scenes” viewing experience. 

The musician can provide content about them working in the studio, including writing a song or melody, playing an instrument, or anything else that makes a unique piece of the artist’s “creative process” stand out. Alternatively, a DJ or producer can mix live, or a group of artists can get together to “jam” or “enhance” a live session.

How long should I stream on Twitch, how often?

In addition to music content, the musician / artist can participate in a live Q&A session, during which viewers are encouraged to ask questions in a live chat, and the musician can view and provide answers on demand to the questions asked. 

There is also the well-known “just chat” mode and “ask me anything (AMA)” mode that can be used by an artist. In this regard, the artist can further interact with his viewers by hosting “watching” parties where the musician live streams widely watched events such as the season finale of a popular TV show, the Super Bowl or Grammy.  

During these streaming sessions, the presenter and viewers can provide their instant comments and discuss “winners” and “losers” or anything else related to the content they are collectively watching. 

Ultimately, there are so many different unique opportunities that an artist can use when using such platforms. For example, live streaming also provides the ideal environment to highlight the artist’s “specific interests or hobbies outside of music, such as cooking healthy or exotic food or trying and appreciating different craft beers.

So, finally, is Twitch good for musicians?

Overall, live streaming will continue to grow as more musicians and other artists seek new ways to supplement any lost income, as well as ways to further immerse themselves in communication with their fans. 

Ultimately, the goal of any artist using live broadcasting is to find ways to instantly, meaningfully interact with their fans; in this regard, Twitch and other streaming platforms are just another means to that end.

Source: https://www.tunecore.com

Related posts

Leave a Comment