After granting more rights to DJs earlier this year, Twitch is giving music producers their own home on its platform. The Amazon-owned hub is celebrating the launch of its DJ category with a 24-hour live stream that will feature a round-the-clock lineup of acclaimed hitmakers.
The stream will take place on August 8, which is known as “808 Day” — a reference to the drum machine that has become ubiquitous in EDM and hip-hop. A post on the Twitch blog notes that the celebration will be a global event featuring an eclectic mix of performances, with a headlining set will come from Zedd. The chart-topping German producer will play tracks from his first new album in nearly a decade.
“Today’s DJ category launch is a major moment for Twitch, the music industry, and our creators,” Twitch CEO Dan Clancy said in a statement. “There is something special in the way DJs on Twitch introduce music to their listeners. It’s personal and it’s community-oriented, so we’ve built a stable, long-term home where they can invest in building their brand and community.”
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Twitch has made its own investments to underpin the growth-oriented efforts of its DJ streamers. After years of hostility between the platform and music producers (who bristled at the copyright issues that affected their content), Twitch turned over a new leaf earlier this year. In June, it launched a DJ Program that includes participation from all of the “Big Three” labels. Instead of dealing with takedown notices, DJs who join Twitch’s Program can share revenue with labels and take advantage of incentives from the platform itself.
With 808 Day on the horizon, those incentives are becoming clear. Twitch’s blog post noted that the DJ Program is live, with “tens of millions of tracks” available in its catalog. A Subsidy Program is also available for those who sign up during the first year of Twitch’s DJ experiment. The subsidies help cover the “new music costs” associated with the service, with the biggest savings available to those who join the DJ Program in August.
It’s the right time for Twitch to invest in its music community. TikTok’s promotion of the music that powers its short-form trends has helped it become a driver of pop culture, and YouTube has seen its own impressive numbers by bringing a wealth of new options to its musical creators. Twitch’s community has been favoring categories outside of gaming for a while now, and the DJ Program will give producers a chance to keep the party going all year long.
