A New Frontier for Arts and Culture

This article would like to introduce a few ways musicians can create a digital presence and monetize their performances on Twitch, as well as how visual artists and cultural organizations can potentially enter this uncharted territory.

 

 

Twitch first gained popularity as a video game live streaming platform and later broadened its content to include non-gaming categories, such as music, art, special events, and "just chatting.” As entertainment and cultural activities were forced to move online in 2020 due to the pandemic, the numbers of streamers and viewers on Twitch both skyrocketed - according to TwitchTracker, the number of average concurrent streams has reached 87.5 thousand (compared to 49.5 thousand from 2019), and the number of average concurrent viewers has reached 2.12 million (compared to 1.26 million from 2019). The numbers of minutes watched also nearly doubled this past year, from 660 to 1103 billion. 

 

Twitch’s interface and user experience are characterized by real-time chat displayed on the streamer’s screen and floating emoticons, reflecting its root in video-game streaming but also the interactive nature of the platform. Contents can be viewed either live or as video-on-demand (VODs), though typically, live viewing allows for the maximum engagement between the audience and the streamer. 

 

While still small compared to other major categories on Twitch, the music category has seen steady growth since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, joined by musicians at different stages of their career, among them acclaimed musicians such as Larry Goldings, Zane Carney, Herman Li, and T-Pain. 

 

Many music streamers on Twitch play from a "set-list” to create a resemblance to a recital; some also compile song lists to let viewers request from their repertoires - in many instances, both approaches are used, allowing audience’s input starting from the selection of programming. While the creators and the audience for non-gaming contents are growing rapidly on Twitch, many musicians tap into the large video-game viewer base by performing and reinterpreting video game music to attract new audiences who will eventually become supporters of their music. Of course, aspiring Twitch music streamers don’t need to feel obliged to do the same if this is not in line with their artistic practice, though this phenomenon illustrates the impact and opportunity a new audience base can pose to new content.

 

During a live stream, each viewer can earn "channel points” while watching and engaging with the stream, and streamers can personalize the rewards for which viewers redeem channel points. Rewards that Twitch music streamers currently offer range from lighthearted, brief interludes to the performance, such as "hydrate” and "pet the kitty,” to options to alter the performance and the art forms. For example, some music streamers have enabled channel points redemption for alternative camera angles or filters, integrating a different instrument, switching keys, and so on, thereby rewarding audience engagement with an even higher level of participation and sometimes the opportunity to co-create the art. 

 

As mentioned earlier, real-time chat is a key characteristic of Twitch streams that allows for more in-depth communications between the musician and the viewers. Many music streamers, for example, share the story behind their pieces and career development or answer questions from viewers in between songs.

 

In addition to multiple ways to engage with the audience during a live stream, streamers often continue conversations with their followers after the stream through Discord, a chatroom software that is integrated into Twitch. This feature allows for more in-depth, organic exchange of ideas between creators and their followers as well as the flexibility outside of the timed window of a stream, which can contribute to the growth of a channel or even bring in opportunities outside of Twitch.

 

 

In addition to various features that encourage audience engagement, artistic streamers can also support each other and cultivate a community on Twitch. For example, with the "raid” feature, a streamer can bring their viewers to a different stream to support a fellow performer while introducing new content to their audience. As one starts to build a community with fellow artists, they can take the cross-pollination one step further by collaborating with another streamer and widening each other’s community. Though live performances are sorely missed, establishing a digital community has also presented new opportunities and incentives for collaboration across physical distance.

 

 

Most, if not all, streams are free to attend, though viewers have the option to further support a streamer financially. Donating and "cheering” are two similar ways to financially show gratitude to the streamers, for which viewers can decide the amount they are willing to pay and receive an acknowledgement on screen. In addition, streamers can also benefit from viewers’ subscriptions, or "subs” as called on Twitch, which function similarly to a membership program in the arts. Subs are available in different tiers, ranging from $4.99/month to $24.99/month, and the higher tiers grant more benefits to subscribers, including ad-free viewing, sub-only emoticons, badges, or priority requests, just to list a few. A new sub, similar to donation and cheers, triggers an on-screen alert that acknowledges the support of the subscriber. There are many ways streamers can incentivize donation, such as adding a song of donor’s choice to their list, live-learning a song, or improvising a tune. 

 

To show supporters the impact of their donation, streamers on Twitch at times set donation goals for various purposes - a new piece of instruments/equipment, to stay financially afloat, etc. As art administrators might notice, there are some similarities between fundraising in the arts and monetizing a live stream performance on Twitch. With the level of flexibility on Twitch, musicians should develop their monetization strategies according to the number of followers they have, the direction in which they are growing the channel, the purpose of monetization, and how well the strategies can be incorporated into their programming.  

 

 

As a digital service provider, Twitch complies with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and similar copyright law worldwide, meaning that if a copyright holder believes that their content is used by a streamer without permission, Twitch has a process for them to request the content be taken down. Streamers who repeatedly receive DMCA notices risk the possibility of being banned from the platform or even further legal consequences. 

 

Though video game live streaming has been largely tolerated, the use of copyrighted music owned by major record labels have come under increasing scrutiny, severely disrupting music streamers who incorporate recorded music into their performances and streamers who use recorded music in the background. In addition to live streams, DMCA restrictions also apply to VODs or clips (i.e. recording of past live streams). Beginning in May 2020, major record labels have sent out thousands of DMCA takedown notices to streamers through Twitch, resulting in the removal of some of the platform’s largest streamers. Without providing much guidance on how to navigate this sudden crackdown, Twitch stated that streamers should delete old videos and clips containing recorded music owned by others to avoid DMCA strikes. After a major backlash from the creator community, Twitch apologized for its hasty handling of the issue and started exploring ways to mitigate the conflict of interest between creators and copyright owners. 

 

According to Twitch, it is currently negotiating with multiple record labels on a site-wide licensing agreement. However, this approach is typically costly and can take a long time to implement. In the meantime, Twitch encouraged creators to use "Soundtrack,” a Twitch service that allows creators to play a variety of licensed music in the background during their streams. Certainly, the music included in "Soundtrack” does not cover all needs, and many musicians end up using their own recordings of a song to circumvent the DMCA restrictions. 

 

As we can see, while the internet facilitates the global distribution of music, music rights evolve, and the matters of ownership and jurisdiction also complicate at the same time. Despite the tedium of this subject matter, musicians and creators of all disciplines should stay informed of the legal framework to ensure a sustainable digital presence.

 

 

Besides music, visual art is also present on Twitch mostly in the form of graphic design and illustration. Nevertheless, a community for the broader visual art on Twitch has not taken shape but could present potentials for visual artists who hope to establish a digital presence on a new platform.

 

There is currently little to no institutional presence on Twitch. Given the large viewer base for video games and the audience’s overall young demographic on the platform, established institutions might find it difficult to align their brands with Twitch. However, art education channels with a following on Twitch do exist, streaming live music critiques, oil painting demonstrations, etc. As the analysis thus far has shown, the design of Twitch highlights individual talents and experimental content while encouraging interaction between creators and the audience. It is certainly possible for institutions to present experimental programming through individual educators, artists, or curators while bearing in mind the characteristics of Twitch. Many streamers’ success in monetization and fundraising on Twitch also presents an opportunity that institutions can seize further down the road, should they decide to develop a presence on this more alternative platform.

 

 

As the analysis above shows, Twitch has the potential to bring opportunities and success for musicians who wish to build a digital presence and present their art to a global audience. The format of this platform allows music streamers to engage with a virtual audience, to build a musician community, and to monetize their performances with a high degree of flexibility. However, this new form of culture distribution also comes with implications on copyright ownership that creators should be keenly aware of, even though artists of all disciplines often reference existing artworks to create new ones. Despite the lack of visual art (with the exception of illustrations) and institutions’ presence at the moment, it is possible to adapt music streamers’ strategies while taking into account certain characteristics of Twitch to develop a presence on this platform.