This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Business News Deals Digital Labels & Publishers
Warner Music and Twitch announce new deal
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 28 September 2021
Warner Music has announced a big old deal with Twitch that will see the two companies launch a number of channels around the major’s artists. Not only that, there’ll also be a new “standalone music space” featuring music-centric programming made by social content company IMGN, which Warner bought last year.
Amazon-owned Twitch has, of course, come under increased pressure in the last year to sort out its music licences, given how much music features in videos streamed on the platform. Meanwhile, for its part, Twitch has been busy for a while now trying to expand its creator community beyond gamers, with music-makers high up on the priority list. All of which makes deals with the record labels all kinds of necessary.
The Warner/Twitch deal is – the two companies say – “a first-of-its-kind partnership that will see the companies launch various recording artist channels and create a standalone music space featuring premium music-centric programming. The innovative deal marks Twitch’s first partnership with a major record company, bringing users new ways to interact with music-related content on the service, and granting artists a more direct connection with fans”.
Commenting on it all from the Warner side, the major’s Chief Digital Officer Oana Ruxandra says: “It’s clear that Twitch is an indispensable space for all types of creators to connect with their fan communities. Our partnership creates an on-ramp for artists to come onto the service with strong support from Twitch, opening up an entirely new source of incremental revenue. Between the artist-specific channels and the premium shows we’re planning to launch, music lovers will get a refreshing new view into the world of music and the lives of their favourite artists”.
Meanwhile, Twitch’s Head Of Music Tracy Chan adds: “Twitch has always been – and will continue to be – creator first. For fans, artists and all creators, this is a great step forward. The myriad opportunities for fans and artists to forge meaningful, direct and valued relationships on Twitch continue to expand every day. Working together, we can create new paradigms and opportunities for artists and the Twitch community, all grounded in the passion of fans. We appreciate the progressive approach of our colleagues at Warner Music and look forward to a productive partnership”.
Artists who will be involved in this new Warner/Twitch love-in from the start include Bella Poarch, Saweetie and Sueco.
