Can You Play Spotify Music On Twitch? - StreamScheme (2024)

The music industry, like the film industry, has seen its fair share of broken copyright laws, and for a long time, Twitch (and other platforms) turned a blind eye towards content creators breaking DMCA terms, searching for a gray area.

In 2020, this all changed when big-music started slapping down copyright strikes on channel after channel. Twitch had to start taking things seriously, and so do you.If you want to earn money on Twitch, you need to follow the law.

This post will cover whether or not you can use Spotify Music on Twitch and how.

Can You Use Spotify Music On Twitch?

The broad answer to this question is no, you cannot use Spotify music on Twitch. Spotify music is only licensed for personal use and streaming it out to a community not only breaks the law, it breaks their terms and conditions.

There is a loophole, however, when it comes to royalty-free playlists (of which there are a few). It is still your responsibility to ensure that the music is truly royalty-free. You must also take a slight risk that the owner of the music may change their mind in the future.

The DMCA bots are becoming more intelligent and soon they will be able to find music while it is currently being played. Under Twitch’s new guidelines, you will be banned from the platform after three DMCA strikes.

How to Display Spotify Music on Twitch Using OBS Studio

If you do own the copyright for your music, you can stream it through OBS studios by completing the following steps:

  1. Step 1

    After opening OBS, click the “+” to add a new source. Then click “Window Capture.”

  2. Step 2

    Change the name of your source to something you will remember, then choose “Spotify.exe” in the source selection box.

  3. Step 3

    Use your mouse to mark the area of your Spotify screen that you want to display on Twitch by dragging and clicking it. You can use the Alt button to crop it.

  4. Step 4

    Place the screen within your OBS screen until you are happy with its placement.

  5. Step 5

    You can always make changes to the selection by clicking on the source and starting over. In the future, you will need to reset your screen so that the Window capture is showing the correct thing.

Best Twitch Music Practices

In order to ensure that you stay within the law and the platforms’ terms of service, you should only playRoyalty-Free Music on Twitch. This music is typically held by a company and leased out to viewers for a small monthly fee, allowing them to use it for content creation and other purposes.

Can You Play Spotify Music On Twitch? - StreamScheme (1)

One of the best platforms for Twitch music isEpidemic Sound. They offer over 30k tracks in several popular genres so that you can create your own playlists that your viewers will love. Not only can you use their music on Twitch, but you can also use it when creating YouTube content to support your stream, your Instagram stories, and more!

  • Epidemic Sound – 30 Day Free TrialTest drive over 30,000 tracks on your stream for free!

You will never have to worry about Epidemic Sound coming after you and giving you a DMCA strike. In fact, even if you cancel your subscription in the future, they won’t make claims on content that you created while you were one of their members.

The platform continually adds new music to their collection on a weekly basis, meaning you will be able to experience new tracks frequently. The best part is, they offer you a 30-day free trial so you can see what the hype is about before you commit to anything.

Royalty-Free Spotify Playlists for Twitch

You will occasionally find Spotify playlists that offer royalty-free tunes. Pay attention to the descriptions, ensure for yourself that the music is safe, and look to see what conditions the creator has for you. If they are subbed to a royalty-free membership program (like Epidemic Sound), they cannot offer that music to other content creators to use.

That all said, here are three royalty-free Spotify accounts we found that should work:

  • OWN3D – you can find their Spotify playlist through their site. There are over 200 LoFi and Synthwave royalty-free songs you can use at no cost to you or your fans.
  • Gamecaster – the dedicated developers at Gamecaster have recently released three Spotify playlists that are royalty-free and available to streamers. They come in the following genres: Hip Hop, Lo-Fi, and EDM.
  • Bass Rebels Streaming Playlist– this account provides a link to the licenses for all the songs on their playlist.
  • StreamBeats– run by stream doctor, Harris Heller, this playlist adheres to Twitch’s ToS.

Conclusion

Just because you rent music or even purchase it on a program like iTunes, you don’t have the rights to play the music on your content. You would need to go through legal steps in order to secure those copyrights in order to legally use copyrighted songs on your stream.

Can You Play Spotify Music On Twitch? - StreamScheme (2)

Can You Play Spotify Music On Twitch? - StreamScheme (2024)

FAQs

Can You Play Spotify Music On Twitch? - StreamScheme? ›

You cannot play copyrighted music on Twitch without permission from the copyright holder. You can play music from Spotify, but you must ensure that you have the appropriate licenses and permissions to do so. Twitch may ban you from playing music without the appropriate licenses and permissions.

Am I allowed to play Spotify music on Twitch? ›

You cannot play copyrighted music on Twitch without permission from the copyright holder. You can play music from Spotify, but you must ensure that you have the appropriate licenses and permissions to do so. Twitch may ban you from playing music without the appropriate licenses and permissions.

Is it fine to play music on Twitch? ›

Using Music on Twitch

Using unauthorized music on Twitch may result in a rights holder sending a takedown request under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) or similar laws or through a separate contractual process.

Does Spotify count when you stream your own music? ›

Spotify counts a stream if someone listens to a song for 30 seconds or more. It also counts repeat streams. However, streaming your own song on repeat is definitely not a good idea, as Spotify flags suspicious activity.

Can you have music playing in the background on Twitch? ›

Twitch, being a commercial property, cannot be legally considered a personal platform through which you can play music that you purchased. Streaming music in the background of a Twitch stream is a big deal.

Will Twitch ban me for playing music? ›

If you use copyrighted music without the correct license, you may be issued a DMCA takedown notice. Then, Twitch will mute or take down your content. Once it becomes a pattern, this could have serious implications for your channel.

What happens if I play music on Twitch? ›

If you use another person's copyrighted work in content you share on Twitch, they can send Twitch a notification of claimed infringement, which is sometimes referred to as a “takedown request” or a “DMCA notification.” It is our policy to act on those notifications under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA") ...

What music isn t allowed on Twitch? ›

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.

How to play Spotify on Twitch OBS? ›

Open OBS, click the + symbol to add a new Source from the Sources menu, and select Media Source. You'll see the Local File check box. Then locate the downloaded Spotify music files by clicking on Browse. Select a specific song you like, click Open, and the selected track will be played.

How to get a license to play music on Twitch? ›

Licensing music for Twitch involves obtaining the necessary permissions and rights from the copyright holders. The process typically involves working with music licensing companies, publishers, or directly contacting artists and their representatives.

References

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