Soundcloud and Twitch team up to help artists monetize live streams

News

SoundCloud has partnered with Twitch to launch a new service that will help artists monetize their content amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

With gigs and tours canceled, and many artists having lost significant amounts of money as a result, lots of musicians have recently started live-streaming online to help raise some cash. The partnership between the two companies allows SoundCloud artists to fast-track new Twitch accounts to Affiliate status, which unlocks Twitch’s various monetization tools. This means that artists can bypass Twitch’s usual Affiliate criteria and start making money on the platform within days.

The scheme is open to all SoundCloud Pro, SoundCloud Premier, and Repost by SoundCloud artists. You’ll need to create a Twitch account and then fill out a form to get going. You can find the form and more details here.

SoundCloud’s information on the partnership says that Twitch will email an invitation to its affiliate program “within a matter of days” of the form being submitted, though the terms do not specify how long the fast-tracking will last. The company does state though that “access is not guaranteed” and advises users to make sure their Twitch profiles follow best practices before they sign up.

Twitch’s monetization tools include ads and subscriptions. Normally, in order to qualify for Affiliate status, a Twitch user must have at least 50 followers, as well as at least 500 total broadcast minutes in the last 30 days, seven unique broadcast days in the last 30 days, and an average of three concurrent viewers or more in the last 30 days. This new scheme allows SoundCloud artists to sidestep such terms in order to get earning more quickly. 

Read DJ Mag’s recent piece on how dance music producers are using Twitch to connect with fans here.

In positive news for SoundCloud, US broadcaster SiriusXM last month invested $75 million in the company.