Amazon Music and Twitch have partnered to announce the incorporation of Twitch’s livestreaming functionality into the Amazon Music app.
It will create new forms of engagement and enable fans to move seamlessly between livestreams and recorded music.
Launching today on iOS and Android, artists will now be able to connect live with Amazon Music’s more than 55 million customers across all streaming tiers.
“The combination of livestreaming, coupled with the on-demand playback of songs on Amazon Music is groundbreaking,” said Ryan Redington, director, Amazon Music. “We’re providing artists with more tools to instantly engage with fans, and this new feature couldn’t arrive at a more crucial time in the industry.
“More than 1,000 artists have already connected their Amazon Music accounts to Twitch, and this is just day one. Together with Twitch, we’re making it possible for artists across all genres, at all moments of their careers, to harness the social power of livestreaming to create more engagement with their recorded catalogue.”
Amazon-owned Twitch has seen growth during the Covid-19 pandemic as artists ramped up livestreaming activity, although issues have been raised about royalties.
“Twitch has always been about connecting amazingly talented creators live with fans everywhere,” said Tracy Chan, VP, head of music at Twitch. “That’s why we’re excited to announce the next phase of our ongoing partnership with Amazon Music that unlocks an entirely new world of live music experiences and engagement by connecting Twitch live streams and Amazon’s catalogue of recorded music. Especially now, in a time when traditional venues are closed and tours have been cancelled, musicians are looking for new ways to continue creating, connect with fans, and build community. Twitch has become the place to co-create shared live experiences, and it’s now accessible in-app for Amazon Music’s 55 million customers.”
Amazon Music said it has worked extensively with Twitch and with artists and labels to help them utilise livestreaming in order to connect more deeply with fans, including developing innovative ways to incorporate livestreaming into release campaigns, creating a virtual stage for festivals and charitable fundraising events.
This year, Twitch and Amazon Music have also worked with artists across all genres to support and produce livestreams to raise money for Covid-19 relief efforts including Twitch StreamAid, Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion, and more.
Fans will have a variety of ways to discover artist livestreams within the Amazon Music app, including a push notification from artists they follow when they go live on Twitch, and through Amazon Music’s new Live browse page.
Amazon Music has also made it simple for artists to link their Twitch channel with the streaming service, using the newly-launched Amazon Music for Artists app.
Upcoming events on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel include a Q&A with The Killers, livestreaming of the Heavy Music Awards and a +44 takeover of the Amazon Music Sessions featuring Geovarn, Kilo Jugg and Potter Payper.
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