The Best Royalty-Free Music for Twitch Streams
Updated ·First published
Have you ever tried to watch a movie, or a TV series, without music? You may not think about it much, but music does wonders to set the tone and feeling of virtually all media we consume. From movies, to videogames, and even YouTube videos. That’s why background music is such a crucial part of Twitch streaming-and live streaming in general.
So, knowing that music is a crucial point in hosting a great stream, it’s important that you pick the right music to set the proper tone. However, the music industry and its relation to streaming platforms can be a bit strained. That’s why it’s important to know what you can and can’t do when streaming with background music.
Before we go into where to source your background music from, let's look at the rules for streaming music on Twitch.
Can You Stream Music on Twitch?
Twitch has a pretty basic stance on hosting music on their platform. That is, they take the same stance that essentially every platform does-such as YouTube and Instagram. You cannot use any music that you do not have the rights to use legally. This is to prevent the platform, and the streamer, from facing any issues regarding copyright infringement and DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) strikes, etc,.
This means that you are totally free to post music on Twitch that you own the royalties to use. Otherwise, the music needs to be royalty free.
What is Royalty Free Music?
Royalty free means that no one single person owns the rights to the song. This either means that the song is so old that it no longer belongs to anyone, and has entered public domain, or that the composer of the music has waived all copyright ownership and has expressly stated the song is fair use.
Royalty free music cannot be claimed by anyone, and thus Twitch cannot demonetize or strike your channel for using the music during a stream or hosted video. This is why streamers all over the globe seek out royalty free, DMCA free music. But, what is the best place to source the best royalty free music for Twitch?
Where to Find the Best Royalty Free Music for Twitch
StreamBeats by Harris Heller
StreamBeats is an excellent solution for beginner streamers. This is because you don’t need to download any proprietary software. All you need is a subscription to Spotify, YouTube or Apple Music. Harris Heller has created an aggregated list of all copyright DMCA free music for YouTube and Twitch on StreamBeats.
This carefully curated list that leans towards a more lo-fi atmosphere and allows new streamers to simply select a curated playlist, and press play! All music is guaranteed to be DMCA free.
Pretzel Rocks
Pretzel Rocks is definitely for the more serious streamer. It is designed with Twitch and YouTube streamers in mind, and has built-in features that help make playing royalty free music for YouTube or Twitch easier.
With Pretzel you can show the song name and artist on screen live, explore a wide range of genres and styles, and get notified when new music lands. Pretzel is a paid subscription built for streamers, and it is the safest way to play music on a stream. Our whole catalog is in there at no extra cost - see the Pretzel setup guide.
BeatsBackground (that’s us!)
BeatsBackground is two brothers writing and recording lofi for streamers. Everything we release is free to play on a stream, in VODs and in clips, and we never file copyright claims against streamers. You can play us straight from Spotify, Apple Music or Amazon Music, or run the full catalog through Pretzel, which is the safest option because it keeps automated matches off your channel and shows credits on screen.
One benefit of choosing BeatsBackground is that all the music is made and curated by the same two people, so the atmosphere is consistent. It’s easier to create a theme, and a ‘feel’ for your stream time after time. The streamers page has the full FAQ.
Epidemic Sound
Epidemic Sound is not only a resource for the best DMCA free music for Twitch, it is also a resource for Twitch and YouTube streaming in general. On Epidemic Sound you will find a massive library of royalty free music for use on your streams, alongside a wealth of knowledge and information about streaming in general.
Epidemic Sound helps provide resources, advice, and insight into growing a Twitch channel for new streamers. This makes it one of the best places to source your copyright free music, as well as one of the best places to simply learn about streaming.
Soundstripe
Soundstripe is one of the most well known, and well respected royalty free music sources in the industry. Their platform allows users to access tens of thousands of DMCA free songs and sounds while simultaneously integrating the platform with their favorite software and programs.
With Soundstripe you can fully integrate your music, sourced from them, into Adobe Premiere, Twitch, and more! This makes it an excellent platform for anyone seeking to make a living online through streaming and content creation. It is ideal for more professionally focused streamers, and those who have been streaming for a little while.
Final Thoughts
It’s important to get the music right. But, it’s just as important to source that music from the right place. The internet is filled with seedy websites that will give your device viruses, steal your data, and provide you terrible music-that may not even really be royalty free. Any of the sources above will get you excellent DMCA-free music without the headaches. Stream in peace.