Streamers worried about getting their content pulled because they used music they didn't pay for should be more worried by the fact that they're streaming games they didn't pay for as well. It's all gone as soon as publishers decide to enforce it.
— Alex Hutchinson (@BangBangClick) October 22, 2020
The creative director of Google Stadia’s Montreal game studio has received backlash from online communities after suggesting Twitch streamers should be paying similar royalties for games they play.
This comes shortly after wide DMCA notices were given to Twitch streamers for using copyrighted music on the platform. Hutchinson’s comments were quick to compare grey areas within the games being broadcasted as well. His tweet took a shot at streamers playing “games they didn’t pay for as well” and stopping once studios take notice.
“The real truth is the streamers should be paying the developers and publishers of the games they stream,” Hutchinson wrote in a follow-up tweet. “They should be buying a license like any real business and paying for the content they use.”
His comments also suggested streamers regularly pay publishers for rights to play their games for a public audience at a percentage, much like how third parties give a sum to use soundtracks in other properties. But the tweet was also ill-received by streamers and Jason Schreier, who reminded Hutchinson game developers don’t usually get royalties after finishing a game. Hutchinson reaffirmed his statement in believing producers of content are entitled to continual profit long after a game goes gold and into the hands of other content creators.
A Google spokesperson later told 9to5Google Hutchinson’s comments “do not reflect those of Stadia, YouTube or Google.”
Royalties related to Twitch DCMAs have been a hot topic for the platform since streamers have repeatedly been struck with warnings. The company recently launched its pilot project for Twitch Soundtrack, which gives creators a library of cleared and curated music to use in the background of their streams. The program was slowly rolled out for applicants who could use a piece of Twitch’s own content without charge.