Universal extends partnership with Twitch and Amazon Music

The new deal will see Twitch and UMG work together to develop innovative campaigns for artists and labels to engage with their fans and new audiences. In addition to other music-based content, UMG will create artist and label channels on Twitch and work closely with the Amazon-owned video service to produce a series of artist features and experiences, with an aim of increasing engagement and communication between brands and audiences on the platform.

The partnership will offer users more access to music content on Amazon, including live streams, high quality and spatial audio, artist merchandise and engagement with Universal’s roster of musicians. Amazon Music and UMG will continue to work together to enhance the fan experience when using the Amazon Music app, which is expected to make it simpler for UMG artists to develop premium campaigns. Last year, Amazon Music and UMG collaborated with big names such as Billie Eilish, Selena Gomez and The Weeknd to create exclusive merchandise for their new album campaigns.

“With the breadth of their music services and products, and their dedicated focus on customers and creators, Amazon Music and Twitch are excellent strategic collaborators, committed to creating the best and most diverse experiences for fans across streaming music, live streaming, artist collaborations, and physical merchandise,” UMG’s executive vice-president of digital strategy, Michael Nash, said. “With these agreements, we are proud to build on our track record of success in working closely with Amazon, and we’re looking forward to delivering even more incredible experiences for our artists and music fans everywhere.”

Twitch head of music Tracy Chan said. “Twitch embodies a creator-first culture, including empowering musicians. Now, more than ever, we’re excited to work with UMG in an effort to further broaden the scope of tools available for their artists to engage with fans, while also providing new avenues for their artists to earn meaningful income while streaming on Twitch.”

UMG’s expanded deal comes months after Twitch and Warner Music Group inked a partnership in September, which marked the platform’s first agreement with a major music rights holder. WMG also planned to launch its artist channels with exclusive content on the platform.