Amazon is adding Twitch streaming functionalities to its Music app, the company announced on Tuesday. This partnership between the two sister companies will enable artists to connect live with their fans on Amazon Music.
Twitch’s live streaming functionality is already available on Amazon Music app for both Android and iOS platforms. It is accessible for users across all streaming tiers, including the free tier, Amazon Prime, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Amazon Music HD.
Users can follow an artist on Amazon Music and get alerts when they go live. They can also discover ongoing live streams through the app’s new “Live” browse page. Additionally, an artist’s profile page will also show if they are streaming live. Music artists will need to link their Amazon Music and Twitch accounts through the new Amazon Music for Artists app.
The company says more than 1,000 artists connected their Amazon Music accounts to Twitch on the first day itself. Amazon Music has more than 55 million customers across all streaming tiers.
Amazon Music and Twitch, both owned by Amazon, have teamed up in the past as well. The two companies worked with artists including Barry Gibb, Ryan Tedder, Charlie Puth, and many others to raise funds for COVID-19 Relief efforts earlier this year.
Amazon Music adds Twitch live streaming
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has shut down in-person events, concert live streaming has grown multifold. As artists can’t go on tour, they are looking for new ways to continue creating and connecting with fans. Many artists have taken to platforms such as Twitch, TikTok, Facebook, and others to connect with their fans.
Twitch, in particular, has seen strong adoption by artists as their go-to platform for live streaming during this pandemic. According to a StreamElements report, the Amazon-owned streaming service saw a 56-percent quarter-on-quarter increase in hours watched in Q2 2020.
Amazon is sensing an opportunity here as incorporating Twitch’s live streaming functionality into its Music app could provide artists with a larger audience, resulting in greater adoption of its two services. This also enables fans to watch their favorite artists perform live on the very platform they listen to their songs from.
“The combination of live streaming, coupled with the on-demand playback of songs on Amazon Music is groundbreaking,” said Ryan Redington, Director, Amazon Music.
Upcoming Twitch live streams on Amazon Music include:
- A Q/A session by The Killers’ Brandon Flowers and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. about their latest album, Imploding the Mirage, on September 4 at 1 PM ET (5 PM GMT).
- Soul singer and storyteller Nicole Atkins will host a variety series Wednesdays at 7 PM ET (11 PM GMT) with performances and interviews with friends and artists including Elle King, Cut Worms, and Whitney.
- Amazon Music UK will stream the Heavy Music Awards 2020 on September 3 at 3:30 PM ET (7:30 PM GMT). The event will feature performances from The Hunna, Holding Absence, Heart Of A Coward, Wargasm, Coldbones, and HAWXX.
- Capital One City Parks Foundation’s SummerStage Anywhere will stream weekly concert series on Tuesday at 7 PM ET(11 PM GMT). Those exclusive concerts will span across Latin, World, Hip-Hop, Jazz, and more.