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Creator Camp

Intro to Music on Twitch


Sign Up

First, sign up for an account at twitch.tv. Once you’re signed up, visit your Settings page to customize your Twitch account with a profile picture and bio.

Next, head to your channel page (twitch.tv/USERNAME) to add custom Panels linking your website, merch store, streaming music, or whatever you’d like. We also recommend setting up your schedule so your viewers know when to tune in. Check out our Channel Page Setup guide to learn more.

Go Live

There are a few ways to start your first Twitch stream without much setup. Check out our Quick Start Guide to start streaming in minutes through your laptop, mobile phone or web browser.

If you’ve already got your gear set up and want to create a high-quality stream, check out our guide to Broadcasting Software .

Build Your Community

In addition to live performances, Twitch streams can open up new creative avenues through interactivity with chat. Musicians on Twitch often host Q&A sessions with their fan communities, take live requests or even write songs based on chat feedback. 

  • Bring your audience: Make sure to tell friends, fans and social media followers when you’re going live, and encourage them to come chat with you and join your community.
  • Turn viewers to followers: Remember to remind your Twitch audience to hit the follow button. This will notify them whenever you go live.
  • Set a schedule: Streaming consistently will help your audience know when to come back. It’s best to set a schedule in advance, and post the dates and times of upcoming streams to social media and your Twitch channel page.
  • Join in: Twitch is an interactive experience. Your audience will be chatting with you during your streams, so be sure to read your chat, interact with your community and give shoutouts to people who follow and subscribe.

Check out our Communities for Musicians guide to learn more. If you find yourself with first-time viewers mixed in with your existing audience, we’ve put together a set of tips to engage and retain new viewers .

Get Rewarded

As you stream regularly and build your Twitch audience, your community can support your work in various ways. Many musicians link to their merch stores from their channel page, or set up links to contribute directly.

When your channel reaches Affiliate or Partner status, your audience can subscribe to your channel for ad-free viewing and extra perks, or cheer you on with Bits ; as a Partner, you can choose to run ads on your channel. There’s an array of ways to monetize on Twitch, and we’ve got the entire download for you here .

Keep Things Positive

Chat moderation will help you keep your Twitch community healthy, positive and safe. We highly recommend enabling our AutoMod tool, which automatically applies rules for moderating your chat. 

You can also designate people you trust as Moderators ; this allows them to ban and timeout viewers in your chat, keeping your channel safe and friendly as you grow. Check out our Moderation and Safety article for more information.

Learn More

Want to make the most of your Twitch channel? Here are some Creator Camp guides that can help: