Twitch replaces Metallica rocking out at BlizzConline with generic music to avoid DMCA takedown Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Twitch replaces Metallica rocking out at BlizzConline with generic music to avoid DMCA takedown For Whom the Bell Trolls. News by Wesley Yin-Poole Deputy Editorial Director Updated on 20 Feb 2021 41 comments Twitch replaced Metallica at the end of BlizzConline's opening ceremony with generic royalty-free music to avoid a DMCA takedown - with hilarious results. Soon after James Hetfield and co started rocking out, the lever pullers at Twitch replaced the band's music with a plinky tune in an apparent bid to avoid potential takedowns. This occurred on the Twitch Gaming channel, but it did not occur on other Twitch channels, such as Blizzard's own, and it did not occur on the live stream on Blizzard's YouTube channels (I was watching at the time). It seems Twitch did not obtain the music performance rights Blizzard obtained for its channels, and so felt it prudent to replace Metallica on its official Twitch Gaming channel, which it bubbled up to Twitch's front page. Skip to the one hour and 11 minutes mark in the video below to see the "transition". As you'd expect, the chat is on point. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings UPDATE: It appears Twitch has pulled the BlizzConline VOD from its Twitch Gaming channel. The video below shows what happened: Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedowns over music on Twitch have been a source of frustration for streamers after a wave of bans issued in 2020. In May 2020, representatives for the major record labels started sending thousands of DMCA notifications each week to Twitch that targeted creators' archives, mostly for snippets of tracks in years-old clips. In November 2020, Twitch warned streamers not to play recorded music on their streams, and suggested they review their historical VODs and clips and delete any archives that had music in them. Would Metallica's own record label have issued a DMCA takedown over the band's live and officially-sanctioned performance on-stream? It seems a silly question to ask, but from the looks of things Twitch didn't want to risk finding out. Metallica's involvement in this is also interesting because of the band's history with DMCA. In the early 2000s, Metallica sued Napster for copyright infringement, paving the way for the DMCA as we know it today. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store