As of today Facebook & Instagram are clamping down on live streaming of music with a change to their terms.
While live streaming has been around for a while, I think we can all agree that the lockdown enforced by the Covid 19 pandemic saw it become a credible form of entertainment. Your favourite DJs invited you into their studios so they could spin some tunes for you. While the clubs were closed we were still able to enjoy the sounds at home. You got that one to one connection that you don’t get with these artists in a club environment.
Ego Trippin seemed to be doing daily live streams from his studio. On sunny days Logan D broadcast from his garden. Friction entertained us from a rooftop in Brighton. Subfocus & Wilkinson streamed from their homes. Even Andy C got in on the action, dropping his devastating One7Four mix.
It wasn’t just drum and bass artists catching the vibe, Carl Cox, Jazzy Jeff, Fatboy Slim and Lil Louis Vega, to name a few, were all regular Facebook live streamers. We can’t not mention Idris Elba’s slick mix for Defected from a penthouse in Amsterdam!
The Prototypes & DJ EZ took lockdown live streams to extremes, both doing marathon 24 hour broadcasts!
The Terms Have Changed
Unfortunately it seems that DJ live streams could be a thing of the past as of today, on Facebook & Instagram at least. Section 4 Subsection 5.2 of the Facebook terms of service references Music Guidelines. This section states:
You may not use videos on our Products to create a music listening experience
We want you to be able to enjoy videos posted by family and friends. However, if you use videos on our Products to create a music listening experience for yourself or for others, your videos will be blocked and your page, profile or group may be deleted. This includes Live.
Digital DJ Tips founder Phil Morse said that “It’s immensely frustrating for DJs, and such a shame that the law cannot seem to catch up with the tech and the way people want to use use it”.
Dan White of DJTechTools wrote that “While this is an explicit change in the Terms of Service, Facebook already does this type of music content policing on both uploaded videos and Facebook Live. What the ToS change does is codify the violation and potential repercussions. Your page, profile, or group may be deleted is a pretty heavy-handed way of saying we might remove your entire Facebook presence if you keep streaming DJ sets”.
Streaming Isn’t Going Away
Thankfully Facebook isn’t the only live streaming platform. Services such as YouTube & Twitch still offer a live stream function, and let’s not forget Mixcloud… They’re boasting that their new Mixcloud LIVE service is “the only legal and licensed streaming platform for creators to upload and live stream their shows”.
While You’re Here…
Enjoying all the free D&B content we publish on LoveThatBass? Then why not support by buying some exclusive LoveThatBass merchandise or one of our label releases? All profits go directly towards the running & maintenance of this site so we can continue doing what we do
