New York, 10th August 2022 Twitch and Merlin will come together to present a livestreamed charity “relay raid.” The relay raid will feature back-to-back performances from some of today’s hottest independent hip hop artists. Throughout the event, viewers will be automatically directed to each performance and can donate to MusiCares® by clicking the link provided in the livestream.
The Twitch Indies Raid will showcase many of the hip hop artists who have built a home and a fan base on Twitch, bringing them together for a good cause. The event will feature streamed performances from artists affiliated with Merlin members, including Wicca Phase Springs Eternal (Secretly Distribution), 1K Phew (Reach Records), MNDSGN (Stones Throw), Teflon Sega (EMPIRE), and Knxwledge (Stones Throw). These artists are joined by two prominent Twitch users, artists Murs and Trishes.
MusiCares is the leading music charity, providing a safety net to support the health and wellness of the music community across a spectrum of needs. The organization provides mental health and addiction recovery services, health services and financial assistance, support for basic living expenses, support following unforeseen personal emergencies, and disaster relief.
The raid, which takes place on August 17th from 12:00 – 3:30 p.m. ET, is presented by Merlin, the independent’s digital music licensing partner. It’s the first of three collaborative events between Twitch and Merlin – the second slated for fall, and the final penned for early 2023.
“As members of Merlin, Reach Records and its artists have been excited to be a part of Twitch’s increased focus on music-centric programming,” said Katie Alberts, Chief Operating Officer at Reach Records. “Events such as the Indies Raid: Hip Hop truly take fan engagement to the next level. We’re thrilled to see artists such as 1K Phew rallying support for MusiCares, an organization that means so much to everyone in the music community!”
This charitable raid opportunity builds upon the existing partnership between Twitch and Merlin announced in February 2022. This partnership recognized the power of independent artists and their impact in the Twitch community, opened up dedicated support for Merlin members and their artists to grow their audience bases, and unlocked new marketing opportunities.
About Twitch
Launched in 2011, Twitch is an interactive live streaming service and global community that comes together every day to create unique, live, and unpredictable experiences from the interactions of millions. It brings the joy of co-op to everything, from casual gaming and world-class esports to anime marathons, music, and art streams. Twitch also hosts TwitchCon, the biggest community event of the year, where tens of thousands of people come together to celebrate and connect with others who share their interests and passions. We’re always live at Twitch. Stay up to date on all things Twitch on Twitter and on our Blog.
About Merlin
Merlin provides independents the means to own their future. Merlin is a member led, music focused organization providing digital music licensing for independents across the globe. Members benefit from Merlin’s premium deals, but work directly with key digital partners. Our membership consists of independent labels, distributors, and other rights-holders, representing tens of thousands of labels and hundreds of thousands of artists from every country in the world. Merlin works collaboratively with our digital partners, delivers value back to those digital partners, and seeks to drive other incremental benefits to our members.
Merlin’s approach has enabled our membership to grow to represent 15% of the global market share. Merlin’s membership includes independents such as Amuse, Armada Music, Beggars Group, Cinq Music Group, Dim Mak, DistroKid, Domino, MNRK Music Group, Epitaph Records, Foundation Media, Kontor New Media, Mad Decent, Monstercat, Mushroom Music, Ninja Tune, [PIAS], Pony Canyon, Secret City, Secretly, Symphonic Distribution, Sub Pop, Ultra Records, Vydia, and hundreds more.
Merlin has deals with nearly 40 digital services, including partners like Apple, Boomplay, Deezer, FLO, JioSaavn, JOOX, KKBox, Meta (Facebook), NetEase, Pandora, Peloton, Snap, SoundCloud, Spotify, Tencent, TikTok, TREBEL, Triller, YouTube Music, and many other global, regional and strategic partners, as well as being in conversations with dozens more.
Merlin has resources in London, New York, North Carolina, the Netherlands, and Tokyo.
Find out more at www.merlinnetwork.org
About MusiCares
MusiCares helps the humans behind music because music gives so much to the world. Offering preventive, emergency and recovery programs, MusiCares is a safety net supporting the health and welfare of the music community. Founded by the Recording Academy in 1989 as a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) charity, MusiCares safeguards the well-being of all music people through direct financial grant programs, networks of support resources, and tailored crisis relief efforts. For more information please visit: www.musicares.org.
