Monstercat addresses Twitch affiliate controversy

Canadian record label Monstercat recently addressed some confusion surrounding their “Monstercat Gold” program, which appeared to allow subscribers to “fast-track Affiliate status” on Twitch. 

To become an Affiliate on Twitch, content creators have to earn the distinction by having at least 50 followers, at least seven unique broadcast days in their last 30 days, and an average of three concurrent viewers or more over the span of a month. The streaming community was confused when Monstercat claimed streamers could purchase Affiliate status instead through a new promotion. 

Two days later, Monstercat sent a follow-up tweet as confusion over the partnership mounted. The company clarified that they didn’t mean to lead streamers to believe that they could guarantee them Affiliate status. 

“To clarify our original post,” Monstercat tweeted, “all current Gold subscribers must meet Twitch’s Affiliate criteria. Our goal was never to take away from the achievements that Affiliates worked for in their time streaming on Twitch.”

Monstercat stated that they will be announcing opportunities that “benefit the entire Affiliate and Partner community” in the near future. 

Twitch community responds to Monstercat drama

Despite their corrective tweet, the streaming community was still skeptical of the record label. The idea of streamers paying their way to becoming a Twitch partner concerned them. Others noted that the requirements for Affiliate status are pretty low, making the payment alternative at least somewhat innocent. 

Either way, people wondered why anyone would need to pay for the “Monstercat Gold” service instead of applying for the status on Twitch for free. The ongoing confusion led some more prominent Twitch community members to call on Monstercat to address the controversy. 

Twitch news commentator Zach Bussey accused Monstercat of lying. He explained that Monstercat’s follow-up tweet only further confused him and others since it made it seem like streamers could initially pay to become an Affiliate on Twitch, only to be told in the clarification that this wasn’t guaranteed. So what were people even paying for? 

“The only way I can rationalize this is if you can STILL pay for Affiliate, BUT, Twitch is worried about trolls/ISIS/Proud Boys signing up for Monstercat and becoming affiliates… So, they are throwing SOME disclaimers in there if they need to decline people. Maybe?” Bussey said.

After the confusion, Monstercat took down their page outlining what Monstercat Gold entailed. A little while later, the page was replaced with a statement that said the offer had concluded. It also said that unhappy Monstercat Gold buyers could request a refund. 

Other Twitter users noted that Monstercat Gold’s deal never really started to begin with, given its original phrasing.