We are living in a golden age of music, where we can access so many options and dig through the historical backlogs of both classics and obscurities that were hidden from the world just 20 years ago. There's also the greatest number of people creating and sharing music in the most incredible mediums: from SoundCloud DJ mixes to insanely beautiful YouTube sets with picturesque scenery and drone footage. Even with all of these options, there's no substitute for live performance. And Twitch has delivered an amazing feel and community that helps keep it fresh and fun.

So Many Options

I don't think paralysis analysis is an issue for most people when it comes to music, because they usually turn to their favorites or just let something like a radio or playlist recommendations take care of the tunes for them. The fact that we can get the stuff we like on demand with very little hassle is a damn miracle, and people having choice in their music is one of the most important developments of the internet and being connected to everyone.

Unfortunately, a lot of people are simply content to have something nice play in the background, and limit their music listening experiences to repetition of their favorite songs or artists. There's a whole lot of music to explore out there, but more importantly there are so many WAYS to listen to music that it seems almost criminal to take this lazy approach to jamming out.

Luckily for us, finding these other fun and unique options is pretty easy. Enter Twitch, the video game streaming platform that has since its inception expanded to include categories like Just Chatting and Art, and of course, Music.

Intentional Listening

Morbid reality check - you're gonna die. Yeah, you. We all do. Do you want to think back on a life long lived and be happy that you just put music on to have something playing, or do you want to think back to all the ways in which you enriched your life by exploring something so universally important to our human condition?

Seriousness aside, give yourself a breath of fresh air and be more selective in what you listen to. Not selective as a form of limiting, but selective as in actually perusing and deciding on what thing you want to jam to right now. With Twitch, you can make selections on what live music you want to listen to while still letting that person take you on a musical journey of variety too.

Live is Better

Forget whatever you think and just go with it: Live is Better.

When you're watching a DJ on Twitch, you get to feel that same energy you might if you were seeing them live and in person - that connection between performer and audience, where you're actively influencing the experience based on your reaction to the tunes. Only, this time you can actually fucking hear other people in the room (or text chat with them in this case) instead of shouting over the club's loudspeakers.

When you're on a stream, you're there with people from all over the world and get a chance to participate in a community of people who like the same stuff.

All of this sounds really corny, but give it a shot. You'll find you smile and laugh a lot more than just a standard background soundtrack and you can ask for track IDs, recommendations, and show the DJ some thanks and appreciation - all from the comfort of your underwear (if you so choose).

Support Artists

On top of all of the benefits you can get by joining a Twitch livestream, you also get to vote with your ears and thoughts and help other people get recognized too. If you're a DJ you know that each new person who you've got grooving means the absolute world to them.

On top of words of encouragement, promotion, and community, you also get a chance to financially support an artist. Most subscriptions are only $5 a month, and if you think about how that doesn't even cover a god damn Bud Lite at the club anymore you'll realize how much value that $5 has when it brings a DJ a boost and the fuel to keep them doing their thing.

The majority of DJs on Twitch aren't making a career out of it. They are people just like you and me, and not some YouTube celebrity, who bust their ass and devote their free time and passion to bringing more music to the masses.