Music is the most common cause of a streamer losing content, and the reason has little to do with the streamer's own choices. It is a question of what a game's licences cover.
A game licence covers the game, not the broadcast
When a studio licenses a recorded track, the agreement specifies where and how it may be used, and that scope is negotiated around the game being played privately.
Public transmission is a separate right, and unless it was purchased explicitly, playing the game on a broadcast can exceed what the licence permits.
The streamer is the one transmitting, so the exposure lands on them rather than on the studio that licensed the track.
Detection happens automatically and after the fact
Platforms match audio against databases of registered recordings, comparing the acoustic characteristics rather than the file itself.
Matching is applied to recordings and clips, so a broadcast can pass live and then generate a claim hours or days later against the stored version.
The systems match recordings rather than compositions, which is why a different performance of the same piece may pass while the original does not.
Games increasingly provide a streamer mode
Many titles now include an option that disables licensed tracks and substitutes cleared music, and studios negotiate for that capability during development.
The feature is inconsistent, since it depends on the studio having anticipated the problem and on the alternative music existing at all.
Where it is absent, streamers mute the game's music entirely, which removes part of the work being shown and is a real loss for music-driven games.
Licensed music has grown more common in games
Recognisable tracks are used to establish period, tone and identity, and marketing value has made licensing attractive despite the cost.
Every such track is a potential problem for coverage, which means a game's own promotional strategy can restrict how easily it can be streamed.
Some publishers now secure broadcast rights specifically because streaming coverage is worth more than the licensing saving, but that remains a decision rather than a default.
Disputing a claim is not a practical remedy
Claims can be contested, but the process is slow and the outcome uncertain, and repeated claims can carry consequences for the channel independent of any single dispute.
Most streamers therefore treat prevention as the only workable strategy, using cleared libraries and checking whether a game offers an alternative before broadcasting it.
That caution shapes what gets covered, since a game that cannot be streamed safely receives less coverage regardless of how good it is.