Twitch Head of Music Cindy Charles passes away

During her time as the Head of Music at Twitch, Cindy Charles proved to be a forward-thinking pioneer. Tragically, she passed away this week following injuries sustained while in Amsterdam.

The music industry, and DJs in particular will forever owe Cindy Charles a debt of gratitude for her determination and innovation for making Twitch a viable platform for artists. Through her leadership and tireless efforts, she brokered many licensing deals, making the platform a safe space to reach a new audience and experiment with sounds and genres. More recently, she was heavily involved in helping to put together the Charlie XCX event at Storm King and was set to be featured on a panel discussion during the Amsterdam Dance Event proceedings this week. Unfortunately, tragedy struck upon her landing in Amsterdam with some of the details revealed by her coworker and friend Kira Karlstrom in a blog post. While traveling through the country, Cindy Charles was involved in a car accident and succumbed to her injuries earlier this week.

In the blog, Karlstrom mourns her friend while celebrating Charles’ life, energy, and passion for the music industry. She states, “What many may not realize is that Cindy was the visionary behind Twitch’s groundbreaking music deals in ’21 and ’22. She wasn’t just about making deals; she was about creating impact. She was passionate about giving underrepresented communities — especially DJs — a platform to thrive. Cindy believed DJs could bring immense value and growth to Twitch, but even more importantly, she saw Twitch as a home where DJs could be supported, promoted, and given the tools to build their global communities. Her efforts led to a first-of-its-kind, fully licensed DJ product, allowing DJs to legally stream music from vast catalogs — a monumental achievement that took years of tireless work and was a testament to her dedication.”

Wrapping up her blog and dedication, Karlstrom shares some of her final moments with Cindy Charles as they awaited their flight to Amsterdam. ‘I’ll never forget sitting with Cindy in the JFK Delta Lounge on Sunday evening, just before we left for Amsterdam — the night before she passed. We reflected on all we had accomplished — the success of the DJ program, the Charlix XCX event at Storm King — and talked about the exciting things ahead. In that moment, Cindy said something I’ll carry with me forever: “I finally feel like all my life’s work has been worth it. I’m making a difference for artists.”’

We at We Rave You send our condolences to the family and friends fo Cindy Charles as we honor and celebrate the incredible work she did for the DJs and the entire music industry.