Facebook has reached a massive, multi-year agreement with Universal Music Group that will now allow users to upload videos containing music from signed Universal Artists legally. Yep; that means that you can now upload videos containing songs from artists like Taylor Swift, Kanye West and Lady Gaga without it violating copyright and being taken down. The deal also doesn’t just cover Facebook, it covers Instagram and Oculus too.
This deal is a huge milestone for both the music industry and social media outlets; this is the first time a major label has signed an agreement with a social media platform like Facebook. But don’t expect it to stop here. Allegedly, Facebook is in talks with Warner Music Group and Sony Music Group, according to multiple sources.
Facebook has been trying to come to an agreement with the music industry in hopes of finding solution to allowing copyrighted music to be used on their platform and they’re excited that they finally reached one.
"There is a magnetic relationship between music and community building," said Facebook head of music business development and partnerships Tamara Hrivnak. "We are excited to bring that to life on Facebook, Instagram, Oculus and Messenger in partnership with UMG. Music lovers, artists and writers will all be right at home as we open up creativity, connection and innovation through music and video."
UMG Executive VP of Digital Strategy, Michael Nash, goes on to say that this deal will UMG is the first step, but that they will be also working with UMG in the future to introduce “music-based products” on its platform.
"Together, Facebook and UMG are creating a dynamic new model for collaboration between music companies and social platforms to advance the interests of recording artists and songwriters while enhancing the social experience of music for their fans," said Nash. "This partnership is an important first step demonstrating that innovation and fair compensation for music creators are mutually reinforcing — they thrive together. We look forward to Facebook becoming a significant contributor to a healthy ecosystem for music that will benefit artists, fans and all those who invest in bringing great music to the world."
This deal could definitely make Facebook much more compelling to video creators, which is a group Facebooks been trying to draw in recently. Just knowing that your videos won’t be taken down for using a copyrighted song gives creators more creative freedom to express themselves through their videos.
