News December 22, 2017

Facebook and Universal Music Group announce global music licensing deal

Former Assistant Editor

Facebook has penned an ’unprecedented global, multi-year agreement’ with Universal Music Group, which is set to license its recorded music and publishing catalogues across Facebook, Instagram and Oculus.

The deal makes Universal the first major music company tosign a deal of this nature with the social media platform.

According to a join press release from the companies, “The partnership will facilitate deeper engagement between artists and fans, empowering users to express themselves through music, share the songs they love and build communities around music-fueled culture.”

“There is a magnetic relationship between music and community building,”said Facebook head of music business development and partnershipsTamara 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.”

“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,” added UMG executive vice president of digital strategy Michael 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.”

Significantly, the new partnership will also allow users to upload videos that contain licensed music and personalise their music experiences on Facebook, Instagram and VR platform Occulus.

Functionality is also set to expand over time to allow users to access a vast library of music over various social features.

New music-based products will then be introduced to platforms including Facebook Messenger.