Universal Music Announces New Licensing Deal with Meta

This could be interesting.

Today, Universal Music Group (UMG) has announced that it’s updated its music licensing arrangement with Meta, which will enable Meta to use its artists’ music in more ways in its apps.

Meta established a then industry-first music licensing agreement with UMG back in 2017, which has enabled Meta to build various music-aligned products, including music stickers, which have proven popular in its apps.

And now, it’s looking to build new music experiences in its apps.

As per UMG:

“Meta and Universal Music Group (UMG) today announced an expanded global, multi-year agreement that will further evolve the creative and commercial opportunities for UMG artists and Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) songwriters across Meta's global network of platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Horizon, Threads and, for the first time, WhatsApp. The new agreement reflects the two companies' shared commitment to protecting human creators and artistry, including ensuring that artists and songwriters are compensated fairly.”

A key element of the new deal, UMG says, is the provision of new regulations around unauthorized AI-generated content which could impact artists and songwriters.

“We are delighted that Meta shares our artist-centric vision for respecting human creativity and compensating artists and songwriters fairly. We look forward to continuing to work together to address unauthorized AI-generated content that could affect artists and songwriters, so that UMG can continue to protect their rights both now and in the future."

This, of course, has become a key focus for IP holders and managers, as new tools facilitate all new ways to essentially replicate artists’ work. And if publishers don’t manage this, that could lead to people profiting off of their clients’ likeness.

I suspect that this is why we’ve seen platforms pump the brakes on functions that enable the creation of AI deepfakes of musicians. Last year, and AI-generated song that replicated the voices of Drake and The Weeknd briefly trended on TikTok, and other apps, before it was steadily phased out due to copyright challenges.

Examples like this would be front of mind for record labels within these renegotiations, and ensuring that social apps don’t build tools that could enable users to create their own variants in this way.

But there’s also another element of interest in this new UMG deal.

As per Tamara Hrivnak, VP Music and Content Business Development at Meta:

"This partnership builds on the recognition that music can help connect us and bring fans, artists, and songwriters closer together, not only on established platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, but also in new ways on WhatsApp, and more."

New music options on WhatsApp. That could be interesting.

WhatsApp has seen a surge in interest of late, particularly in the U.S., and Meta could now be looking to build in more functionality to expand discovery and engagement elements in the app.

Presumably, this will relate to music-type stickers within chats, so you can discuss the latest tracks, or dedicated channels with new tools for musicians.

But either way, it’ll be interesting to see what Meta comes up with, and what this may mean for future music promotions and engagement.   

As per UMG, Meta’s Horizon VR experience is also built into the new terms, which may also facilitate new music experiences in virtual worlds.

It’s another important step for Meta’s music ambitions, and with UMG also battling with TikTok earlier in the year over music rights, it’s also a smart move for Meta to solidify this partnership, in case of future tensions with other apps.