New agreement advances social music opportunities for UMG artists and UMPG songwriters across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Horizon, Threads and WhatsApp

Meta and Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, 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.  As part of their multifaceted partnership, Meta and UMG will continue working together to address, among other things, unauthorized AI-generated content that could affect artists and songwriters.

The new agreement builds upon the strategic framework established with 2017’s landmark agreement between the two companies, which ushered in a new era of collaboration between the music industry and the company then known as Facebook. Under the 2017 agreement, UMG became the first major music company to license its recorded music and music publishing catalogs across Facebook’s platforms.  In turn, Facebook took a pioneering role as music’s first fully licensed partner among the major social media platforms.

Meta’s platforms have long been a destination for artists and writers to connect directly with fans to expand audience and depth of connection.  Since 2017, the companies have worked closely together to explore new emergent channels and creative ways for licensed music to thrive within the entire Meta ecosystem, including Facebook, Instagram, virtual reality experiences across Meta Quest and Horizon, User Generated Content (UGC), live streaming and other Meta products.  The new agreement expands monetization opportunities for UMG, and its artists and songwriters, even further with short form video, building on Meta and UMG’s joint track record of innovation and collaboration. In addition, UMG has partnered with Meta to license music for WhatsApp, unlocking new value for UMG artists and songwriters in the future.

Tamara Hrivnak, VP Music and Content Business Development at Meta, said, “We are thrilled to announce our renewal with Universal Music Group, and Universal Music Publishing Group, both of whom are innovators for music on social media, especially with regard to Meta’s family of apps.  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.  We’re extremely grateful to the Universal team, and look forward to growing our partnership in the future.”

Michael Nash, Chief Digital Officer & EVP, Universal Music Group said, “Since our landmark 2017 agreement, Meta has consistently demonstrated its commitment to artists and songwriters by helping to amplify the importance music holds across its global network of engaged communities and platforms, creating new opportunities and applications where music amplifies and leads engagement and conversations.  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.”

(Source: Universal Music)