Facebook & Universal Music Group Reach Global Agreement

SANTA MONICA, CA – Santa Monica-based Universal Music Group and Facebook announced a global, multi-year agreement Thursday, under which UMG becomes the first major music company to license its recorded music and publishing catalogs for video and other social experiences across Facebook, Instagram and Oculus.

A jointly issued statement says 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. Enabling a variety of features across Facebook's platforms, the agreement is intended to serve as a foundation for a strategic partnership roadmap that will deliver new music-based experiences online."
Users will be able to upload videos that contain licensed music and personalize their music experiences on Facebook, Instagram and Oculus, while sharing videos with friends and family. In time, functionality will expand to enable access to a vast library of music across a series of social features, according to the companies.

"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 Michael Nash, UMG's executive vice president of digital strategy.

"This partnership is an important first step demonstrating that innovation and fair compensation for music creators are mutually reinforcing -- they thrive together," he said. "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."

City News Service; Image via Shutterstock