Meta Partners with Universal Music to Let Users Share Songs on WhatsApp

Universal Music Group has secured a groundbreaking licensing deal with Meta, enabling music from UMG artists to be shared on WhatsApp without infringing on copyright laws.

This agreement is part of an extended global licensing arrangement which began in 2017, ensuring that UMG’s artists and songwriters can distribute copyrighted music across Meta platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Horizon, and Threads.

Under the renewed deal, artists and songwriters from UMG will earn a portion of advertising revenue generated from the use of their licensed music on Meta creator posts.

The incorporation of licensed music on WhatsApp signifies UMG’s ongoing efforts to prevent unauthorized music use, particularly AI-generated content, safeguarding the rights of their artists and songwriters.

Michael Nash, UMG’s chief digital officer and executive vice president, expressed enthusiasm in a statement, “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 expanded deal emphasizes Meta’s strategy to incorporate licensed music content on its platforms rather than launching its own streaming service, a route taken by competitors like Apple Music and Spotify.

In May 2024, UMG resolved a royalties dispute with TikTok by entering into a new music licensing agreement. Such deals with social media platforms are crucial for compensating artists and songwriters appropriately for the use of artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry and online.