Meta and Universal Music Group Addressed AI Music in New Licensing Agreement
By Srishty Kumari | Updated Aug 13, 2024, 5:17 PM IST
Universal Music Group and Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc. signed an expanded, global multiyear agreement to increase monetisation opportunities for Universal Music Group artists and songwriters across Meta’s social media platforms—the partnership was announced on August 12. Read the more details inside.
Meta and Universal Music Group Address AI Music in New Licensing Agreement
In a significant move to address the growing concerns around AI-generated music, Meta and Universal Music Group (UMG) have expanded their existing licensing agreement. The new agreement focuses on protecting artists' rights and preventing the unauthorized use of AI in music creation.
The partnership, announced on August 12, aims to establish a framework for addressing the challenges posed by artificial intelligence in the music industry. With the rapid advancement of AI technology, concerns have been raised about the potential misuse of artists' voices and styles to create synthetic music without proper compensation.
Under the expanded agreement, Meta and UMG will collaborate to develop strategies to combat deep fakes and other AI-generated content that infringe on artists' intellectual property. The companies will also explore ways to leverage AI to benefit artists and the music industry responsibly.
"We are delighted that Meta shares our artist-centric vision for respecting human creativity and compensating artists and songwriters fairly," said UMG Chief Digital Officer Michael Nash. "We look forward to continuing to work together to address unauthorized AI-generated content that could affect artists and songwriters."
The expanded agreement marks a new chapter in the Meta-UMG partnership, including music licensing for WhatsApp for the first time. This opens doors for potential new music-centric features on the messaging platform. While speculative, WhatsApp could incorporate Reels, similar to its integration on Facebook. Beyond WhatsApp, the deal grants Meta's entire platform ecosystem, encompassing Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Horizon, the rights to utilize UMG-licensed music.
Building upon their initial 2017 agreement, this collaboration could set a precedent for the music industry and other creative fields as AI technology evolves.
The partnership, announced on August 12, aims to establish a framework for addressing the challenges posed by artificial intelligence in the music industry. With the rapid advancement of AI technology, concerns have been raised about the potential misuse of artists' voices and styles to create synthetic music without proper compensation.
Under the expanded agreement, Meta and UMG will collaborate to develop strategies to combat deep fakes and other AI-generated content that infringe on artists' intellectual property. The companies will also explore ways to leverage AI to benefit artists and the music industry responsibly.
"We are delighted that Meta shares our artist-centric vision for respecting human creativity and compensating artists and songwriters fairly," said UMG Chief Digital Officer Michael Nash. "We look forward to continuing to work together to address unauthorized AI-generated content that could affect artists and songwriters."
The expanded agreement marks a new chapter in the Meta-UMG partnership, including music licensing for WhatsApp for the first time. This opens doors for potential new music-centric features on the messaging platform. While speculative, WhatsApp could incorporate Reels, similar to its integration on Facebook. Beyond WhatsApp, the deal grants Meta's entire platform ecosystem, encompassing Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Horizon, the rights to utilize UMG-licensed music.
Building upon their initial 2017 agreement, this collaboration could set a precedent for the music industry and other creative fields as AI technology evolves.
