Facebook’s partnership with Global Music Rights (GMR), Kobalt and SESAC’s Rumblefish will now ensure that artistes get rewarded if their works are used on the social media giant’s platform.
The company already partners with Universal Music Group in its bid to reshape itself as a valuable ecosystem for music creators.
Facebook’s partnership with GMR, Kobalt and Rumblefish meant that if anyone were to use an artiste’s work it has to be licensed by a Performance Rights Organisation (PRO).
If the songs are unlicensed they would be pulled down by using Rumblefish to track and clear the works.
This covers songs used in viral videos, wedding videos and livestreams: they could be taken down if the song used were not licensed.
According to Billboard, Facebook and the music industry are trying to bring music into the way users of Facebook, Instagram and Messenger express themselves on the platform.
Tamara Hrivnak, Head of Music Business Business Development explained in a blog that Facebook “values the talent of independent writers and publishers,” through its partnership with these rights companies “so that indie writers’ music can come to life and find their audience on our platforms.”
The pairing with Rumblefish will enable users to upload and share videos with official music across Facebook, Instagram and Oculus and for publishers to be properly compensated for the use of their music.
For artistes to benefit from this, they have to register with a functioning PRO and ensure that all their self released songs are registered properly.