After launching their ‘Sound Collection’ library of free audio tracks for users last month, and a subsequent deal with Universal Music Group on licensing the use of Universal songs in people’s videos, Facebook has now negotiated a similar deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing, giving creators more options for using music in their videos – without the fear of having them taken down due to copyright infringement.
As per Variety:
“Under the agreement, users will be able to upload and share videos on Facebook, Instagram and Oculus that contain compositions licensed from Sony/ATV’s catalog as well as personalize their music experiences with songs from the catalog.”
The deal is a significant part of Facebook’s expanding video efforts – The Social Network has reportedly been in negotiations with various music publishers for months in an effort to avoid having to remove infringing content and to give publishers more options for their video content, specifically.
Indeed, as Facebook looks to ramp up their video efforts, content quality will be a significant concern – as most video platforms, especially live-streaming providers, have found, building a stable audience of people who keep coming back is tough because you’re reliant on the quality of the content being provided by users. Adding music can help a lot in this regard – having the option to include your favorite tracks in your videos can make them more engaging, while also opening up a range of opportunities for new content forms (ala ‘Animoji Karaoke’)
Variety reports that Facebook may also be closing in on a similar music licensing deal with Warner, giving them an even broader range of audio options.
In addition to this, Facebook also recently announced a new deal to add short-form content from ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ and ‘The Late Late Show with James Corden’ to Facebook Watch, as part of a new agreement with CBS.
YouTube already hosts clips from these shows, so it’s not a major step, but it does give Facebook an additional tool in their growing video arsenal, which its slowly building as it looks to push its video ambitions in line with user preferences.