Meta and Universal Music Group (UMG) announced on Monday the expansion of their multi-year music licensing agreement, allowing users to share songs from UMG’s catalog across all Meta platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Horizon, Threads, and WhatsApp, without infringing on copyrights.
What stands out in this new agreement is that both companies are taking action against “unauthorized AI-generated content.” This refers to songs being used by artificial intelligence systems without the original creators' consent. Artists and songwriters are increasingly concerned about AI-created imitations and the use of their work to train these models without their permission.
Michael Nash, UMG's chief digital officer and executive vice president, stated in a release: “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 now and in the future.”
Agreement and Challenges
This agreement follows a conflict between TikTok and UMG earlier this year when the label’s music catalog was removed from the popular short-form video app. In February, UMG expressed concerns about artificial intelligence and online safety on the platform. However, in May, the two companies reached an agreement that allowed music from artists like Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift to return to TikTok.
Additionally, this new agreement comes shortly after an AI-related lawsuit filed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which represents UMG and other major labels, against music generation startups Udio and Suno. The lawsuit alleges that these companies trained their AI models using copyrighted music. Sudo, one of the companies being sued, a admitted to using protected songs but argued that it did so legally under the fair use principle.
For its part, Meta claims to be taking an ethical approach to AI-generated music, releasing only generative AI models (such as AudioCraft, MusicGen, and Jasco) that have been trained with music either owned by Meta or specifically licensed, according to its website. However, Meta has acknowledged that AudioCraft could potentially be misused to create a deepfake of someone’s voice.
Another new feature is that, for the first time, WhatsApp users can share licensed music from UMG within the instant messaging app. This also includes Threads, Meta's social network that directly competes with X (formerly Twitter). Meta and UMG first partnered in 2017, marking the first time a major music company allowed Facebook users to upload and share videos featuring songs from its music catalog.
