Meta, in collaboration with Universal Music Group (UMG), revealed on Monday an expanded version of their longstanding music licensing deal. This enhancement allows users across various Meta platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Horizon, Threads, and WhatsApp, to share UMG’s vast catalog of music without infringing on copyright laws.
A key highlight of this renewed agreement is its focus on combating “unauthorized AI-generated content,” targeting the misuse of songs by AI technologies without permission from the original artists. This issue has become increasingly pertinent as musicians and songwriters confront the challenge of AI imitations and the unauthorized use of their creations for AI model training.
Michael Nash, UMG’s Chief Digital Officer and Executive Vice President, expressed enthusiasm about the ongoing collaboration to tackle the issue of illicit AI-generated content, underlining UMG’s commitment to safeguarding artists’ and songwriters’ rights now and into the future.
This announcement comes in the aftermath of a dispute between TikTok and UMG earlier in the year, resulting in a temporary removal of UMG’s music from the popular video-sharing platform. In response to the conflict, UMG voiced significant concerns in February about AI’s implications and online safety, leading to a resolution in May that saw the return of music from iconic artists like Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift to TikTok.
Furthermore, this agreement surfaces in the wake of an AI-centric lawsuit by the Recording Industry Association of America (representing UMG and other leading labels) against Udio and Suno. The legal battle accuses these startups of training their AI on copyrighted music. Suno recently conceded to using copyrighted tracks but argued its actions fall within legal fair use provisions.
On its part, Meta is portraying itself as taking a moral stance on AI music creation, by developing generative AI technologies (AudioCraft, MusicGen, and Jasco) using exclusively owned or properly licensed music, as its site mentions. TechCrunch’s Kyle Wiggers points out, though, that Meta has admitted the potential misapplication of AudioCraft in generating deepfake voices.
This development also marks a first for WhatsApp and Threads users, who can now enjoy sharing UMG-licensed music on these platforms, with Threads positioning itself as a rival to Twitter’s X.
The original partnership between Meta and UMG was established back in 2017, setting a precedent for major music companies allowing their catalog to be used in user-generated content on Facebook.
Compiled by Techarena.au.
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