It maybe easy to create your own 2D or 360-degree videos but when you want add that something extra – like a kicking soundtrack – before sharing with the world that’s where problems can arise, namely due to artists work being copyrighted so it can’t be used here there and everywhere. That’s about to change however, with Facebook and Universal Music Group (UMG) announcing multi-year agreement under which UMG will license its recorded music and publishing catalogs for video and other social experiences across Facebook, Instagram and Oculus.
The partnership aims to facilitate deeper engagement between artists and fans, empowering users to express themselves through music, share the songs they love and build communities around music-fueled culture. This means that users will be able to upload videos that contain licensed music and personalise their music experiences on Facebook, Instagram and Oculus, while sharing videos with friends and family.
Enabling a variety of features across Facebook’s platforms, the agreement is intended to serve as a foundation for a strategic partnership roadmap that will deliver new music-based experiences online. And in time, functionality will expand to enable access to a vast library of music across a series of social features.
Tamara Hrivnak, Head of Music Business Development and Partnerships, Facebook, said in a statement: “There is a magnetic relationship between music and community building. We are excited to bring that to life on Facebook, Instagram, Oculus and Messenger in partnership with UMG. Music lovers, artists and writers will all be right at home as we open up creativity, connection and innovation through music and video.”
Going forward, the companies will experiment hand-in-hand to introduce new music-based products to these Facebook platforms, including Messenger. This will likely include Facebook’s beta social app Facebook Spaces which recently went cross-platform by supporting HTC Vive.
“Together, Facebook and UMG are creating a dynamic new model for collaboration between music companies and social platforms to advance the interests of recording artists and songwriters while enhancing the social experience of music for their fans,”said Michael Nash, Executive Vice President of Digital Strategy, Universal Music Group. “This partnership is an important first step demonstrating that innovation and fair compensation for music creators are mutually reinforcing – they thrive together. We look forward to Facebook becoming a significant contributor to a healthy ecosystem for music that will benefit artists, fans and all those who invest in bringing great music to the world.”
As further details are released on how the agreement will improve the social VR experience, VRFocus will let you know.