#171 Meta and Universal Music Group Expand Partnership to Tackle AI-Generated Content and Copyright Protection
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Meta and Universal Music Group Expand Partnership to Tackle AI-Generated Content and Copyright Protection
Meta and Universal Music Group (UMG) have expanded their multi-year music licensing agreement, which will now enable users to share songs from UMG’s extensive music library across Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Horizon, Threads, and WhatsApp, without infringing on copyright laws.
This partnership, which has been in place since 2017, marks a big step forward in the digital music landscape, particularly as it introduces new measures to combat the rising issue of unauthorized AI-generated content.
The most notable aspect of this renewed agreement is the focus on "unauthorized AI-generated content." As AI continues to advance, AI systems have increasingly been used to create music by scraping existing songs, often without the consent of the original creators.
This has led to growing concerns among artists and songwriters who fear (and rightfully so) that their work is being exploited by AI companies to train their models, potentially leading to the creation of music that mimics or directly reproduces their original compositions.
In a statement, Michael Nash, Chief Digital Officer and Executive Vice President at UMG, emphasized the importance of this new initiative, stating, “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 both now and in the future.”
The Broader Context: TikTok, UMG, and AI-Related Legal Battles
This move by Meta and UMG comes on the heels of a high-profile dispute between UMG and TikTok earlier this year. The disagreement resulted in the temporary removal of UMG’s music catalog from TikTok’s platform, which includes popular artists like Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift.
UMG’s concerns centered around AI and online safety, prompting a temporary suspension of music sharing on TikTok. The two companies eventually reached a resolution in May, allowing the return of UMG’s music catalog to the platform.
The focus on AI-generated content is not limited to Meta and UMG. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which represents UMG and other major labels, recently filed a lawsuit against music generation startups Udio and Suno.
The lawsuit alleges that these companies illegally trained their AI models using copyrighted music, sparking a broader debate about the ethics and legality of using copyrighted material to train AI systems.
In response, Sudo publicly admitted to using copyrighted songs but claimed it was legal under the principle of fair use—a defense that is likely to be tested in court.
Meta’s Ethical Approach to AI Music
While UMG and other music companies are grappling with the challenges posed by AI, Meta has made strides to position itself as a responsible player in the AI-generated music space. Its GenAI models—AudioCraft, MusicGen, and Jasco—are trained exclusively on “Meta-owned and specifically licensed music,” ensuring that the content produced does not infringe on the rights of artists and songwriters.
Despite this, concerns remain about the potential misuse of these tools. For instance, Meta has acknowledged that its AudioCraft tool could be misused to create deepfake versions of someone’s voice, raising ethical questions about the technology's broader implications.
Expanding Music Sharing to WhatsApp and Threads
Another significant development in the renewed Meta-UMG agreement is the inclusion of WhatsApp and Threads in the list of platforms where users can share licensed music from UMG’s catalog.
This marks the first time WhatsApp users will be able to share licensed music within the instant messaging app, further expanding the reach of UMG’s music library across Meta’s ecosystem. Additionally, Threads, the Meta-owned social networking app designed to compete with X (formerly Twitter), is now also part of this music-sharing agreement.
A Partnership Rooted in History
Meta and UMG’s partnership dates back to 2017, when the two companies first collaborated to allow Facebook users to upload and share videos featuring songs from UMG’s music catalog. This groundbreaking agreement set the stage for the integration of licensed music into social media content, enabling users to enhance their posts with popular tracks without violating copyright laws.
Over the years, this partnership has expanded to include other Meta platforms, reflecting the growing importance of music in the digital content landscape.
As AI technology continues to evolve, the music industry faces new challenges in protecting the rights of artists and songwriters.
The expanded partnership now between Meta and UMG represents a proactive approach to addressing these challenges, setting a precedent for how tech companies and the music industry can collaborate to safeguard intellectual property in the age of AI.