Meta and Universal Music Group Strike Groundbreaking AI Music Licensing Deal

Meta and Universal Music Group expanded their music licensing deal to let Meta users share UMG songs on their platforms. They are also working together to stop illegal AI-made content that violates artists’ rights.

Meta and Universal Music Group (UMG) expanded their multi-year music licensing agreement on Monday. This means that users can share songs from UMG’s music library on Meta’s platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Horizon, Threads, and WhatsApp, without breaking copyright laws.

The most intriguing thing about the new deal is that it says the two companies are working together to stop “unauthorized AI-generated content.”

AI systems often take songs without the creators’ permission, which is what this term means. Artists and songwriters are increasingly confronted with AI fakes and the practice of AI companies using their work to train their models.

According to a statement from Michael Nash, chief digital officer and executive vice president at UMG, the company is looking forward to continuing to work together to deal with illegal AI-generated content that could hurt artists and songwriters. In this way, UMG can keep their rights safe now and in the future.

The agreement follows TikTok’s conflict with UMG earlier this year, during which the label removed its music library from the short-form video app. In a statement released in February, UMG made it clear that it was concerned about AI and online safety on the platform.

It was a truce between the two companies in May that allowed music from artists like Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift to return on TikTok.

The Recording Industry Association of America, which represents UMG and other major labels, recently filed a lawsuit against music generation startups Udio and Suno over AI. The new agreement comes right after the lawsuit.

The lawsuit says that both companies used protected music to train their AI models. Recently, Sudo admitted in public that he had used copyrighted songs, but he said it was legal because it was “fair use.”

Meta Defends AI Music Ethics

On the other hand, Meta says it is ethical when it comes to AI music. On its website, Meta exclusively releases generative AI models (AudioCraft, MusicGen, and Jasco) that have undergone training using “meta-owned and specifically licensed music.”

Kyle Wiggers reported that Meta acknowledged the potential misuse of AudioCraft in creating a deepfake of an individual’s voice. Additionally, this marks the debut of UMG-licensed music sharing within the instant messaging app WhatsApp.  Meta also owns Threads, a social networking app that is in direct competition with X.