Meta and Universal Music Group Tackle AI Music Challenges with Exciting New Licensing Agreement

Meta and Universal Music Group Expand Music Licensing Agreement

On Monday, Meta and Universal Music Group (UMG) announced the expansion of their multi-year music licensing agreement, allowing users to share songs from UMG’s extensive music library across various Meta platforms—including Facebook, Instagram, Horizon, Threads, and WhatsApp—without infringing on copyright.

A key highlight of this new agreement is the commitment of both companies to tackle “unauthorized AI-generated content.” This concerns the use of AI systems that scrape songs, often without the original creators' knowledge or consent. Artists and songwriters face growing challenges as AI technologies generate imitations of their work used by companies to train their models.

Michael Nash, UMG's Chief Digital Officer and Executive Vice President, stated, “We look forward to further collaboration to combat unauthorized AI-generated content that could impact artists and songwriters. UMG is dedicated to protecting their rights now and into the future.”

This partnership follows a recent dispute between TikTok and UMG, which resulted in the removal of UMG's music catalog from the popular short-form video platform earlier this year. In a February statement, UMG expressed concerns over AI and online safety regarding TikTok. However, a truce was reached in May that allowed music from top artists like Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift to be reinstated on TikTok.

Additionally, this new agreement arrives amid a lawsuit filed by the Recording Industry Association of America, which represents UMG and other major music labels, against startups Udio and Suno. The lawsuit claims these companies used copyrighted music to train their AI models. Notably, Sudo recently acknowledged the use of copyrighted songs but asserted its legality under fair use.

Moreover, Meta is emphasizing an ethical approach to AI music by releasing generative AI models—AudioCraft, MusicGen, and Jasco—that are trained exclusively with “Meta-owned and specifically licensed music,” as stated on its website. However, reporters pointed out that Meta has admitted AudioCraft could be misused to create voice deepfakes.

For the first time, WhatsApp users can now share licensed music from UMG directly in the messaging app. This development also extends to Threads, Meta’s social networking platform, which competes directly with X (formerly Twitter).

Meta and UMG began their partnership in 2017, establishing the precedent for major music companies by allowing Facebook users to upload and share videos featuring songs from its music catalog.