Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has signed a new deal with Universal Music Publishing Group, which will see its music catalog played and shared on WhatsApp for the first time.
Universal Music Group — home to artists like Drake, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Bad Bunny, Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, and many more — announced this new extended deal this month.
This agreement builds on the 2017 deal in which UMG licensed its music catalogs to Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Horizon, and Threads.
This deal now includes short-form videos and licensed music distributed across all Meta platforms, providing UMG, its artists, and songwriters with a share of the ad revenue from their music used on these platforms.
Additionally, UMG’s partnership with Meta to license music for WhatsApp adds new revenue streams for UMG artists and songwriters.
UMG has recently come out of a feud with TikTok, during which its music catalog was removed. The two parties have since reached a new agreement, resulting in the reinstatement of UMG’s music on the platform.
Share your thoughts on this article and join the conversation on Twitter or Facebook.
