Facebook and Universal Music Group Ink Deal, Bringing Song Catalog to Social Network

Facebook and Universal Music Group have struck a multi-year agreement on Thursday to bring UMG’s entire catalog to the social network.

The deal is the first between Facebook and a record company, allowing FB users to add songs from Universal’s catalog to video posts, as well as on Instagram and Oculus, its virtual reality company.

“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 Universal Music EVP Michael Nash in a statement. “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.”

Tamara Hrivnak, Head of Music Business Development and Partnerships at Facebook, echoed Nash in her statement accompanying the news.

“There is a magnetic relationship between music and community building,” said Hrivnak. “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.”

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Moving forward, the two companies will experiment with new ways to integrate Universal’s music into Facebook’s platforms, including Messenger.

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