Facebook continues to pursue music licensing deals – this time outside of the U.S.
As Facebook triggers a massive worldwide stock plunge while eviscerating democracy and setting the stage for World War III, they’re also signing some interesting music deals. Just this week, the social media giant inked a trio of global licensing pacts.
The deals involve French performance rights society SACEM, Canadian society SOCAN, and US-based independent publisher Wixen. The latter, you might recall, is suing Spotify for a handsome $1.6 billion over unpaid mechanical royalties. So maybe Facebook should have signed that one first.
SACEM will handle the multi-year agreements on behalf of the trio. This covers more than 180 territories across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Oculus. The deal will also allow users to create and share videos including music from SACEM, Wixen and SOCAN’s repertoire.
Wixen also brings publishing administration, copyright management, and royalty compliance review to the table. The indie pub represents rights from storied stars like Stevie Nicks, Neil Young, Tom Petty and The Doors.
+ Facebook Promises Not to Rip Down Your Music Videos – If You Use Their Music
So let’s forget about our Facebook-promulgated dystopian future, and enjoy the music!
Jean-Noël Tronc, CEO of SACEM, offered this statement on the deal-making spree. “We are delighted to have reached this agreement with Facebook,” Tronc said. “This deal marks a new milestone in our efforts to ensure that musicians and creators are fairly remunerated for the use of their works on any digital platform.”
Anjali Southward, Head of International Music Publishing Business Development at Facebook, seemed enthusiastic about the possibilities. “We are excited to expand our relationship with SACEM and the music rights holders they represent,” Southward stated.
“We look forward to working with them to discover innovative ways to use the power of songs to connect people.”
Now back to the worldwide stock plunge…