Facebook announced a flurry of major partnerships with music industry organizations on Thursday in a step towards reshaping itself as a valuable ecosystem for music rights holders. Among the new orgs pairing with the world's largest social network are Global Music Rights (GMR), SESAC's HFA/Rumblefish and Kobalt Music Publishing. The new deals follow close on the heels of agreements with Universal Music Group and Sony/ATV.
"Together, Facebook and the music industry are bringing the songs you love into the way you express yourself on Facebook, Instagram, Oculus, and Messenger," said Tamara Hrivnak, head of music business business development, in a blog post. "This means more ways to share, connect, find your fans and be your favorite artist’s biggest and best groupie."
The deal with Facebook marks GMR's first-ever user-generated-content deal and will presumably enable users of FB and Instagram to share videos featuring the performing rights organization's songwriters, who include Bruce Springsteen, Drake and Bruno Mars. Founder Irving Azoff, whose PRO has never licensed its works to YouTube, said, "Our partnership with Facebook reflects that when music is valued properly, it’s easy for both sides to view it as a win-win."