Facebook Clarifies What October Guidelines Update Means For Streaming Artists

Last week, a new guidelines update from Facebook appeared to state that any and all videos on its platforms that “create a music listening experience for yourself or for others” would result in a block for the video, and the potential for a page or group to be deleted. Actually, it didn’t appear that way at all, that was the exact language used by Facebook.

Now, the social media platform is walking back, or at least clarifying, that particular addendum in its guidelines.

“The music guidelines in Facebook’s Terms of Service have been in place since 2018 and we haven’t made any updates since,” a Facebook spokesperson told NME. “They were written to balance our commitment to supporting musical expression on our platforms with also ensuring we uphold our agreements with rights holders, which remains unchanged.”

NME writes, “The conditions will continue to apply instead to Facebook users including music in videos and livestreams to which they do not own the copyright.”

Though, that still begs the question for livestreaming DJs as many do not own the copyrights for the music they play.

Kevin Breuner, SVP of CD Baby, a popular music distribution service, clarifies even further what the guidelines mean for artists and what they can do and what they should be wary of doing.