The rivalry that has ensued between social networking giant Meta (via Facebook, Instagram) and TikTok has resulted in a boon for creators. They are being showered with love and attention as social media companies scramble to attract and retain creators on their platforms. Facebook-parent Meta has announced or rolled out several features with the same goal in mind, the latest of which is a feature that will let creators make money from videos with licensed music.
Powered by Rights Manager and Meta’s partnerships across the music industry, the new Music Revenue Sharing feature will let creators monetize their videos that use licensed music from both popular and emerging artists. This will benefit creators and music rights holders alike, and they will be able to bring in a steady stream of revenue. Meta informed that it will be rolling out to video creators across the globe from Monday – starting with the US and gradually expanding to the rest of the world.
This is a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. Music is an area where creators have to be careful – there are limitations on what audio they can use for their content without having them de-monetized or taken down. While they have been allowed to use licensed music in their content, the ability to monetize them has eluded creators. Until now.
Music Revenue Sharing will let creators who use licensed music on their videos earn a share of 20% of revenue, while those who hold the rights to the music will get a separate cut. Meta will get yet another share of revenue, which will further diversify its methods of income and not just depend on advertisements to bring home the big bucks.
Who and what are eligible under Music Revenue Sharing?
There are caveats – being a creator does not automatically mean that they can avail the Music Revenue Sharing feature. Facebook Reels (which the company rolled out globally earlier this year) will not be eligible under the feature at this time, although this may change in the future.
Creators can monetize those videos that are 60 seconds or longer and have a visual component, that is, it has more to offer than just the licensed music. The creators must be eligible for in-stream advertisements and meet Facebook’s monetization eligibility standards as well, should they choose to access Music Revenue Sharing.
As for the music itself, it must be part of the Licensed Music Library (within the Creator Studio), which contains the eligible songs for Music Revenue Sharing.
How does it work?
After the video is uploaded to the Facebook page, the creator will receive a notification within Creator Studio and the Support Inbox, which informs whether it is eligible for Music Revenue Sharing or not. Once the video is published, the creator will be notified that the video is generating revenue, and they can monitor their progress on expected earnings from in-stream ads in Creator Studio.
