Facebook is making it easier for independent artists and creators to share their music across the company’s different products — and get paid.
For the Facebook Independent Artist Program, the company teamed with third-party music distribution companies DistroKid and TuneCore to help artists get their music on Facebook and Instagram quickly and at no cost to the artists. The program covers Facebook and Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels and everywhere else Facebook uses music. More info is at this link.
Now that Facebook has inked licensing deals with the three major music companies — Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group — along with Merlin, BMG, Kobalt and independent music labels, the company has officially overcome not having a way for unaffiliated artists to get their music on their fb and IG platforms hence these new partnerships that come to life with their media products for video such as Storys and Reels. Read what Facebook has to say about it below …
Undistributed artists and creators can now easily distribute their music for use on Facebook and Instagram products like Stories, Reels, and anywhere else we offer a music library. We’ve partnered with preferred third-party music distribution companies to help you get your music on Facebook and Instagram quickly, seamlessly and at no cost to you. Make your music available to millions of people across Facebook apps and technologies—free of charge—and be the soundtrack to people’s social experiences.
Facebook
Under the program, which officially launched June 16, artists who upload their music to DistroKid and TuneCore will get paid royalties when their music is used in content across Facebook and Instagram products.
“Facebook is proud to make it easier for independent artists and creators to reach new audiences on our platform and build community through music,”
Chris Papaleo, music business development manager at Facebook, said in a statement.
The Facebook Independent Artist Program is essential for music discovery, which is happening via social media and is “no longer solely dependent on industry executives and DJs handpicking hits,” said Andreea Gleeson, TuneCore co-head and chief revenue officer. “With the popularity of short-form videos, Facebook Stories and Instagram Reels are two important platforms on which fans are finding songs and artists, with careers being made when songs go viral.”
TuneCore, owned by global digital music distributor Believe, helps artists, labels and managers sell music through more than 150 download and streaming services worldwide — including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and TikTok — for an annual flat fee (which starts at $10 for a single).
DistroKid regularly charges $19.99 per year to upload unlimited albums and songs. The company claims more than 2 million artists use DistroKid and that it has processed nearly 20 million songs to date.
The Facebook initiative
“is a huge benefit to indie artists everywhere and we’re excited to be partnering with Facebook on this program,”
DistroKid founder and CEO Philip Kaplan.
We’re excited to announce that TuneCore is a preferred partner for Facebook’s new Independent Artist Program, which makes it easy for undistributed artists and creators to distribute their music for use on Facebook and Instagram products like Stories, Reels and more.
Tunecore via Facebook announcement
We’ll make your music available to millions of people across Facebook’s apps free of charge—so you can be the soundtrack to people’s social experiences. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3q0DRTJ
Tunecore via Facebook announcement
New! ?? DistroKid is a preferred partner for
Distrokid via Facebook announcement
Facebook’s new “Independent Artist Program,” which makes it easy for undistributed artists to make their music available on Stories, IG Reels and more–for free. More info: https://go.fb.me/DistroKid ?
How to get your music on Facebook and Instagram:
Facebook Preferred Distribution Partners
DistroKid
DistroKid was founded in 2013 and provides musicians with online tools and services that are innovative and easy to use. More than 2.5 million artists globally use DistroKid, and the company distributes 30–40% of all new music globally. Their services include music distribution, monetization, metadata customization, storage and promotion. DistroKid’s staff and largely automated backend have processed nearly 20 million songs to date. Sign Up
TuneCore
Founded in 2005 and acquired by Believe in 2015, TuneCore is a global DIY platform for independent musicians to build audiences and careers, with technology and services across distribution, publishing administration and a range of promotional services. The company distributes music to more than 150 digital partners and pays 100% of earnings directly to artists. TuneCore has operations in 14 countries across 4 continents. Sign Up
Facebook music products
Facebook and Instagram Stories
Stories are fullscreen, immersive experiences that disappear after 24 hours. People can add your music and lyrics to their photos and videos, creating a soundtrack for their story.
To add music and lyrics to Stories, select the music sticker from the sticker tray after taking a photo or video. Choose a song and use the scrubber tool to select the part of the song you want to use.
Instagram Reels
Reels are short-form videos that people create with music, original audio, AR effects and creative tools. We’ve seen our Reels community use music and sounds to express themselves and share the songs they love through their content.
People can discover new music through the Audio Browser or in the Reels tab. The Audio Browser surfaces music through the “For You” section, your saved music, and allows you to search for a specific song or artist. Anyone can access these music clips and use the audio to create their own reels.
Additional resources
To learn how to get started on Facebook and Instagram, grow engagement across platforms and gain insights into your content, check out their Facebook Learning Program for Music Industry Professionals
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