[FAQ]

I manage my company’s Facebook Page, and we want to start using popular, trending music in our Facebook Stories to make them more engaging. I’m just a bit confused about the copyright rules surrounding this.

Is it okay to use any song that’s available in the music library via the sticker? My main concern is whether the rules are different for a business page creating promotional content versus a personal profile just sharing a fun moment. I want to make sure we stay on the right side of the rules.

[Jeff Bullas]

The rules for using popular music in Facebook Stories depend almost entirely on whether you are posting from a personal profile for non-commercial purposes or from a Business Page for commercial purposes.

First, let us consider personal profiles. For general, non-commercial use, you can typically use the popular music available within the Facebook Music Sticker in your Stories. Meta has licensing agreements with major music labels that allow for the personal use of their songs in user-generated content on its platforms. This is why you have access to a vast library of popular tracks.

Second, the rules are much stricter for Business Pages and any commercial content. The licensing agreements that Meta holds for popular music generally do not cover commercial use. This means if you are creating a Story to advertise or promote a product, service, or your brand, you cannot use a popular, copyrighted song from the main music library. Doing so could be a violation of copyright law and Facebook’s terms of service.

To solve this problem for businesses, Meta provides the Meta Sound Collection. This is a large library of royalty-free music and sound effects that have been pre-cleared for commercial use in content on both Facebook and Instagram, including in ads. Business Pages should exclusively use music from this collection to ensure they are legally compliant.

If a business uses a popular song in a commercial Story without the proper license, the audio in the Story may be muted, the content may be removed by Facebook, or the Page could face other restrictions.

The simple rule of thumb is this: if your Story has a commercial purpose (i.e., it promotes your business or its products), you must use audio from the Meta Sound Collection or another royalty-free music source for which you have a commercial license. If it is a personal, non-commercial Story on your personal profile, using music from the general library is typically acceptable under the platform’s user agreements.

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