Snap Expands Its Music Library Signing New Licensing Deals
Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, has announced that it has signed new licensing deals with major labels in order to enhance its music library. The agreements were made with several globally renowned companies, including UnitedMasters, BumaStemra, and others. This move is expected to significantly improve the user experience and potentially attract new ones to the platform.
Music has become an essential component of the social media experience, and Snapchat is no exception. With over 280 million monthly active users, the platform has offered music integration features for some time, including the option to add music to snaps and customize playlists. Although Its music library has been somewhat restricted in the past, the company has now partnered with multiple music labels to expand its offerings and provide users with a better experience.
In addition to UnitedMasters (US) and BumaStemra (Netherlands), the social media platform has signed licensing deals with a range of organizations including SUISA Digital Licensing AG, which represents the SUISA repertoire (Switzerland). New agreements were also made with AKKA/LAA (Latvia), Albautor (Albania), Armauthor (Armenia), Autodia (Greece), COMP (Pakistan), EAÜ (Estonia), GCA (Georgia), LATGA (Lithuania), SOZA (Slovakia), Abramus Digital (Brazil), Soundreef (Italy), and many other publishers as well.
As part of its recent licensing deals, Snapchat partnered with UnitedMasters, a music distribution platform that empowers independent artists to promote their music on popular streaming services and social media platforms. With this new agreement, the American music distributor’s artists gain access to Snap‘s cutting-edge creative tools, including Sounds and Lenses, which enable them to create engaging augmented reality experiences with music.
As this collaboration offers independent musicians unprecedented opportunities to showcase their work on the platform, reaching a broader audience and potentially increasing their exposure, Snap’s deal with BumaStemra, a Dutch music rights organization, also contributes to the expansion of its music library.
Being one of the leading organizations to manage the rights of over 30,000 Dutch composers and songwriters, as well as a diverse collection of music from around the globe, BumaStemra is a valuable partner for Snap that allows it to gain access to an expanded selection of music, enabling its users to choose from a wider range of options when creating content.
“These partnerships will add local artists’ music to the Snapchat Sounds library, allowing Snapchatters more options to innovate and easily embed licensed music into their messages and Snaps across Snapchat’s platform and creative tools like augmented reality Lenses,” says Snapchat, who has also sealed deals with several other music labels and organizations, including Warner Music Group, Merlin, Kobalt, and more, hoping to ultimately keep improving the user experience.
Snap’s decision to partner with music labels comes as social media platforms face mounting pressure to address music licensing concerns. In recent years, major music labels have taken action against unauthorized use of their music on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, forcing these platforms to negotiate licensing deals to provide users with legal access to music. By proactively securing licensing agreements, the company demonstrates its commitment to supporting the industry.
“With over 375 million daily active users, Snapchat Sounds offers a powerful distribution tool for artists and creators to share their music globally. Sounds provides an effective way for artists to lead fans to discover new music and listen on streaming services, while making content on the platform a more fun and immersive experience to share with friends.”
The recent licensing deals struck by Snap not only benefit its users but also have significant implications for the music industry as a whole. Through partnerships with music labels and organizations, the company is working to ensure that artists receive fair compensation for the use of their music. This approach is likely to encourage more musicians to collaborate with social media platforms, leading to mutual benefits for all parties involved.
This effort toward enhancing its music library is also in line with Snap’s broader strategy of improving its offerings and attracting a larger user base. The company’s global head of music partnerships, Ted Suh recently revealed, “We are excited to expand the Snapchat sounds experience as we continue building new tools and developing music industry relationships globally.” He added: “By offering a wider selection of music, we want to enable discovery and make it easier for Snapchatters around the world to express themselves creatively with the music they love.”
Snap has made significant progress in the past couple of years, introducing new features such as the ability to create and share short-form video content through Spotlight. The platform’s recent licensing deals with music labels highlight this progress. By expanding its music library, the social media company is improving the user experience and attracting more users, benefiting itself and artists as they receive fair compensation for their work.
Continuing to expand its offerings and attract new users, the evolution of Snap’s music library will be a key factor in the platform’s sustained growth. Stay up-to-date on the latest innovations in the music industry by following MusicPromoToday, and check out the MPT Agency Blog for more news and updates.
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