The giant social network Facebook will be adding new restrictions and bans on music livestreams starting on October 1st. As a direct consequence, artists will be forced to look for other streaming alternatives, as Facebook will not allow any livestream unless ‘there is no music’, which in this case, does not make any sense for artists.
These new restrictions do not come as a surprise after all. With the pandemic hitting the live music scene since the beginning of the year, music artists found livestreams a great alternative to music shows and the perfect way to promote their music; with Facebook and YouTube being the preferred streaming tools. However, problems arising from music licenses and permissions to play certain tracks have resulted in these new restrictions. One of the newest guidelines by Facebook reads:
‘You may not use videos on our Products to create a music listening experience … If you use videos on our Products to create a music listening experience for yourself or for others, your videos will be blocked and your page, profile or group may be deleted. This includes Live.’
Although, YouTube remains the number one platform, these new Facebook restrictions on livestreams are indeed terrible news, especially for rising up and coming artists looking to make a name for themselves in the music scene. There actually are other good alternative streaming platforms out there, but these have much less visibility. YouTube aside, Twitch and Mixcloud Live (paid subscription) might be good alternatives, nevertheless, the clear con is that neither of them have the power and reach that Facebook has.
Image Credit: Heshan Perera
