Facebook clarifies new guidelines for streaming artists

Earlier this month, Facebook announced that they would begin “cracking down” on live-streamed performances, which would directly affect streaming artists. In a statement from Facebook from their Music Guidelines handbook, they stated the following regarding the live-streamed performances,

“You may not use videos on our Products to create a music listening experience. We want you to be able to enjoy videos posted by family and friends. However, 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.”

During the pandemic, one could make the argument that the music and live performance industry was hit the hardest.  With halted tours, the closure of venues, and cancellations of wide-spread festivals around the globe, musicians were left to their own devices when it came to means of income during these unprecedented times. Artists and festival companies have used modern technology to their advantage by holding virtual festivals or performances, many of which were broadcasted on Facebook and other platforms. After the announcement from Facebook, many people have expressed their concerns regarding the new guidelines and Facebook has since clarified their new guidelines.

In a statement from a Facebook spokesperson to NME reports, “the music guidelines in Facebook’s Terms of Service have been in place since 2018 and we haven’t made any updates since. They were written to balance our commitment to supporting musical expression on our platforms with also ensuring we uphold our agreements with rights holders, which remains unchanged.”

While this still might not answer the question of whether or not live-streamed DJ sets would fall under a different category, Kevin Breuner, SVP of CDBaby, wrote a post further explaining what the new guidelines actually mean for all performers who wish to broadcast their live sets.