The Indian Performing Rights Society, which represents many Indian musicians, has signed a licensing deal with Facebook to allow its members' content to be used by users on Facebook and Instagram, the social media company announced on Monday. "People will now be able to choose music from the IPRS repertoire with hundreds and thousands of songs, to add in their own videos they share on Facebook and Instagram, as well as other social features like Music Stickers on Stories," Facebook said in its statement. "The deal with Facebook will cover licensing and royalties whenever music represented by the IPRS is used on Facebook and Instagram." Instagram launched Reels in India recently after TikTok was banned in the country, and this deal would clear the way for users to use Indian music on the platform, which is a part of Instagram; music is a key feature of short video platforms like TikTok and Reels. Are livestreams covered? It's unclear if livestreams by IPRS member artists performing their own work is covered under this deal. In July, IPRS announced a minimum Rs 20,000 fee for composers performing their work on livestreams. We have reached out to Facebook to find out if their deal with IPRS exempts people on their platforms from this fee, and if such performances need additional licensing from music labels. In March 2019, Google had signed a similar deal with IPRS for YouTube. Are you a musician or organiser impacted by the IPRS's fee for livestreams? Reach out at aroon@medianama.com.…
