Creators on Facebook can now earn money through videos that use licensed music

Meta announced today that creators on Facebook can now earn money through their Facebook videos that use licensed music. The company is launching “Music Revenue Sharing” to allow video creators to include licensed music in their videos on Facebook and earn a share of in-stream ad revenue. The company says this opens up a new way for both creators and music rights holders to earn money. Although creators have been able to use licensed music in videos, they haven’t been able to monetize them until now.

With this new feature, whenever a creator uses licensed music in their videos on Facebook that are 60 seconds or longer, they can earn money on certain videos through in-stream ads. Creators will receive 20% revenue share on eligible videos, with a separate share going to rights holders and to Meta, though the company declined to share specifics.

Meta says Facebook Reels are not eligible for monetization through Music Revenue Sharing at this time. It’s possible that the company may expand Music Revenue Sharing to Reels in the future.

To be eligible for Music Revenue Sharing, creators must be eligible for in-stream ads and meet Facebook’s monetization eligibility standards.​ The featured song used in a video must also be part of the Licensed Music library, which contains all eligible songs for Music Revenue Sharing. Eligible songs include popular songs from artists like Post Malone, Tove Lo, Grupo La Cumbia, Leah Kate and Bicep, among others. Lastly, Meta notes that there must also be a visual component in the video and that the licensed music itself cannot be the primary purpose of the video.

Image Credits: Meta

Creators can identify the eligible songs that have been approved for monetization through Music Revenue Sharing by accessing the Licensed Music library within Creator Studio. Once you upload your video to your Facebook page, you’ll see a notification within Creator Studio and your Support Inbox notifying you if the song is eligible for Music Revenue sharing. When the video is published to your Page, you’ll receive a notification confirming that your video is earning and sharing revenue. Creators can monitor their progress on expected earnings from in-stream ads in Creator Studio.

Music Revenue Sharing will start rolling out today to video creators globally, Meta says. To start, eligible videos will monetize from in-stream ads in the United States and will then expand to the rest of the world where music is available on Facebook in the coming months. Meta also says it will continue to work with its music partners to expand the Licensed Music library to include more licensed songs. The company also plans to build out more ways for people to share and connect through videos on Facebook.

Meta says this feature is made possible by Rights Manager, a video, audio and image-matching tool developed at Meta that is designed to help content owners protect their rights and manage their content.