Facebook Will Enable Indie Artists To Get Their Tracks Used Across Instagram Stories, Reels, More

Facebook has launched a brand new Independent Artist Program that will enable indie artists get their tracks used across its various products, most notably including Instagram Stories and Reels.

Facebook has partnered with third-party music distributors DistroKid and TuneCore on the effort, which will add artists’ tracks to Facebook’s existing music library free of charge. Artists who are not signed to record labels can apply for the Independent Artist Program on each of the aforementioned partners’ websites.

Per a press release from TuneCore, artists will be paid every time their music is used to create content across Facebook and Instagram. Facebook will also offers artists access to data and insights — including how many people are viewing content soundtracked by their songs. (Payments and analytics will vary based on the terms of each chosen distributor, according to Facebook).

“These days, we are seeing a leveling of the playing field as discovery is happening via social media and no longer solely dependent on industry executives and DJs handpicking hits,” Andreea Gleeson, the co-head and chief revenue officer of TuneCore, said in a statement. “With the popularity of short form videos, Facebook Stories and Instagram Reels are two important platforms on which fans are finding songs and artists, with careers being made when songs go viral.”

Music Business Worldwide notes that other platforms have signed comparable deals with TuneCore and Distrokid for indie music, with YouTube pacting with TuneCore for its TikTok-like Shorts product in May, while Distrokid struck a deal with Snapchat last month as well.