The publisher of works by Foo Fighters, Paul McCartney, Lorde, Beck, and countless other artists has pulled its 700,000-strong catalogue from Facebook and Instagram after failing to come to royalty terms.
Kobalt Music Publishing is the publisher behind an estimated 40 per cent of the Top 100 tracks and albums in both the UK and US on any given week.
This will leave a massive gap in the available music libraries on Instagram and Facebook – both of which rely upon music for its Reels/Stories features, both of which are battling to wrest market share away from TikTok.
The tracks will be pulled in the US only, but as similar licenses lapse in other countries, it will be far more widespread.
“Over the course of several months, we’ve worked diligently and in good faith to come to an agreement covering a new license for Kobalt’s repertoire,” a memo sent to artists reads.
“Unfortunately, fundamental differences remained that we were not able to resolve in your best interests, and as a result Kobalt’s repertoire is in the process of being removed from Meta’s services, including Facebook and Instagram, in the United States.
“We’ve always stood for songwriters first, and we’re proud to continue to do so. We remain fully committed to reaching an agreement with Meta.”
