Brands can't use commercial music tracks without explicit and specific permission in socmed posts

A new article on Social Media Today reports that a fresh clampdown comes amid a rising amount of copyright infringement cases being filed against brands for using unlicensed music in their promotions, as they lean into trends, particularly in short-form video, which rely on music cues and elements.



That's just one example - Bloomberg also notes that Warner Music recently sued UK-based makeup company Iconic London for copyright infringement in their TikTok and Instagram posts as well. The increasing enforcement of copyright for social media usage flags a new focus for the major labels. In recent years, big recording companies have employed entire teams to scour the online landscape for unlicensed usage of their clients' work.

That's been most present on YouTube, where labels had up till recently been able to claim revenue on any video that used their licensed music, providing an additional revenue stream within itself. YouTube has since changed its process, and now gives creators the opportunity to remove violative segments of their uploads, as opposed to simply reverting ad revenue to the labels. But the increased emphasis on music copyright infringement has made this a higher priority for rights-holding organizations.

And TikTok is now their key focus. The short-form video platform has become a key avenue for music promotion, with popular tracks playing a big part in many viral trends, and even sparking entire careers off the back of TikTok momentum.

Which has then led to TikTok providing more, easier ways to add tracks into your clips. But for marketers, you need to know the rules around such, in order to avoid falling foul of the law, and costing yourself big time in the process (note: the aforementioned Bang energy drinks has now filed for bankruptcy).