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Facebook Gaming partners can now play copyrighted music during livestreams

Other creators can expect to get this feature soon, too.

Abrar Al-Heeti Technology Reporter
Abrar Al-Heeti is a technology reporter for CNET, with an interest in phones, streaming, internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. She's also worked for CNET's video, culture and news teams. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
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Facebook Gaming is rolling out a feature allowing copyrighted music on livestreams.

 James Martin/CNET

Facebook Gaming partners will now be able to play music people actually recognize during livestreams, the social media giant said Monday. Through a partnership with the music industry, Facebook is making a "vast catalogue of popular music" available to Facebook Gaming partners, the company said in a blog post. 

Facebook is working with music labels and publishers, including Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, to add various songs spanning a range of genres. Level Up creators can expect to have access to this perk soon, Facebook noted. 

Facebook Gaming, a free mobile app the social media giant launched earlier this year, lets users watch livestreams, play instant games and connect via gaming groups. 

Currently, all creators can access a library of free custom music and sound effects through Facebook's Sound Collection. Until Facebook extends use of copyrighted music to all gaming creators, everyone except for partnered creators will need to stick to using those royalty-free music options in Sound Collection.

There are still some restricted tracks, Facebook notes, and streams should focus on gaming rather than music. "In other words, you're okay to stream music as long as it's in the background, with game sound effects and your voice (and anything else) over the top," the blog post reads. "Playing DJ without gaming is a no-no."

Gaming creators can play songs from whatever source they prefer, such as music streaming services or downloads from a personal collection. So far, Facebook has secured licenses covering over 90 countries. 

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