Users massively warned about music in reels and stories

There is a lot of excitement at the moment about waves of warnings against commercial Instagram accounts.

The reason for the warnings is commercial accounts of influencers, for example, who use music for their reels and stories to make their videos more attractive - but this is exactly where the problem lies.

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There is a huge difference between licensed and unlicensed music, especially when you use the videos for commercial purposes.

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Licensed music is music for which the author or rights holder has granted a license or permission to use it. The license can be granted for various types of use, such as public performances, radio broadcasts, streaming or use in films or commercials.

Unlicensed music refers to sound recordings that are published and distributed without necessary permission from copyright holders. Often, this is music that was copied from other sources or downloaded illegally. This includes pirated copies, but also the use of copyrighted music in public appearances or in online videos.

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The difference between licensed and unlicensed music therefore lies in the legal permission to use the music. Licensed music is legal and the author or right holder receives compensation for it, while the use of unlicensed musical works may constitute copyright infringement, which may have legal consequences.

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So pay attention:

Instagram accounts that are used for commercial purposes are prohibited from using music without a license. Private accounts or so-called “creator accounts”, on the other hand, may use pieces of music from the extensive Instagram library. “Business Accounts”, on the other hand, is only available in the “Facebook Sound Collection”. This consists purely of royalty-free songs.

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Attention, however, private accounts are also not secure. Some accounts can also be considered a business account due to certain factors such as the number of followers or the type of posts. In these cases, using the Instagram music library is also illegal and therefore violates Instagram's copyrights.

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The same applies to creator accounts that use their account commercially and use music from the Instagram music library. If they create reels and stories, with the music, without the required licenses, they are violating the copyrights.

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This is followed by warnings from lawyers. They demand the cessation of the use of music, a heavy fine and reimbursement of legal fees.

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Since the latest wave of warnings, many content creators in Germany have been uncertain as to how best to deal with the following situation.

Some delete their videos, use only music that doesn't require a license for security, or others continue to post such clips.

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Our tip: However, in order to avoid a warning, videos with background music should be deleted or at least archived. New reels should only be accompanied by royalty-free music.

If a warning is received after all, it should be carefully checked.

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