Merlin Renews and Expands Its Meta Partnership, With ‘A New Suite’ of Promotional Tools on the Way

Merlin and Meta have renewed and expanded their partnership agreement. Photo Credit: Dima Solomin

Facebook parent Meta and indie representative Merlin have renewed and expanded their partnership agreement, which now includes “a new suite of tools and features” for discovery and promotion. The involved entities reached out today with word of their bolstered tie-up, taking the opportunity at the outset to tout Merlin’s status “as a top partner to Meta.” Running with that point – and Meta’s continued efforts to enhance its short-form presence – Merlin members and artists are said to “have seen significant engagement” on Reels.

Consequently, the just-finalized pact is poised to “make available a new suite of tools and features that enable fans to discover artists and boost the visibility of new releases,” the Instagram owner and the Merlin Connect developer spelled out.

Of course, it’ll be interesting to see exactly what’s included in this suite of tools and features – not to mention the actual results delivered to artists. For the time being, though, Meta and Merlin opted against disclosing specific details.

The parties did, however, note their excitement “to explore new opportunities to drive the value of independent music” and to also “find innovative ways to drive fandom and discovery.”Elaborating on those objectives, Merlin CEO (and former Facebook exec) Jeremy Sirota described the union as one component of his company’s goal of developing long-term relationships with partners and maximizing the value of members’ music.

“This renewal is about more than simply licensing music – it’s about the strength of building long term relationships, seeking innovative ways to deliver music to fans and those discovering our artists for the first time, and the value of the dynamic nature of independent music,” Sirota relayed in part.

“Merlin, on behalf of its members and their artists, is leading the way to build an ethical, sustainable, and indie-centric world,” concluded the former Warner Music higher-up.

And in comments of her own, Meta VP of music and content business development Tamara Hrivnak, previously a Warner Chappell exec, voiced the belief that the “continued collaboration will foster further innovation in music discovery and creative expression.”Important on multiple levels, the fresh partnership with Meta represents the latest in a line of noteworthy developments for Merlin through 2024’s opening half. Besides rolling out the aforementioned Merlin Connect, which is designed to simplify music licensing for promising emerging platforms, Merlin joined Twitch’s DJ program.

According to the Amazon-owned platform, that deal has created “a safe, long-term home for DJs to livestream.”