How to give music credit on Instagram example

Updates and Guidelines for Including Music in Video

Music is a bonding force in normal times. During difficult and isolating times like this, we know it can be even more important. As social distancing has forced everyone to stay apart, more people have turned to Instagram and Facebook Live to stay connected with their communities. This rapid rise in usage has created a lot of good during this crisis – raising money for frontline workers and underserved communities, driving awareness of healthy habits, encouraging people to stay safe by staying home, and bringing people together through new forms of entertainment. But it’s also highlighted some confusion across the community -- especially around the use of recorded music in Live on both Facebook and Instagram.

At its core, Live brings people together in a real-time and unproduced way, which has opened up new creative opportunities for many creators, artists, and other public figures.

So as we continue building for the long term, we’re sharing guidelines and product improvements around music in Instagram and Facebook videos and livestreams.

Clarifying Our Guidelines for Including Music in Video

We want to encourage musical expression on our platforms while also ensuring that we uphold our agreements with rights holders. These agreements help protect the artists, songwriters, and partners who are the cornerstone of the music community -- and we're grateful for how they've enabled the amazing creativity we've seen in this time.

Our partnerships with rights holders have brought people together around music on our platforms. As part of our licensing agreements, there are limitations around the amount of recorded music that can be included in Live broadcasts or videos. While the specifics of our licensing agreements are confidential, today we’re sharing some general guidelines to help you plan your videos better:

Music in stories and traditional live music performances (e.g., filming an artist or band performing live) are permitted.
The greater the number of full-length recorded tracks in a video, the more likely it may be limited (more below on what we mean by “limited”).
For that reason, shorter clips of music are recommended.
There should always be a visual component to your video; recorded audio should not be the primary purpose of the video.

These guidelines are consistent across live and recorded video on both Facebook and Instagram, and for all types of accounts -- i.e. pages, profiles, verified and unverified accounts. And although music is launched on our platforms in more than 90 countries, there are places where it is not yet available. So if your video includes recorded music, it may not be available for use in those locations.

People also have access to a library of custom music and sound effects at no cost using Facebook’s Sound Collection. The Sound Collection includes thousands of tracks available to use in the videos you share on Facebook and Instagram without any limits – spanning genres like hip-hop, pop, jazz, country, and more.

In-Product Video Notifications

We know it can be frustrating to have a stream interrupted or to have parts of your video muted because it includes music. To minimize these interruptions and to prevent confusion around audio use, we’re also improving our in-product notifications. These notifications are intended to alert you when our systems detect that your broadcast or uploaded video may include music in a way that doesn’t adhere to our licensing agreements.

Updates include making notifications clearer and surfacing notifications earlier to live broadcasters, to give people time to adjust their streams and avoid interruptions if we detect they may be approaching our limitations. And if your video is muted or blocked, we’ll make it clear what actions you can take to stop the interruption.

Looking to The Future

With these improvements, we look forward to people, artists, and creators continuing to use music to share and bond with each other across our platforms.

We will continue to work hand-in-hand with our music partners to enable people to build community with music in new ways, and especially during this time, we’re working together to maximize people’s ability to express themselves through our products.

In previous blog posts, we outlined the reasons why Instagram is the best and most effective platform for interior designers to invest their time and resources. We touched briefly on the downside of the social media app: accounts that copy or pass off work/images as their own. If you’re consistently putting out your own content on Instagram, you’ve likely stumbled upon your own work or image only to find that you weren’t given any credit and that your intellectual property was stolen for views.

The flipside of that is when users omit credits accidentally. As small business owners and makers, we are constantly searching for and sharing inspiration, but it’s important that we do our due diligence to cite sources properly. It’s proper Instagram etiquette and the best way to be a responsible member of the online creative community. Here are a few rules to keep in mind.

Instagram Etiquette

Always Give Credit

This should go without saying, but in case it doesn’t—always, always credit the source. Even if they’re your competitor, give credit. Even if no one else is crediting the original poster, give credit. Even if it takes some time and effort, give credit. If there are multiple sources (designer, builder, photographer, artist), give credit to as many as you possibly can. Even if you’ve been given permission to repost, give credit. Social media is one of the only places where plagiarism isn’t strictly punished, but that doesn’t make it okay. Sharing others’ work without tagging them is lazy and reflects poorly on your account.

Pro Tip: We recommend tagging sources in both the image and in the caption. This is dual purpose. Firstly, it’s a conscientious move to cover all your bases and let your following know whose original content it is. Additionally, this ensures that your repost will be seen by the original account which is great exposure for you!

If you find yourself on the other side of an Instagram faux-pas, remember it doesn’t cost you anything to be kind. Community over competition, right? Leave a friendly, but a straightforward comment like “Thanks so much for sharing my [insert photo content here]! I’m so glad you like it!” If they don’t correct their error, follow up with a DM. We like to send something like: “Hey there! Thanks so much for sharing my [insert photo content here]. Would you mind please crediting me as the source by tagging me in the caption and photo? I so appreciate the share!”

Do the same if you were tagged, but your photographer or another important source wasn’t. Most people will be happy to correct their mistake.

from our #IDCOatHome feed via The Haven List | Interior Design and Photography: Kate Zimmerman

Ask Permission

If you aren’t sure whether you should repost a photo from an account, ask for their permission first. Photographers, especially, make a living from the use of their photos by brands and shops. Don’t assume that their shots are free for the taking. If you’ve been tagged in a photo or your specific hashtag has been used, you can usually assume that sharing is okay, but it never hurts to go the extra step and ask. This kind of thoughtfulness creates respectful relationships on and off the app.

Don’t Treat Pins Like Stock Photos

Pinterest is not a stock photo source. This is the Instagram rule we see broken most often. Pinterest is an invaluable resource for inspiration, but tagging sources is a non-negotiable. For many images, you’ll be able to locate the source just by clicking through to the linked site. And, no tagging @Pinterest will not cut it. If the image is not linked, try reverse-searching the image on Google. Just go to images.google.com and paste the image URL into the search bar or drag and drop it from another window. If the image is located elsewhere on the internet, you should be able to track down the original source. If not, just re-pin the image and carry on. There are plenty of images you can repost with proper credit.

Good news! You can now reverse image search from your phone, too. It’s a little more complicated, but a desktop isn’t always handy. Here’s the tutorial.

Don’t Edit Someone Else’s Photo

If your reposted content doesn’t flow with your other photos, just skip it. Editing or applying filters to someone else’s original photo is an insult. Repost it as is or find something that fits more cohesively with your other content.

via: My Domaine | Interior Design: Chelsea Robinson Interiors | Photography: Alyssa Rosenheck

Don’t Use A Competitor’s Images to Market Your Business

It’s easy to assume that a mock-up or a well-curated flat lay or shelfie is a widely-distributed stock photo. This is why it’s important to know the source. If the image belongs to a competitor—that they fronted time, effort, and money for—it’s not a good look, and it’s not good for any friendly connections you’re hoping to form.

Don’t Rely Too Heavily on Reposted Content

If you never publish any original content, you might find your follower account eventually dropping. Regramming in moderation is fine, but the primary value of your account will come from your own thoughts and ideas. Here’s to originality!

Instagram Etiquette for Commenting

The amazing Jenny Komenda recently started a discussion about commenting best practices and Instagram etiquette from the reader’s perspective. In the same vein as crediting and reposting, we should always lead with kindness when engaging others in our Instagram community. Check out her story highlights titled Etiquette for good rules of thumb to remember when you are commenting or messaging a poster. It’s a must-read and highlights key points like Tone, Triggering Phrases, Direct Messages, Off-Limit Topics, and when to Unfollow or Mute.

To learn more using IG to level up your business, check out our Studio Sessions Instagram for Designers course.

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IDCO Studio is a full-service creative studio for interior designers and boutique lifestyle brands. Offering bespoke branding, web design and social media content creation, we help brands built around beautiful living elevate their digital presence to represent the physical spaces they design. Our recently launched limited-release website templates are the perfect way for interior designers to get a luxury website on a budget. These templates allow designers to maintain control of their content. Want to work together? Shoot us an inquiry here.