Designers using Canva will soon be able to use music in their content creations - and not just of the same old stock audio variety.
The graphic design software company has announced an audio-centric partnership with Warner Music Group (WMG) and digital music licensing non-profit Merlin. The deal sees the platforms become the first to let users add commercially released music clips at the point of creation.
And yes, the firm confirmed that labels and artists “will earn royalties when clips of their songs are used in published Canva designs.”
Music libraries for some
Canva’s latest partnership fills a long-standing gap in the visual design platform. Its media libraries are filled with stock photos, stock videos, vector graphics. Until now, musical choices have felt underserved.
While the company says the new music clips can be used in presentations and training or educational videos, social media is the real driving force behind this partnership. It’s part of the same push that also saw the company add video editing software to the platform.
The statistics bear out the bet. Canva said it's seen a 70% increase in video creations in a year, while TikTok template exports more than tripled. How soon before users get a basic audio editor for music clips?
“Music is such a fundamental expression of creativity, and offers an inspirational starting point for many. We can’t wait to see what millions of music fans, content creators, educators and beyond design using content from their favorite artists,” said Canva’s Silvia Oviedo, head of content, discovery and print.
However, not everyone will benefit from the new agreement with Merlin and WMG.
When the library is unlocked later this year, it will be available for Canva Pro, Canva for Education and Canva for Nonprofit. Those using Canva for Teams will have to wait even longer. Creators will need to be based in the US, Canada, UK, Europe, Brazil, and Australia - presumably for licensing reasons.
“This collaboration with Canva will provide new opportunities for our artists to increase their reach and engage their fans, while also empowering Canva’s creator community to elevate their designs with our robust catalog,” said Jessica Goldenberg, senior VP, digital strategy and business development at WMG.
Jeremy Sirota, Merlin CEO agreed, saying: “This partnership with Canva will allow creators to connect with the vast array of Merlin member music from around the world.”
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