B1StreamingNov 4, 20261 min readEdited by William Boles

Adobe signs Universal and Warner deals for licensed music in its Premiere mobile app

Creators will get up to 60 seconds of major-label tracks for personal videos, a push into the territory held by CapCut and Instagram Edits.

Adobe announced on November 3 that it has struck licensing deals with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group to bring their music into Premiere mobile, its free video-editing app.

Creators will be able to add up to 60 seconds of a track to a video, and the app will offer templates paired with music. The licence covers personal, non-commercial use only. Commercial projects are directed to Adobe Stock Audio, which is licensed separately.

The features are listed as coming soon. Adobe has not given a release date, pricing, or platform details, and has not said whether the music will reach Premiere Pro. It also has not disclosed how artists and labels will be paid.

Coverage frames the move against CapCut and Instagram Edits, whose owners already have licensing agreements with both labels.

The Lockgroove take

The next streaming war is fought in 60-second clips.

Labels now treat video-editing apps as a distribution channel on par with the streaming services, because a track in a clip template can reach listeners that no playlist would. Adobe joins a field where TikTok's CapCut and Meta have already signed up.

The open question is payment. Short-clip licensing historically pays far less per use than a full stream, and Adobe has not said how artists will be paid. Artists should ask, and not only the labels.

Put this on

01
Fleetwood Mac, "Dreams" (Rumours, 1977)
A 1977 song that found a huge new audience through short video.
Play on Apple Music
02
Dua Lipa, "Levitating" (Future Nostalgia, 2020)
Built for dance clips, and a Warner artist.
Play on Apple Music
03
Olivia Rodrigo, "good 4 u" (SOUR, 2021)
A Universal-era hit that works in any 60-second cut.
Play on Apple Music