Budweiser Parent Apologizes For ‘$0 Spent On Music Rights’ Boast
The controversy began with its Cannes-winning ad
Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), the parent company of Budweiser, has apologized for its Cannes Grand Prix-winning ad campaign that boasted of not paying for music rights.
The campaign:
The “One Second Ads” campaign was spearheaded by Budweiser’s Brazilian unit for its TikTok page, and used one-second clips from songs by artists such as Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar and Foo Fighters without licensing them.
Users could win coupons by correctly identifying songs from the one-second clips.
The campaign boasted that by using such short samples it spent “$0 on music rights,” a claim that was emphasized in the Cannes Lions case study.
This generated fierce criticism from music and licensing professionals.
Digital Music News quotes Dave Chase of LSTNR saying the commercial use of music requires a fully paid license, regardless of sample length.
The apology:
As per Music Business Worldwide, AB InBev has issued an apology in which its Brazilian unit, Ambev, stated: “We deeply respect artists and hear the concern.”
It added: “We have a long history of supporting musicians, festivals and events. We’re sorry and are working to resolve this.”
Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), the parent company of Budweiser, has apologized for its Cannes Grand Prix-winning ad campaign that boasted of not paying for music rights.
The campaign:
The “One Second Ads” campaign was spearheaded by Budweiser’s Brazilian unit for its TikTok page, and used one-second clips from songs by artists such as Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar and Foo Fighters without licensing them.
Users could win coupons by correctly identifying songs from the one-second clips.
The campaign boasted that by using such short samples it spent “$0 on music rights,” a claim that was emphasized in the Cannes Lions case study.
This generated fierce criticism from music and licensing professionals.
Digital Music News quotes Dave Chase of LSTNR saying the commercial use of music requires a fully paid license, regardless of sample length.
The apology:
As per Music Business Worldwide, AB InBev has issued an apology in which its Brazilian unit, Ambev, stated: “We deeply respect artists and hear the concern.”
It added: “We have a long history of supporting musicians, festivals and events. We’re sorry and are working to resolve this.”
Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), the parent company of Budweiser, has apologized for its Cannes Grand Prix-winning ad campaign that boasted of not paying for music rights.
The campaign:
The “One Second Ads” campaign was spearheaded by Budweiser’s Brazilian unit for its TikTok page, and used one-second clips from songs by artists such as Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar and Foo Fighters without licensing them.
Users could win coupons by correctly identifying songs from the one-second clips.
The campaign boasted that by using such short samples it spent “$0 on music rights,” a claim that was emphasized in the Cannes Lions case study.
This generated fierce criticism from music and licensing professionals.
Digital Music News quotes Dave Chase of LSTNR saying the commercial use of music requires a fully paid license, regardless of sample length.
The apology:
As per Music Business Worldwide, AB InBev has issued an apology in which its Brazilian unit, Ambev, stated: “We deeply respect artists and hear the concern.”
It added: “We have a long history of supporting musicians, festivals and events. We’re sorry and are working to resolve this.”
Anheuser-Busch InBev
Budweiser
Cannes Lions
Beyoncé
Kendrick Lamar
Foo Fighters
Dave Chase
LSTNR
Ambev
TikTok
Unlicensed Music In Advertising
Brand Liability For Platform Music
Social Media Music Licensing
Artist Rights And Royalty Disputes
Brand Partnerships
Copyright Infringement
Music Licensing
Awards & Milestones
Ad Campaign Controversy
Brazil
Belgium
United States
France
Cannes, FR
👋 Disclosures & Transparency Block
- This story was written with information sourced from Digital Music News and Music Business Worldwide.
- We covered it because of the controversy surrounding the Budweiser campaign and its potential impact on the future use of music in advertising.
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