Officially-licensed music videos are finally coming to Facebook beginning Aug. 1, the company announced in a blog post today (July 31). The news mirrors what Techcrunch reported on July 14, which confirmed the timing of the long-awaited agreement between the social media giant and the music business.

Facebook has been hosting videos in Thailand and India, and today’s announcement brings the service to the United States. According to the blog post, the company has dealt with all three major music companies, as well as Merlin, BMG, Kobalt, and a number of indies, publishers, and PROs.

Videos will be able to be posted on artists’ own pages, while fans will be able to comment, share, and react to them as they would with other content on the platform. The company has also teased upcoming Facebook-only premieres, including videos from Lele Pons and Sech, while exclusive music videos from J Balvin, Karol G, Sebastian Yatra, Alejandro Fernandez and Calibre 50 are also on the way.

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The company said it will create a new hub for music on Facebook Watch, which will include themed playlists based around genre and era and popularity, as well as search videos by mood, genre, or artist. That will become more personalized in time, the company said.

The arrival of music videos to Facebook has been characterized by some as a direct jab at YouTube, which has been the traditional hub of music videos in the digital age. But that comparison is overblown, according to some industry sources, who see music on each platform as fundamentally different to the services’ experiences. But the appeal of Facebook is having videos integrated within the social media world, paired with the engagement that comes along with that.

"Artist-fan connection on Facebook is deeper and more authentic because of tools like Stories, Live and custom AR effects," Facebook’s vp music business development and partnerships Tamara Hrivnak said in a statement. "Official music videos are re-born in that setting -- they become part of the way people express identity and mood and bring a new dimension to the artist storytelling that happens on our apps every day."

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