Why You Shouldn’t Use Facebook or YouTube to Live Stream a Funeral

Using Facebook or YouTube to live stream a funeral or memorial service could result in the Facebook or Youtube account being closed. It could also lead to muting of the audio of your event, resulting in a less than desirable experience for the online audience.

Facebook and YouTube have entered into lawsuit settlements with music companies that prevent them from allowing some copyrighted music to be played over their systems. Blocking and muting is done by algorithms. Even though you are able to stream the music in the funeral over the web, Facebook and YouTube will mute it. If you continue to stream the copyrighted music over their systems, eventually they will block you from using the system. 

When contacted about this issue, Facebook claimed they were precluded from allowing live streaming of funerals that include copyrighted music because of the prior settlement agreements.

At Virtual Memorial Gatherings, we prefer to use other channels for live streaming funerals and memorials which do not have these copyright issues.

We have noticed the “muting” problem that many funeral homes are experiencing when streaming funerals over Facebook.  Several years ago, Facebook entered into agreements with song producers to resolve copyright infringement claims.  These agreements require Facebook to mute live streaming that are broadcast over the Facebook platform if the streaming includes music belonging to the songwriters. 

If you plan to live stream a funeral or memorial service it’s always a good idea to seek advice from a professional company offering the service. A good question to ask when searching for a reputable service is: “What platform are you using to live stream?”