YouTube has had long-standing copyright infringement issues for well over a decade now, with many of them related to an automated copyright system detecting the use of licensed music. Forced to use royalty-free music, YouTubers have been longing for a way to use licensed music in videos without having to deal with copyright issues for a long time. Have those prayers finally been answered? Here’s the answer to whether you can monetize videos with licensed music on YouTube.
Monetizing Videos With Licensed Music on YouTube
Finally, it looks as though the answer will be yes. YouTube has just announced that users will be able to earn money through videos that use licensed music. This will be done through a service known as Creator Music, where YouTube will be in talks to create a list featuring “several hundred thousand” licensed songs from over 50 record labels, publishers and distributors that creators will get to use in their videos.
Once the service goes live, creators will be able to choose whether to license tracks regularly and keep the revenue (notwithstanding YouTube’s 45% cut) or split it with the license holders. If they choose to split, their 55% share will be divided based on the number of licensed songs used in a video (27.5% for one song, 18.3% for two, and so on), with potential performance rights deductions going to licensees.
That’s all we’ve got on whether you can monetize YouTube videos with licensed music. If you’re looking for something to tide you over while you wait for YouTube to roll out this program, try checking out Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai’s YouTube channel.
