You may have heard of YouTube Content ID, but what exactly is it and how does it work?
What is YouTube Content ID?
YouTube Content ID is the system that YouTube have built, and continue to develop, to protect copyrighted material on their platform. It helps copyright owners find videos where intellectual property has been used (including music). Access to deliver to and manage Content ID is only available to certain entities who meet specific criteria.
My Client Zone is eligible for this on behalf of our white label distribution clients.
Delivery of music to YouTube Content ID can be included in My Client Zone’s distribution services. However, there are restrictions on what content can be sent to content ID services. If approved, artists and label clients registered with our white label distributors can easily select to include YouTube Content ID as part of their music deliveries.
How does it work?
Content owners deliver their files to YouTube’s Content ID system. Content ID creates a fingerprint from the files. More specifically, YouTube creates an “asset” from the delivered content. This is known as a “reference” on their system.
YouTube keeps the “reference” fingerprints in a database and Content ID scans videos on YouTube against the fingerprints to see if there’s a match. Content ID can recognise audio, video and even melodies.
When a match is found, the video uploader will be notified and content ID will add a “claim” to the video to proceed with one of 3 options:
- Block the video: My Client Zone are able to apply a policy based on viewer location. So if there are territories you would like to exclude, just let us know.
- Monetise the video: If the video uploader chooses to not dispute the claim, the video will be monetised and royalties will be collected.
- Track: Collect viewer data to get detailed analytics, including the countries where that video is generating views.
By default, all music delivered by My Client Zone to content ID is automatically listed to monetise. This means that the claimed video remains live, but YouTube places adverts on it so that revenue can be generated. This revenue is then paid back to the white label distributor to forward to their clients.
My Client Zone has a deal with YouTube whereby we are called the ‘Content Manager’. Artists and labels remain the owner of their content, but this wording is chosen by YouTube.
What happens when an artist wants to upload their music to YouTube?
An artist (or YouTube channel with permission to do so) may receive a content ID claim when uploading a video that contains their music. Some artists might not want their videos to receive claims.
Our team can manually remove any claims made to artists using their own music. Or made to YouTube channels that have been granted permission by the copyright holder to upload the music. White label distribution clients, simply need to send URLs for the flagged videos to their account manager.
What type of music do YouTube Content ID accept?
YouTube Content ID accept all genres of music, unless it contains any non-exclusive beats, samples or loops.
Because this system works by scanning audio and matching to other uploads on the platform, if a song contains non-exclusive samples, beats or loops, this can cause issues when multiple artists use the same samples, beats, loops etc.
In essence, YouTube Content ID accept any song as long as the artist/record label owns the exclusive rights to all elements of it.
Due to the strict guidelines set by YouTube Content ID, our release processing team must carefully listen to every release submitted through My Client Zone distributors. There can often be no audible difference between exclusive and non-exclusive/free beats or samples. And so, music may be un-submitted for verification to ensure the client is not in breach of content ID rules.
If you’re working with artists and record labels, and wish to offer music distribution services to YouTube Content ID and 150+ digital platforms, GET IN TOUCH today.