Launched in 2015, YouTube Music is a free streaming service powered by YouTube, and available to millions of listeners who can browse songs and videos on the platform by genre, playlists, and recommendations. Subscribers have an option to upgrade to a paid, premium version of the service that eliminates ads, allows for offline playback, and audio-only playback.
What is a YouTube Art Track?
A YouTube Art Track is a version of your release that’s automatically generated by YouTube when you distribute it to YouTube Music. Art Tracks include the track audio, a static image of the release’s cover art, and the song’s metadata (track title, artist name, copyright date, etc). Listeners can interact with your YouTube Art Track in the same way they interact with any YouTube video, including the ability to add to a playlist or appear in the “up next” queue. You can learn more about Art Tracks on YouTube’s dedicated help page.
Beginning in March, 2020, when you opt one or more newly distributed tracks into TuneCore’s YouTube Sound Recording Revenue service, YouTube Art Tracks will automatically be generated for your entire release.
How do I opt into or out of YouTube Sound Recording Revenue?
Opt-in
You can opt-in to TuneCore’s YouTube Sound Recording Revenue service through our Artist Services portal once you have distributed content. Please note that you cannot opt-in to this service if you do not have content distributed through TuneCore.
- Login to your TuneCore Account
- Choose “Video Monetization” from the grey menu bar at the top of the screen
- Select “YouTube Monetization” from the dropdown menu
Once your content has been enrolled in YouTube’s Content ID tracking system, YouTube will search its entire catalog for videos that are using your music and begin monetizing them on your behalf. If you choose to opt one or more of your tracks into TuneCore’s YouTube Sound Recording Revenue service, all of your release’s tracks will automatically be opted into YouTube Music via an Art Track.
Opt-out
If you are already setup with monetized tracks on YouTube and would like to opt out, please contact our Customer Care team directly and we can help remove your release(s) from this service.
How do I opt into or out of YouTube Music?
Opt-in
You can add YouTube Music to your distribution network while you’re initially setting up your release. To begin distributing to YouTube Music after you have already distributed a release to other stores:
- Login to your TuneCore account
- Choose “Music” from the gray menu bar at the top of the screen
- Select “Store Manager” from the dropdown menu
Here you will be able to add YouTube Music to your release. If you have already opted one or more tracks into the YouTube Sound Recording Revenue service, your entire release will be automatically enrolled in the YouTube Music store.
Opt-out
If you’d like to remove your release(s) from YouTube Music, please review the steps outlined in our “How do I take down my music from stores?” FAQ and our Customer Care team will help with the rest.