About YouTube Creator
YouTube’s new creator product feature offers endemic video creators access to a library of tracks from which they can purchase synchronization licenses to use your songs in their videos, meaning huge exposure potential. TuneCore is one of the trusted partners working with YouTube on the initial beta launch.
Where will YouTube Creator be available?
The purchase of music licenses via YouTube Creator is available to all YouTube Partner Program creators in the U.S.A.
What music can be licensed via this new product feature?
If you opt your catalog into this new feature, TuneCore will make all of your tracks available to YouTube for inclusion in the new library. However, please note that for tracks to be available in the library, both the master rights holders and the composition rights holders must opt-in. Therefore, your tracks may not be available in the library if they have not been cleared on the composition side.
Licensing Terms
How does the licensing for this work?
TuneCore has authorized YouTube, as TuneCore’s agent, to license TuneCore tracks for use in the creators’ videos (or live streams). These synchronization licenses will be sold, billed, and administered by YouTube on TuneCore’s behalf.
These licenses are non-exclusive and on a per-video basis. They will be granted worldwide and for different durations to be selected by the video creator. Pricing will vary according to territory and duration.
The sums due to you will be reported in the monthly statements provided to you by TuneCore pursuant to your Digital Distribution Agreement.
What are the restrictions around these licenses?
The new YouTube Creator product feature has been created to open new possibilities of content enrichment for YouTube video creators who are currently using low-quality tracks (or no music at all) in their videos. The aim is in no event to replace the usual YouTube Content ID or traditional sync licensing business. For that reason, the below restrictions apply:
Excluded creators
The new creator product feature is not intended for the following persons/entities, which are explicitly excluded from access:
- any persons/entities that YouTube considers as being primarily engaged in producing audiovisual content for commercial use, or
- any commercial brands whose channel promotes such brands, goods, or services.
Excluded videos
In addition, the following videos are not allowed to include a track from the library:
- Videos where the creator has been paid by a brand or service to produce content that is primarily dedicated to endorsing or promoting that brand or service;
- Videos that make any of the following uses of your track:
- fundamentally alter the track (no remixing allowed); or
- use the name and/or likeness of the performing artist other than to identify the track and/or artist concerned; or
- create art tracks or other similar static image videos or lyric videos.
- Videos that could reasonably be interpreted as derogatory toward the artist concerned and/or detrimental to its moral rights (where applicable) or reputation.
Financials
What is my royalty in exchange for this license?
The price of a synchronization license will be the greater of the price set by TuneCore or the price actually charged by YouTube for the license. The price set by TuneCore will be determined according to several parameters, such as the territory and duration of the license or the fee requested by publishers under similar license conditions for the underlying musical composition concerned.
The licenses are synchronization licenses, and therefore TuneCore will apply the synchronization royalty rate pursuant to your Digital Distribution Agreement.
Will this affect my existing YouTube content ID income? What about my sync income?
Many creators are avoiding placing commercial music in their videos because of prohibitive licensing costs and processes. The new creator product feature aims to address this issue by giving creators the ability to purchase sync licenses quickly and easily.
Keep in mind that these licenses are non-exclusive and on a per video basis.
For this reason, we are confident that this new framework will bring in additional and incremental revenue, without disrupting existing UGC/Content ID or sync income.
We will be closely monitoring the performance of the new licenses and comparing this against existing revenue streams to ensure this is the case.
Can I still monetize videos that have directly licensed music through this new creator product feature?
Once a creator has purchased a license via this library for one given video, they will be able to exploit and monetize the video in accordance with the terms of such license applicable to this specific video. Therefore, we will not apply the usual monetize, track, or block policy on the video the way we usually do under YouTube Content ID.
Nevertheless, you will be able to request the termination of a particular license where a video or a creator is in breach of the license restrictions herein-above described.
Content Management
Can I remove my music from the library?
You have the right to remove or exclude certain releases from the library at any time. For this purpose, you can reach out to your usual channel manager at TuneCore. Creators who bought a license from the library before you removed your music from the library will still be able to use it.
May I issue a takedown request for a video licensed via the new library?
Once a license has been purchased by a creator and granted to this creator, you cannot request a takedown of the video which is the object of the license (the same way you would usually do under YouTube Content ID). However, you will be able to request the termination of a license if the creator concerned violates the licenses restrictions mentioned above.
In order to be able to issue a termination request, the creator/video/use of your track must be in breach of the license conditions and restrictions mentioned above in the Section titled “What are the restrictions around the license?”.
Termination by you of an in-course license or any other applicable bona fide rights holder to a track or composition used in the relevant video may, in YouTube's sole discretion, give rise to a refund of all or of a prorated portion of the applicable license transaction amount to the creator.
For more information about YouTube Creator Music, you can visit their FAQ here.