YouTube unveils 'Creator Music' to help creators find songs for content

For content creators on YouTube, one of the most challenging aspects of submitting a video is ensuring that it has an appropriate soundtrack and doesn’t face copyright claims.  With the launch of its latest feature, Creator Music, the social media giant hopes to make that process easier for its many users.

Initially announced back in September, the new music hub allows content creators to browse a large library of music and see the rights to the track clearly laid out.  This is a major upgrade from the past model which often led to confusion and frustration over copyright infringements and lost ad revenue.  Navigating the somewhat twisted world of copyrights can be difficult for those unfamiliar with the process, and YouTube is hoping that this new model will alleviate stress while making it both more affordable to access hit songs for videos while also ensuring proper revenue sharing of content usage.

With an easy-to-use platform, creators can browse a large list of songs, search by artist or even mood, and then listen to short samples of tracks before making a decision.  Perhaps most important, creators will see the rights to the music clearly laid out and be able to understand the revenue share and even purchase the rights to use music within their project.  Since cost is an issue for some, YouTube will allow creators to search by price, and of course offers a large library of free content as well, ensuring that there is something for any budget.

This transparency is a major step forward, as past violations of copyright meant that creators would have to hand over 100% of their ad revenue, something that can be a sizeable financial hit.  The improved access to high-quality audio tracks also comes as TikTok has become a growing rival, allowing users to access short music clips for their uploads on the platform.

While the program was slowly rolled out to YouTube Partner Program users in the United States, it says that Creator Music is now available to everyone in that group and they are looking to expand to more countries soon.

Image Credit: YouTube