What Does YouTube Content ID Mean For Using Other’s Music In Your YouTube Videos?

Using music in your YouTube videos can be risky, inciting the possibility of demonetization, or even worse, a copyright strike against your channel. Here we look at how to properly navigate the dangerous digital waters of including music in YouTube video.

Guest post by Erik Hawkins of Berklee Online’s TakeNote

Including music in your YouTube videos that isn’t yours can be risky business. If you don’t do it correctly, you risk losing your monetization privileges for that video, or worse, a copyright strike against your channel. However, it is possible once you understand how the YouTube Content ID system works. In this video I break down the whole process, from receiving a Content ID flag to clearing it with the proper paperwork.

Of course, it’s unlikely that you can obtain permission to use a big name artist’s music in your YouTube videos. But there’s no reason you can’t license the music from a friend’s release or local indie band.Even between friends, if the music you’re using on your YouTube video has already been released worldwide and fingerprinted by the Content ID system, you’ll need more than just a verbal agreement.—@BerkleeOnline instructor @ErikHawk Click To Tweet

However, even between friends, if the music you’re using has already been released worldwide and fingerprinted by the Content ID system, you’ll need more than just a verbal agreement. You’ll need to have a signed and authorized sync license agreement to prove to the music’s distributor and YouTube that you actually have permission to use this music in your video.

Then, when this has all been done correctly, it can be a winning situation for all parties involved.