Understanding Music Licensing on YouTube

Some things get more confusing when Google is involved...

As we discussed last week, music licensing is a mess. There are two copyrights and six different license types to consider.

But what if all you want to do is put a song (or even a cover) on your YouTube channel? Can’t YouTube help you get the rights and licenses you need?

The answer is: Not always.

The truth is that music licensing is so large and convoluted that even the largest video site (owned by the largest search engine) is able to completely crack it.

While YouTube can somewhat easily craft deals with record labels, publishers and composers still need to get their royalties and that is a much bigger hurdle.

So sit back and let me explain to you the ins and outs of music licensing and how they apply to YouTube. If you’ve ever had a copyright strike or a ContentID claim on a song and wondered why, hopefully this video can explain.

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