Content ID allows you to claim royalties when your music is used in YouTube videos, either your own or other people’s videos. But is Content ID worth it for indie music artists, does it help or does it hurt? Let’s talk about it.
First, I ran a poll on my YouTube channel and found that about 50% of artists use Content ID while about 50% of artist do not use Content ID. It’s apparently a pretty divisive topic.
What Is YouTube Content ID
Content ID is a system that allows music rightsholders (artists and labels) to get paid when their music is used in YouTube videos. The artist or label registers their music with Content ID and then the system identifies every time it’s used in video content, and sends the earnings from that video to the rightsholder.
There are multiple levels of Content ID enforcement. Most of the time the music is allows to be used and the rightsholder just takes the earnings from the video using the content. However the rightsholder can also get the video taken down if they wish, depending on the platform they use to integrate with Content ID.
You can read more about Content ID straight from Google here.
Impacts Of Using YouTube Content ID
From the YouTube creator side, Content ID can be a massive nuisance. Imagine making a 25 minute video, using 20 seconds of an audio file of a song you love and having 100% of the revenue of that video going to the music artist instead of you. It’s a frustrating experience and serious creators will often not use any music that triggers Content ID, instead opting to pay for music services that grant them music they can use without worry.
The argument that people have against using Content ID as an artist is that it makes it harder for creators to use your music. Yes, you won’t get paid when people use your music but at least they’ll be sharing it for free. Some artists and labels go out of their way to purposefully encourage creators to use their music in their content, and they’ve benefited greatly by doing this.
Should Music Artists Use ContentID
So should you use Content ID for your music? Maybe. Here’s the pros and cons…
Arguments for using Content ID:
- You should get paid when your music is used online.
- It allows you to get paid from your own YouTube videos prior to being able to join the YouTube partner program.
- By opting in, you’re protecting your music from being claimed by somebody else.
- While there are small creators who may want to share your stuff, people have reported on large companies leeching off of artists who don’t use Content ID.
Arguments against using Content ID:
- Not using Content ID encourages people to share your music in their videos on YouTube.
- As a creator, the entire experience with Content ID can be quite frustrating.
- It can cost money to opt-in.
Someone in my comments mentioned that they found out their music was being used in international commercials uploaded to YouTube by companies in foreign countries. Millions of views, using their music, and they never credited the artist or paid them a dime. This is one thing that Content ID can protect you from.
DistroKid Content ID
DistroKid is currently the largest music distributor in the world, and they also offer the ability for artists to use Content ID. While I personally really like DistroKid, i’m not a fan of how they charge for Content ID. Here’s how they do it:
- They charge $4.95 for a single, or $14.95 for an album, every single year you opt in.
- Then they also take 20% of royalties they collect from Content ID.
In my opinion this price is too high. For indie artists the yearly cost adds up quick and for larger artists the 20% cut adds up quick. Using both is overkill.
That being said, if it costs you $50/year to opt in your catalog and it makes you $300 per year it’s a worthwhile transaction. Over at Melodist, there is no annual fee to opt-in to Content ID.
Speaking of DistroKid, use our free tool to analyze your DistroKid royalty statements! No email required.
Conclusion
Overall it comes down to your personal beliefs and your strategy. If you’re going to try and encourage creators to use your music in their content, you can build an entire strategy around that. However if you have a reasonable volume of your music being used in videos, especially if most of those are casual fans that aren’t even monetized on YouTube, you’re leaving money on the table.
Think about all of these things before blindly opting in or not opting into Content ID.
