Monetizing assets used in User Generated Content

YouTube Content ID identifies when your audio tracks or your videos are used in UGC videos on the YouTube platform and automatically monetizes this content on your behalf.

How does Content ID Work

YouTube Content ID is a program created to allow copyright owners to easily identify and manage their content on YouTube. It's quite simple: 

1. Copyright owners provide their audio and/or video recordings to YouTube by uploading their videos.
2. These Audio or Video Fingerprints are then integrated into a database containing millions of tracks of all kinds.
3. When a user posts a new video on YouTube, it is compared to the YouTube database files.
4. If there is an audio or video match, the matching policy applied to the video is applied and the copy is monetized on behalf of the Copyright owner of the original video.

If you need further information on this topic, we invite you to consult the following YouTube Help articles:

• How Content ID Works
• What is a Content ID claim

Eligibility

Not all content is appropriate for YouTube Content ID. Consider the following points before delivering your content to this service:

You must have exclusive copyright rights to the material

The following examples are ineligible for YouTube AudioFingerprint:

1. Content licensed non-exclusively from a third party (uncleared samples, "type-beats", use of raw material from other content, acapella/instrumental versions, speech, etc.)
2. Content released under Creative Commons or similar free/open licenses
3. "Royalty-free" production music libraries
4. Public domain footage, recordings, or compositions
5. Clips from other sources used under fair use principles
6. Video gameplay footage (by other than the game’s publisher)

Content must be sufficiently distinct

The following examples are ineligible for YouTube Audio Fingerprint:

1. Karaoke recordings, remasters, and soundalike recordings
2. Cover of instrumentals and/or with covered lead vocals
3. Unofficial Remixes, Re-arrangements of an original track not published on any official release of the original artist
4. Sound effects, soundbeds (nature sounds, generic sounds, etc.), or production loops

Content must be provided as individual tracks for each piece of intellectual property

The following examples are ineligible for YouTube Audio Fingerprint:

1. Compilations
2. Continuous DJ mixes
3. Mashups
4. Countdown lists
5. Full album sound recordings

Please note: Even if you exclusively own all of the content within these types of examples in all territories, you must separate them into individual components, songs, or videos.

Consequences of YouTube Content ID / Audio Fingerprint Abuse

If YouTube detects ineligible content for YouTube Audio Fingerprint, they will instantly take down the content and may block your ability to deliver new content to YouTube AudioFingerprint.

Discover how YouTube’s Creator Music new feature works and how it affects music owners on Artist Resources.