As any avid user of YouTube knows, the site has a fairly lenient stance on copyrighted music. Anyone that wants to upload a video is free to incorporate any number of tunes into their creation. However, whether it would be blocked or monetized once it was on the site was an unknown variable. Fortunately, YouTube recently updated their system to make things a bit more transparent.
As of yesterday, users can now browse the Audio Library feature to view current restrictions on any copyrighted music they are hoping to use. Restrictions include how viewable the video will be, where ads will be placed, and geographic limitations. The new feature runs on YouTube‘s copyright ID system, which allows copyright owners to block, mute, or monetize videos at their leisure. For example, if a user wanted to incorporate Charli XCX‘s tune ‘Boom Clap’, a search in the Audio Library would turn up the fact that it is a copyrighted song and the relevant options for its usage. And, to make the process of finding the right songs even easier, the catalog has some very specific search options; alongside genres, users can browse songs by duration, mood, and instruments used.
What do you think this means for uploaders of electronic music? Let us know in the comments!
Source: Billboard