YouTube Ad Revenue Collection Companies

[jdstamper]

Through a production library, I've been asked to sign with a YouTube ad revenue collection company ... it is not required by the library, you can opt in / or out. In a nutshell, it seems these companies exist to collect royalties (typically small micro-payments) ... if your music appears in YouTube videos (and the like). The same company might also have a website to license your music to YouTube / etc users (acting as a partner to the production library, hitting a market that the library doesn't target).

Your music is identified apparently via an embedded content ID. Similar to a PRO, you can only be signed to one such collection company.

Does anyone have experience / opinions about signing up? Good / Bad? How to choose? Are any of the traditional PRO's getting into this?

Thanks, Jim

[coachdebra]

I'd be curious to know if sound exchange already handles this. And if they don't, if the collection company takes a cut.

[Len911]

I'm guessing that this is the policy that Youtube uses to address copyright violations. If you elect no, then if they find a video with your content in it they will delete it and punish the poster. Otoh if you elect yes, if someone infringes on your copyright you can either have a link posted on itunes for your version or share in ad revenue. I'm just speculating of course.

http://www.youtube.com/t/contentid

[slideboardouts]

If it helps you make a decision, my one and only royalty statement from this youtube deal with the library you are talking about was one half of one penny . $00.0051 to be exact.

The only problem I think that you would run into with this is if you are licensing to youtubers who make money off of their videos. If they want to use your music, and its in YouTube's content ID system, then not only will they get an ad in their video but I I believe that they will not be able to monetize that particular video (but you will... all $00.0051 will be hitting your bank account!).

Its possible that you could make a decent amount from this I guess, but I opted out of it because I've only got 3 songs in this particular library and I'm not a fan of the price points of the company that they are partnering with to do this deal.

At this point in time, I don't think that there is much to be gained or lost with this content ID deal IMO.

-Steve

[jdstamper]

Thanks all!

Steve - that's quite interesting to get a real world view. It helps to put the "micro" payments in perspective.

Another 1,000 of those royalties and you could buy a Starbucks caffe mocha!

Jim