On November 10th, 2022, YouTube came to Ciel Creative space in Berkeley, California to gather a VIP audience focused on Bay Area Black artists, label bosses, managers, and related industry professionals to help educate how to make money with your music on YouTube.
The eager crowd easily packed the room as Tuma Basa, Director of Black Music & Culture for YouTube came to the stage and introduced industry pundit and well-loved Phillie podcaster @Wallo267, who stepped onto the stage to do what he does so well, energize, motivate and inspire the packed house to pay close attention to the knowledge being dropped.
Of course, the elephant in the room that was never mentioned was… TikTok… and it was clear with this roadshow that YouTube had a bull’s eye on TikTok’s back and was leading the charge to prepare creators for the coming monetization of YouTube shorts in 2023.
With $6 Billion Dollars Paid out to artists in the last year alone, there was no doubt left that YouTube was here to show you how to make money with your music and is gunning to be the #1 Revenue source in the Music Industry by 2025.
So who came out to represent from YouTube?
In addition to Tuma Basa and Wallo, YouTube brought significant staff members out to discuss various facets of their strategy including Global Music Strategist Lead, Mahlet Seyoum (@mahletsees), Artist Partnerships Manager Rachel “Rachie” Jackson (@rachiebabie), Partner Operations Manager – Artists Chelsea Broussard (@__cmoneyy).
The afternoon’s grand finale was a candid interview with Bay Area music impresario and CEO of Empire Music, Ghazi Shami.
This event made it evident how much importance YouTube is placing on the power of “shorts” and expanding the YouTube Partner Program (YPP).
1. SO…What's new?!
Bottom line: SHORTS and the new & enhanced YouTube Partner Program !!
Here’s a quick overview of what’s new and improved on how to make money with your music– keep in mind that some features are launching in select markets before others.
More Opportunities For Creators
Today, YouTube offers 10 ways for creators to make money on YouTube. While they’re adding to the ways you can earn with this announcement, they’re also introducing varying eligibility thresholds for YPP to open it up to even more creators. Starting in mid-January 2023, newly eligible creators will be able to join YPP by either:
- Getting 1,000 subscribers with 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months, or
- Getting 1,000 subscribers with 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days.
YouTube will be introducing lower eligibility thresholds for YPP creators to access Fan Funding even earlier (such as Super Thanks, Super Chat, Super Stickers, and channel memberships). These new eligibility thresholds for Fan Funding will start sometime in 2023 and apply to long-form video, live stream, and Shorts content.
· Note: Keep in mind that any public watch hours from Shorts views in the Shorts Feed won’t count towards the 4,000 public watch hours threshold.
2. YouTube Partner Program Eligibility Requirements
YouTube Partner Program (YPP) eligibility threshold for Shorts creators. Starting in mid-January 2023, creators can become eligible for YPP by gaining 1,000 subscribers with 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days. Once in the program, partners get access to all the features and benefits that YPP has to offer, including ads on long-form videos. Creators still have the option to qualify for YPP with 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months, however any watch hours from Shorts views don’t count towards that threshold.
After applying for YPP, a channel will be reviewed to check whether it meets YouTube’s channel monetization policies. These apply to anyone in or looking to apply to YPP. To be eligible for monetization, channels must upload original content, whether created on or off YouTube.
Examples of ineligible videos include:
- Non-original videos, like unedited clips from movies or TV shows
- Re-uploading other creators’ content from YouTube or other platforms, with no original content added
To monetize with ads, content must also meet the advertiser-friendly content guidelines.
Wallo made a very significant point of of talking about gang violence and why carrying guns, “sticks”, in the videos would result in being penalized as “unnecessary violence” in the YouTube algorithm and would result in vastly fewer recommendations and views.
Starting February 1, 2023, all new and existing creators in YPP will become eligible for revenue sharing on ads that are viewed between Shorts in the Shorts Feed. As a YPP partner, you’ll need to review and accept the relevant agreement in order to share ads revenue on Shorts. Ads revenue sharing on Shorts is another way for creators to make money on YouTube, in addition to other revenue streams like ads on long-form videos, Fan Funding, merchandise, and more.
Each month, revenue from these ads will be added together and used to reward Shorts creators and help cover costs of music licensing. From the overall amount allocated to creators, they will keep 45% of the revenue, no matter if they use music in their Shorts. This revenue will be distributed to creators based on the number of views their Shorts get in each country.
3. Replacing the YouTube Shorts Fund
When Shorts ads revenue sharing begins on February 1, 2023, it will replace the YouTube Shorts Fund. The majority of Shorts Fund recipients is expected to earn more under this new model. Moving away from a fixed fund towards ads revenue sharing ensures creators share in the platform’s success – as YouTube Shorts and the community grows, so do creator earnings. The final Shorts Fund invites for January activity will go out in mid-February 2023, with payments in March (subject to AdSense payment thresholds and requirements).
4. Use the Full Force Of The YouTube Ecosystem
5. The Ecosystem of Monetization Grows through Channel Memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers & Merch!
No More Dropping Tracks Out Of The Blue!
With heavy music discovery competition on all sides and the rapid rise of TikTok, YouTube is playing to their strengths and knows it. Their global reach and top ranked position as the #1 user generated video platform in the world gives them more than enough clout and momentum to dominate this space.
As Global Music Strategist Lead, Mahlet Seyoum, emphasized several times during the afternoon: “There’s no more just dropping music out of the blue ever again. That’s not a thing, never was a thing and if that ever was a thing for you… eradicate it. We’re not doing that anymore!”
YouTube shorts have become the perfect vehicle to pre-promote and at the same time monetize any new releases. YouTube Avenues made it very clear that YouTube was here to hammer that point home!
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GHAZI: CHAMPIONING THE BAY!
