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YouTube Content ID

Track and protect your music across YouTube. Register songs for Content ID with Ditto Pro and claim even more royalties.

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YouTube Content ID

Register music for YouTube Content ID

Monetise your music across the entire YouTube platform with Content ID and get paid every time your tracks are featured. 

Sign Up to Pro
Start a free trial

What is YouTube Content ID?

Content ID lets artists claim royalties whenever their copyrighted music appears on YouTube. This means getting paid each time anyone uploads your performances or uses samples of your music in their videos.

YouTube Content ID
YouTube Content ID

How does YouTube Content ID work?

YouTube Content ID uses a digital footprint of your music to find it across the platform. As a YouTube partner, Ditto can register your tracks for Content ID, ensuring that every upload featuring your music is identified and linked back to you.

YouTube Content ID Royalties:

User-uploaded live performances
Samples of your music in YouTube videos
Official music and behind-the-scenes videos

Protect your music & unlock extra royalties

Available to all Ditto Pro and Label artists, YouTube Content ID can be added to any of your releases within the Release Builder. Content ID automatically launches a claim anytime someone uses your copyrighted content without your permission, safeguarding your work on YouTube.

YouTube Content ID

How does YouTube Content ID work?

Making sure your music is protected and identified across YouTube is simple with Ditto.

Step 1

Register Your Music

Sign up for Ditto Pro and add Youtube Content ID as a store on our Release Builder.

Step 2

Detection & Matching

YouTube's Content ID system scans the platform for any features of your music.

Step 3

Claim Your Royalties

You'll receive royalties from all identified uses of your music on YouTube.

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Unlimited Distro for Two Artists

Release as much music as you like on Spotify, Apple Music and 100+ platforms. Access all Pro features for two artists on one account and keep 100% of your royalties.

Collect Extra Publishing Royalties

Recover all of the missing royalties you're due and boost your earnings by up to 20% when you register your tracks with Ditto Music Publishing.

Release Protection Guaranteed

Any releases you drop with Ditto Music will stay live in stores indefinitely, even if you miss a payment, cancel your subscription or a stage light falls on you.

Grow on Youtube With Content ID

Make sure your music is tracked and protected across YouTube. With Content ID, you'll get paid royalties any time your music is featured in a video.

Priority Support

Skip the queue and talk to our team whenever you need us. We're always online, ready to answer your questions and help you navigate the industry.

All Artist Features

Power up your career, with Ditto Splits, market your tracks with our Smartlink Technology, and get fast payouts on our website or through our new App.

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YouTube Content ID Explained

YouTube Content ID is YouTube’s identification system designed to help artists and copyright owners automatically identify their music and any videos that contain their copyrighted content.

Content ID helps protect content owners from any copyright infringements, comparing all uploaded videos to their internal database of uploads registered by rights holders. 

But what does this mean for you as an artist? Here’s everything you need to know about YouTube Content ID.

YouTube Content ID - YouTube logo

What is YouTube Content ID used for?

Artists and content creators can use Content ID as a way of monetising their music across the whole of YouTube. If someone is using your songs, you should be getting paid for it. Right?

YouTube Content ID lets you claim royalties - from both your own videos that you’ve uploaded, and also from anywhere else that your music features. 

This includes claiming royalties from:

- Any uploaded live performances - by yourself or fans 
- Any samples of your music that appear across the YouTube platform
- Fan or officially posted clips from any tours or gigs including your audio
- Anywhere else your music may have been used

If you notice your music has been used by someone else - and without your permission - chances are, YouTube will already have sent you a notification to take action. This is what is referred to as a Content ID claim.

What is a YouTube Content ID claim?

YouTube Content ID claims are generated automatically whenever someone uploads a video which contains matching content, no matter how small a clip, to someone else’s within the ID management system. Whenever this happens, copyright owners - you - have a couple of different options to choose from.

Firstly, you can choose to block this newly added video from being viewed. This might be the right option for cases where someone has blatantly ripped off your music or tried to pass it off as their own. Not an ideal situation.

The arguably more beneficial option to you is to monetise the video and earn money from it. Some content creators might also reach out to you to suggest sharing this revenue with you. If you choose to go down this route, make sure to check YouTube’s claim guidelines within your region.

You’ll also have the option to track the uploaded video’s viewership statistics. 

How to avoid Content ID claims on YouTube

As obvious as it may sound, the key to avoiding Content ID claims is to refrain from using any content that doesn’t belong to you. 

Think carefully about your video visuals or any audio samples that you don’t own a license to use when uploading to the platform. YouTube will be in touch pretty promptly to help resolve things, but it’s better off to not have any issues in the first place.

There are also a few types of uploads that aren’t suitable to collect Content ID royalties. Minimise your chance of content claims and check them out below.

What is eligible for YouTube Content ID?

YouTube takes Content ID seriously, so you'll only be able to make claims around:

- Uses of your own material which you have exclusive rights to.
- Uses of third-party material  which you have exclusive rights to.

We can't register your music for Content ID if it is under Public Domain, has previously been sent to Content ID using a different provider, or if you purchased or leased any beats under a Non-Exclusive Licence. For more info about what is eligible for YouTube Content ID, head to the Ditto Support Site.

Although Content ID is a great way for musicians to make extra cash and receive their deserved royalties, there are sometimes uploads which don’t qualify for the service. The most common reason for ineligibility is uploaders not owning exclusive rights to the track. Common examples of uploads which might not have exclusive rights include:

- Remixes of existing songs
- Compilations and Best Of uploads
- Video Gameplay
- TV or movie trailers
- Music that has been non-exclusively licensed 
- Recordings of performances

To minimise issues, whenever copyright owners apply for Content ID, they have to sign and complete a user agreement. This agreement explains clearly that uploads require exclusive rights ownership.

If you’re unable to qualify for Content ID, YouTube also offers these copyright management tools that might suit your needs better:

- The Copyright Match Tool
- The Copyright Complaint Webform
- The Content Verification Program (CVP)

YouTube Content ID - person filming live music performance

How much can I make from YouTube Content ID

How long is a piece of string? The answer to this question really does depend on how well you’re marketing your music and how dedicated you are to your YouTube strategy.

Basically, the more people who stream videos that contain your music, the more you’ll earn.

Just like on TikTok, if your tracks are picking up traction and people are vibing to them, the more likely it is that other creators will use your music in the videos. 

However much you do earn through YouTube Content ID will be paid directly into your Ditto account as soon as we receive it each month.

How to register your music for YouTube Content ID 

This is where we come in. Ditto Music is a YouTube-certified company, meaning we can set everything up for you and automatically register your music for YouTube Content ID on your behalf. Whether you're starting a record label or a solo musician, YouTube Content ID is available to all Ditto Pro and Labels artists. 

More than just distribution, access game changing new features.

If you're uploading music to YouTube, registering for Content ID is a must. Not only will this help protect your music across one of the world's biggest platforms, but it'll also make sure you get paid for your work. Get started today and sign up for YouTube Content ID with Ditto Music.