YouTube Creator Music gets your release added to the YouTube Creator Music Library where other YouTube creators can buy a license to use your music in their video. This feature is included with the annually charged DistroKid Album Extra YouTube Content ID.
Note: If you have existing releases with YouTube Content ID, these releases are not currently included in YouTube Creator Music. You can opt into YouTube Creator Music for previous releases with Content ID by heading to your album page, and navigating to the album extras section. YouTube Creator Music should be listed as a free add-on from your album page under that extras section.
How it works:
- First, opt-into YouTube Content ID + YouTube Creator Music in the DistroKid upload form while creating or editing a release. You'll see pricing information there; the price is per release (album or single).
- Once you’ve opted in, DistroKid will send your release to the YouTube Creator Music Library. This is YouTube’s database where creators can search for your music and buy a license to use it in their video.
- When a YouTube creator buys a license to use your music, the license fee (minus 20%) goes to you. These earnings will be shown in your DistroKid “Bank” tab.
- The License is a non exclusive license. This means you can sell multiple licenses for the same release.
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The License Fee varies based on the subscriber count of the YouTube creator buying the license:
Channel Subscribers / License Cost
1k - 100k / $9.99 per license
100k - 500k / $24.99
500k - 5m / $39.99
5m+ / $74.99
A few important notes:
- The license fee is split 50-50 with publishers. If you have a publishing administrator, they will collect 50% and DistroKid will collect the other 50%
- If you have a publishing administrator and they have a fees structure for your compositions, the higher of the two license fees will be used.
- If a YouTube creator buys a license to use your music in their video, that video is no longer claimable with Content ID. You get the license fee and they get the rights to collect the ad revenue from the video.
- If a user generated video uses your music that has YouTube Creator Music included on your DistroKid submission, but the video creator does not purchase a license, Content ID will still place a claim on your behalf for that video.
- The License Usage is for a single video only. This means a license is purchased per video and cannot be reused for a different video.
- The License Duration is in perpetuity. This means the license is good for as long as the video is up on YouTube.
- The Territorial Usage for the license is worldwide. This means anyone around the world can buy a license to use your music (this also depends on the feature territorial availability determined by YouTube).
For more information about YouTube's Creator Music program from Google/YouTube, click here.