In its latest move to lure TikTok creators to YouTube Shorts, streaming giant YouTube has announced that creators of short videos will soon be allowed up to one minute of copyrighted music in their Shorts. The change represents a significant increase over the previous 15-second limit for any licensed song.
YouTube says short-form creators can use between 30 and 60 seconds of licensed music “for most tracks.” However, some songs will stay within the previous 15-second limit, and licensing agreements dictate which tracks appear in which window. Creators will be able to quickly see how long each song is allowed in the YouTube app’s audio selector.
Aggressive DMCA takedown notices have become a huge issue for publishers across all platforms, as user-generated videos have skyrocketed over the past decade. Record companies often automate copyright practices, making overly enthusiastic claims. The creators saw that their videos were flagged even for a few seconds of music from a passing car.
The increase in song limits marks YouTube’s latest attempt to attract TikTok creators (and thus viewers and ad revenue) to Shorts. In September, the company announced an ad revenue sharing program to provide qualified creators a 45 percent share of ad revenue regardless of whether they use music. TikTok launched a similar sharing program earlier this year after widespread complaints about its previous “static pool of funds” approach.
As of September 2021, TikTok has reached 1 billion monthly users. However, given YouTube’s overall dominance of the video space, these numbers likely include people who are already on YouTube watching other content. TikTok’s numbers, on the other hand, more clearly include people searching for its distinctive short-form videos, an audience that other media giants like YouTube and Meta continue to follow.
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