YouTube Announces New Ways To Reward Creators

YouTube recently held its Made On YouTube event, where it announced a trio of headlining updates. The updates are centered around new ways to reward creators across its platform. These include expanded access to the YouTube Partner Program, revenue sharing with Shorts creators, and Creator Music.

Expanded Access To The YouTube Partner Program

Shorts-focused creators can now apply to the YouTube Partner Program if they meet the threshold of 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views over 90 days. Creators accepted into the program will have access to ways to make money through ads and Fan Funding, including Super Thanks, Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Channel Memberships.

A new level of the YPP will also be available with lower requirements. Creators across various video formats, including long-form, Shorts, and live, will soon be able to access Fan Funding earlier.

Revenue Sharing For Shorts Creators

Starting in 2023, Shorts creators will be able to make money for their videos through a new revenue-sharing program, much like what currently exists for long-form videos.

YouTube will run ads between Shorts videos. Revenue generated from the ads will be combined and used to reward creators and pay for music licensing fees. After covering music licensing costs, YouTube will distribute the remaining revenue to creators. Creators will receive a 45% revenue share, which will be distributed based on the total number of views they generate in each country.

The revenue share program will replace the YouTube Shorts Fund.

Creator Music

YouTube is launching Creator Music, a new music destination where creators can access a large catalog of commercial tracks, including popular and trending music. These can be used in long-form videos while still being eligible for monetization.

Available in YouTube Studio, creators will be able to search, preview and favorite the tracks. They can buy a license to use the music and earn the same revenue share they typically earn with videos that don’t use music. Or, they can do a revenue share with the artist of the track and their associated music rightsholders.

What It Means

YouTube’s latest announcements shake up the short-form video landscape. The changes put YouTube in more direct competition with TikTok, which has been the primary destination for short-form video creation and consumption. Now, with support for advertising across Shorts, the platform becomes even more attractive to creators, who are increasingly shifting towards shorter, snackable content.

Already the leading place for long-form video, YouTube’s expansion of the YPP and addition of revenue sharing give creators the ability to access the platform’s built-in audience and earn money while doing so.

Creator monetization for short-form video has been one of the biggest challenges since the format emerged. Many of the platforms, including YouTube, launched Creator Funds in hopes of keeping creators using their respective short-form video experiences. However, those proved to be short-term solutions. By adding a revenue-sharing component, YouTube is building the foundation for creators to earn money with short-form videos.

Music Becomes Even More Integral

The launch of Creator Music is also quite notable, considering how music is an integral part of the short-form video experience. Whether they license music upfront or do revenue sharing, creators will benefit from being able to incorporate popular and trending music in their videos while still having the opportunity to make money for those videos.

With artists and music rightsholders getting paid when their music is used, they can benefit from an additional revenue stream and increased discovery through creator videos. The key to Creator Music reaching its full potential will depend on whether YouTube can secure agreements with Sony Music, Warner Music, and Universal Music, the “big three” music labels, so that creators will be able to tap into music from the industry’s top artists — many of which are signed to these labels.

Overall, YouTube puts TikTok and the rest of the social media platforms on notice. As the most creator-centric platform, its newest initiatives will help keep creators in their corner. Because social media has become a copycat world, it’s a guarantee that competitors will bring forth similar initiatives