Have you deliberately posted copyright violating video on your YouTube channel? If the copyright holder noticed this, he could complain through a special Content ID system. All such applications go to the Copyright section of YouTube Creative Studio. The ContentID claim does not automatically block the channel or require you to remove the video. The copyright holder can apply one of the following sanctions to you:
- blocking in all or some countries;
- muting — the video will be available without an audio track;
- monetization: an advertisement will appear in the video, all the income from which will go to the copyright holder;
- a total ban on certain platforms and applications.
Most often, the copyright holder applies the third option, receiving advertising revenue in exchange for permission to use the material. Much more trouble will arise when a video receives a copyright violation warning. If the YouTube administration considers the complaint to be legitimate, the video will be removed. Therefore, it is important to know how to choose a track for your video and not violate copyright. For example, you can find non copyrighted music on https://lesfm.net/.
How to check if music is copyrighted
There are several ways to check the track:
- Go to the YouTube Creative Studio Music Terms of Use section, type in the name of the song into the search bar, and get a result;
- Create a new YouTube channel, upload a video with an audio track and wait for a warning letter. This is quite an inconvenient and time-consuming method. In addition, if the ContentID request still arrives, the audio will have to be redone;
- Use third-party services to check the copyright.
On the Internet, you can find recommendations for bypassing claims of copyright holders and the ContentID system. These methods include changing the playing speed in the audio editor and using a piece of fewer than 30 seconds. We do not recommend using these methods for two reasons: it takes a lot of time, and there is still a risk of sanctions up to the removal of the channel if the melody can still be recognized.
What to do if you don’t want to pay?
Here is a list of ways to get non-copyrighted music for a video for free:
- Go to the YouTube Music Library — here are free compositions and sound effects that you can freely use. In some cases, you will need to indicate the author;
- Order a composition from a young musician or group in exchange for advertising. The easiest way to search for such authors is on social networks;
- Create it yourself. If you are not endowed with composing talent, use Cubase, Mixcraft, and other programs;
- Use classical pieces. After a certain period, the music goes into the public domain;
- Find music with free Creative Commons public licenses. When using a track, you have to pay attention to the conditions of the CC license.
Now you know everything about how to choose music for a video and not violate copyright. Good luck!
