Youtube Music launched today. Still no music royalties. (Patreon)

I recently asked this question on social media and got a variety of responses. There are an increasing number of people that report youtube is not blocked and other streaming sites are. Also, it's definitely true that almost anytime you search for a song, the youtube results come up first. Because of that, Youtube is basically the "MTV for the next generation" when it comes to music. Kids these days are super into searching for music and just hitting play on Youtube, since the app or site is almost always at their fingertips.

This shouldn't be news to anyone on Patreon, but I am regularly surprised by people thinking that Youtube creators are all paid according to how many subscribers (in the form of follows or likes, anyway) that they have on any platform. Obviously we receive revenue from Bandcamp subscriptions and our Patrons here on Patreon. Beyond that, not so much.

But this begs an important question. Why the hell would Youtube launch Youtube Music? Google already has Google Music Play Access Adjective Verb Noun Media Stream thing. Well, there are a few good reasons. One is to offer two different feature sets to two different kinds of users in an effort to capture more market. And hey, if one of them wins, well, you own both, so no worries, right?

Well, I have some concerns from the creator side. These are major roadblocks to me just going and putting all of my work on Youtube:

• Youtube videos are still easily downloaded. And there are droves of sites that host MP3s (or scripts that convert videos to MP3s on-the-fly) so that you can just rip a pile of music from a Youtube channel.
  
• ContentID still needs some help. The system has evolved and improved, that's for sure, but there's still no system where I can upload my music directly to YouTube, and claim that it is original, even if that involves a lengthy approval process. So instead you have to go through a third party (for example, Audiam) where they might just send people that use your music takedown notices instead of what we really want, which is attribution and helping to build our presence / find fans.
  
• We're still not receiving royalties for our music being played. I'll expand on this below.

Regarding royalties, I do receive royalties when you listen on Google Play Verb Music All Adjective Access Noun. And by the way, I really like that service; it pays better than Spotify! But that is not connected to Youtube, as far as I can tell. When speaking specifically about Youtube:

• I do have a monetized channel.
• I do not monetize videos that are commercial covers or otherwise not allowed.
• I do monetize my originals and music that IS allowed.
  

What's important to realise is what monetizing translates to. Monetizing a video means you get a cut of ad revenue, and that's it. Not money for subs, not money for specific numbers of views, and none of it is categorized as "compensation for a play of music on demand". I receive nothing more from Youtube.

The only reason I can think of things being this way is a single two-fold reason: So many sites, features, products, etc are often very schedule and results-oriented. Youtube Music is already "late" in the streaming music game. If you want to succeed, you have to deliver the service first and deliver it NOW. The second part of that is related: Because the schedule is so tight, things get cut. Companies cut things they don't think are important. They don't think people care about paying musicians. I mean, their music is already on Youtube and they're not getting royalties now, so why start paying now?

Anyway, your voice matters. I hate to turn this into a soapboxy "support the arts" post, but honestly that's what this is all about. It's not JUST Youtube Music that is not giving enough to musicians, but they're the most relevant at the moment, and they need all the feedback they can get to turn their service into something that musicians and listeners alike want to use. I encourage you to speak out. Write a short, sweet, polite letter to Youtube encouraging them to improve the service in the ways that I mentioned, and feel free to include your own suggestions as well.

It would mean a lot to us that put content out. We're indies, doing what we love, and we're doing it for you. We just want to be able to afford to do it, and this is a way you can help beyond your (already super appreciated) support on Patreon.

This post also appears on my tumblr at http://inversephase.tumblr.com/post/133089369266/youtube-music-launched-today-still-no-music