TuneCore has added a feature to its Artist Services program focused on incorporating YouTube into its monetization avenues. YouTube Money collects revenue for use of its customers’ music on the video channel for a one-time fee of $25.
YouTube Money identifies any of those uses of a client’s music on YouTube and sets up monetization for those videos. The FAQ for the service noted that display ads, overlay in-video ads, TrueView in-stream ads and non-skippable in-stream ads are all available for monetizing videos. If they choose, the artist can exclude their own channel from the YouTube Money service.
We reached out to Jeff Price, who founded TuneCore, and who since leaving that company founded another startup, Audiam, which detects and collects artist royalties from YouTube and many other listening platforms. Price emphasized that he doesn’t regard TuneCore as a competitor, but as a potential client. Audiam also works directly with YouTube, Spotify, Rhapsody, and other music services. All efforts to recoup streaming revenue for artists at every level, which can be a complex technical challenge, benefits the overall music ecosystem.
TuneCore’s interest in expanding its YouTube services is not a surprise. According to the press release, a company survey revealed that YouTube was the third most important distribution channel for customers (musicians), placing only behind iTunes and Spotify. Music plays a large role in the current YouTube ecosystem. Music videos can generate lots of views, and beyond that, having a song in the background of a non-music clip can be useful for an artist.