YouTube today announced two updates to its Partner Program (YPP) that make it easier to join and make money from the video platform, particularly YouTube Shorts. There’s also a new Creator Music catalog to add tracks to videos.
The first update is Shorts revenue sharing where “current and future” creators can earn money from ads aired between short-form videos starting in “early 2023.” YouTube said existing Shorts Fund recipients will “earn more money under this new model.”
YouTube will pull together (over 30 days) all that Shorts revenue and use it to pay creators, as well as to “help cover costs of music licensing.”
Additionally, Shorts will be able to have a full 60 seconds of music, while Super Thanks for Shorts is launching in beta to thousands of creators, with a complete rollout expected next year.
To join early next year, you need 10 million views from YouTube Shorts over 90 days, as well as over 1,000 channel subscribers. Shorts Creators will get access to the existing monetization methods.
The other announcement today is a new tier for the YouTube Partner Program, with the goal of making it easier — e.g., fewer subscribers and watch hours — to earn money earlier from Fan Funding. This includes Super Thanks, Chat, and Stickers, as well as Channel Memberships. More details about this level are coming in 2023, while YouTube is otherwise not changing other YPP criteria.
On the music front, YouTube is making it easier for Creators to add tracks to their videos. Within YouTube Studio, there’s a new browsable “Creator Music” catalog. People will be able to either buy licensable tracks where the fee is upfront, or select songs eligible for revenue sharing. As such, revenue will be split between the video creator and the artists and songwriters. This starts with independent labels, while the major ones are said to be “intrigued.”
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