Glossary / Release

Industry terms

Content ID

Content ID is YouTube's system that scans every upload against reference files from copyright owners and puts a claim on any video that matches.

Also called: YouTube Content ID, Content ID claim, copyright claim

By Aulto · Last reviewed

What happens when a video gets a claim?

The copyright owner's settings decide. They can block the video, run ads on it and collect the money, or just track its views. The choice can differ by country, so a video may earn in one place and be blocked in another.

Who can use Content ID?

Only copyright owners YouTube approves, who hold exclusive rights to a large body of material that people often upload. Independent artists usually reach it through their distributor, which matches their releases for them.

What if the claim is wrong?

You can dispute it in YouTube Studio if you have the rights, your use is an exception such as fair use, or the match is a mistake. The claimant has 30 days to respond, or the claim expires. Crediting the artist or not monetising the video are not valid reasons.

Example

A Bengaluru producer uploads a beat video and gets a claim from a sample library they licensed; they dispute it with their licence, and the claim is released.

Common questions

Is a Content ID claim the same as a copyright strike?

No. YouTube says a claim typically doesn't lead to a strike. A strike follows a legal removal request, though a dispute made without a valid reason can lead to one.

  • Music distributor

    A music distributor delivers your releases to streaming services and stores, and collects the money they earn from plays and sales.

  • Master recording

    The master recording is the final, released version of a recorded song, and whoever owns it owns the rights to that specific recording.

  • Album

    An album is a full-length release: a set of songs put out together as one project, longer than an EP.

  • Artist Pick

    Artist Pick is the slot at the top of a Spotify artist profile where the artist pins one thing they want listeners to see first, such as a new song, a playlist or a show.

  • Back catalog

    A back catalog is all of an artist's or label's older releases, the songs that are no longer new but keep earning and finding listeners.

  • Cover art

    Cover art is the square image that represents a release on every streaming service, store and smart link page.

Sources

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