01 YouTube Content ID

Track and protect your music across YouTube.

Register your songs for Content ID with the Vybe Studio Artist or Label plan and claim even more royalties, from every video that uses your audio, not just your own.

  • Automatic claims
  • Covers, clips & shorts
  • Block or monetise
  • Included on Artist & Label
Sign up free → See pricing
02 The Basics

What is
YouTube Content ID?

Content ID is YouTube's copyright system. It lets artists claim royalties whenever their copyrighted music appears on the platform, including when someone else performs your song or uses a sample of your music in their video.

How does it work?

Content ID builds a digital footprint of your music and scans YouTube for it. Whenever a new upload matches that fingerprint (audio only, no video needed), the system flags it against your recording.

We register your tracks with YouTube's Content ID system on your behalf, so you don't need your own partner agreement to use it.

Protect & monetise

Once your song is registered, a claim is launched automatically any time someone uses your copyrighted audio without permission, no manual reporting, no searching YouTube yourself.

Content ID is available on the Artist and Label plans. The Single plan covers distribution only.

03 What You Can Claim

Every upload
that uses your audio.

Your own official video is the smallest part of it. Most Content ID income comes from videos you had nothing to do with.

Live performances

Uploads of your set from gigs and festivals, filmed by fans or the venue.

Samples of your music

Other creators' videos built on a sample or loop taken from your track.

Fan & tour clips

Fan-posted clips and officially posted moments from tours and rehearsals.

Covers & remakes

Recordings that use your master audio rather than a fresh performance.

Shorts & edits

Short-form uploads and edits set to your song, where most of the volume is.

Reactions & reviews

Reaction and review videos that play your track in full or in part.

04 Your Options

Block it,
or get paid for it.

When a new video is matched to your music, you decide what happens to it.

Monetise the video

Leave the video up and take the ad revenue it generates. For most artists this is the right call, the upload keeps promoting your song while paying you for the privilege.

Block the video

Stop the video from being viewed. Useful when the use is one you'd never approve, an unauthorised full release, a leak, or a context you don't want your music in.

05 Eligibility

What can and can't
be registered.

Content ID only works when you hold exclusive rights to the recording. Registering anything else risks claiming money that isn't yours, and losing access to the tool.

Eligible

  • Original music you wrote and recorded
  • Recordings where you hold exclusive rights
  • Exclusively licensed beats, with proof
  • Your own live recordings of your own songs
  • Music you own outright as a label

Not eligible

  • Public domain material
  • Beats bought on a non-exclusive licence
  • Remixes of existing songs
  • Compilations of other people's music
  • Video gameplay footage
  • TV or movie trailers and their audio
  • Karaoke and backing tracks you didn't make

Not eligible? YouTube has other tools for protecting your work, the Copyright Match Tool, the Copyright Complaint Webform and the Content Verification Program. They won't monetise a match, but they'll help you get an unauthorised upload taken down.

06 How To Register

Three steps to
your first claim.

Register your music

Upload your release in the Vybe Studio release builder and switch on Content ID for the tracks you hold exclusive rights to.

Detection & matching

YouTube fingerprints your audio and scans new and existing uploads for it. Matches are flagged against your recording automatically.

Claim your royalties

Revenue from claimed videos is collected and paid into your Vybe Studio account alongside your streaming income.

07 Artists

Trusted by
10000+ artists.

Independents, breakout stars and full labels, releasing, claiming and getting paid through Vybe Studio.

Punjabi releases landing on every platform on schedule, with the royalties arriving without a single deduction.

Gursehaz Gill
Gursehaz Gill 10M+ Streams

Fan uploads of the same song were everywhere. Now they show up as claims instead of headaches.

Venkat's Music
Venkat's Music 50M+ Streams

Shorts using the hook were the biggest surprise, that's where most of the claims came from.

Khunkhar Rapper
Khunkhar Rapper 10M+ Streams
08 FAQs

Content ID
questions, answered.

What is YouTube Content ID?
It's YouTube's copyright identification system. Your music is fingerprinted, YouTube scans uploads for that fingerprint, and any video using your audio can be claimed, so you earn from it even when someone else posted it.
Which plans include Content ID?
Content ID is included on the Artist and Label plans. The Single plan is a one-release trial of our distribution and doesn't include it.
Will Content ID block my own videos?
No. Your own channel and your Official Artist Channel are linked to your catalogue, so your own uploads aren't claimed against you. If something does get flagged incorrectly, we can release the claim.
What happens when someone uses my song?
The upload is matched and a claim is raised automatically. You can leave it up and take the ad revenue, or block the video from being viewed, the choice is yours on each match.
Can I register a remix or a beat I licensed?
Remixes of existing songs and beats bought on a non-exclusive licence can't be registered, because you don't hold exclusive rights to them. An exclusively licensed beat is fine as long as you can show the licence.
How long before claims start appearing?
Registration and fingerprinting take a little time after your release is processed. Once your song is in the system, new uploads are matched as they appear, and older ones are picked up in YouTube's own sweeps.
Does Content ID affect my streaming royalties?
No. Content ID income is separate from your distribution royalties, it's earned on YouTube, in addition to what your release makes on streaming platforms.
What if my music isn't eligible?
Use YouTube's Copyright Match Tool, the Copyright Complaint Webform or the Content Verification Program to deal with unauthorised uploads. They won't monetise a match, but they will help you remove it.

Your music is already on YouTube. Start earning from all of it.

Sign up free →