How does YouTube identify copyrighted music?
Upload a video containing a popular song to YouTube and there is a good chance YouTube will recognise the music surprisingly quickly.
It might identify the song even if it is playing quietly in the background, only appears during part of the video or has been included alongside speech and other sounds.
So how does YouTube know what music you are using?
The answer is largely YouTube Content ID, an automated copyright-management system that compares uploaded videos against reference material supplied by record labels, distributors, publishers and other copyright owners.
YouTube says videos uploaded to the platform are automatically scanned by Content ID against its database of copyright-protected audio and video.
Here is how the process works.
What is YouTube Content ID?
Content ID is YouTube’s automated system for finding copyrighted material within videos.
Rather than somebody at a record label manually watching millions of YouTube videos looking for their music, copyright owners can provide eligible recordings to YouTube’s rights-management system.
YouTube then creates what it calls a digital fingerprint from the reference recording.
When new videos are uploaded, Content ID compares them against those fingerprints. If the system discovers a match, it can automatically create a Content ID claim on behalf of the copyright owner.
This allows YouTube to identify copyrighted music at enormous scale.
The process looks roughly like this:
Copyright owner supplies music → YouTube creates a reference → Content ID creates a digital fingerprint → someone uploads a video → YouTube scans the video → Content ID finds a match → the copyright owner’s policy is applied.
How does YouTube recognise a song?
Content ID isn’t simply looking at the title of your video or searching the description for the name of a song.
It analyses the actual audio.
When eligible music is delivered to Content ID, YouTube creates a digital fingerprint representing that recording. New uploads can then be compared with that reference.
This means changing the filename from something like:
Taylor-Swift-Song.mp3
to:
background-music-final-123.mp3
makes no difference.
The filename isn’t what identifies the recording.
YouTube is comparing the content of the audio itself.
The exact workings of YouTube’s matching algorithms are proprietary, so YouTube doesn’t publicly document every technical feature used to create and compare its fingerprints. What it does confirm is that digital fingerprints are generated from reference material and compared against uploaded videos.
Where does YouTube get its copyrighted music database?
YouTube’s database comes largely from copyright owners and companies representing them.
These can include:
- record labels
- music distributors
- publishers
- collecting and rights-management organisations
- film and television companies
- other copyright owners
For music, YouTube’s Content ID rights-management system can contain different types of assets, including sound recordings, music videos and composition shares.
For example, a record label may control the copyright in a particular master recording, while a songwriter or publisher controls rights associated with the underlying composition.
This is one reason music copyright on YouTube can become complicated: there can be several different rights associated with the same song.
What happens when YouTube detects copyrighted music?
Identifying copyrighted music does not automatically mean YouTube deletes your video.
Instead, Content ID creates a claim and applies the policy selected by the copyright owner.
Copyright owners can generally choose to:
Monetise the video
Advertising can appear against the video and some or all of the relevant revenue can go to the copyright owner.
YouTube says monetisation is the most common policy applied to music Content ID claims.
Block the video
The copyright owner can prevent the video from being viewed.
A block may apply worldwide or only within particular countries.
Track the video
The copyright owner can allow the video to remain available while receiving information about its performance.
Policies can also vary by territory. A song could theoretically be monetised in one country, blocked in another and tracked elsewhere depending on who owns the rights in each region.
Can YouTube detect only part of a copyrighted song?
Yes.
A video doesn’t necessarily need to contain an entire song for Content ID to find a match.
YouTube confirms that Content ID claims can be generated when an uploaded video matches another video or a segment of one already represented within the Content ID system.
There isn’t a universal rule such as “you can safely use five seconds” or “anything under 30 seconds is allowed”.
Copyright doesn’t work that way.
A short section of copyrighted music can still potentially be identified and claimed.
Can YouTube detect copyrighted music playing in the background?
Potentially, yes.
Because the system analyses the audio within an uploaded video, music does not need to be the video’s main soundtrack to potentially generate a match.
For example, copyrighted music could be picked up from:
- music playing inside a shop
- a television in the background
- music playing from a car stereo
- music recorded at an event
- music underneath somebody talking
- background music added during editing
Whether a particular use produces an automatic match depends on factors including the reference material and the strength of the match.
Content ID isn’t perfect, but you shouldn’t assume background music is invisible to it.
Does changing the pitch or speed avoid YouTube Content ID?
You shouldn’t assume that altering a recording makes it safe to upload.
Creators sometimes speed music up, slow it down, change its pitch or add effects in an attempt to make copyrighted audio harder to recognise.
Apart from the copyright question, YouTube specifically lists songs that have merely had their pitch or speed changed while otherwise remaining identical among examples that may not qualify for YouTube Partner Programme monetisation.
More importantly, modifying a recording does not automatically give you permission to use it.
Even when an automated system fails to identify something, the copyright owner may still be able to discover it and enforce their rights separately.
Avoiding automatic detection and having the legal right to use music are two very different things.
Does crediting the artist stop a copyright claim?
No.
Writing something such as:
“All rights belong to the original artist”
doesn’t give you permission to use copyrighted music.
Neither does linking to the artist, saying that you don’t own the music or stating that the video is for educational purposes.
Content ID doesn’t use those statements to decide whether you have a licence.
YouTube specifically notes that Content ID does not know whether you purchased rights somewhere outside YouTube, and a written description does not prevent the system from identifying a track.
If you do have a valid licence, you may be able to dispute an incorrect claim depending on the circumstances.
Is a Content ID claim the same as a copyright strike?
No. This is an important distinction.
A Content ID claim normally affects the individual video rather than your entire YouTube channel.
It can result in the video being monetised, tracked or blocked.
A copyright strike normally results from a copyright owner submitting a valid legal copyright removal request asking YouTube to take the content down.
So:
Content ID claim = YouTube’s rights-management system has identified copyrighted material.
Copyright strike = content has been removed following a copyright takedown process.
A Content ID claim doesn’t automatically give your channel a copyright strike.
Can Content ID make mistakes?
Yes.
Automated copyright systems can sometimes identify material incorrectly or encounter situations where the uploader legitimately has permission to use the content.
YouTube therefore allows creators to dispute Content ID claims.
Possible reasons for disputing a claim include having the necessary rights, believing that copyright exceptions such as fair use or fair dealing apply, or believing the content was incorrectly identified.
Copyright owners using Content ID also have responsibilities.
YouTube requires Content ID reference material to meet eligibility requirements and says copyright owners must have sufficient exclusive rights to the content they submit. Repeatedly making erroneous claims can lead to restrictions or removal of Content ID access.
Does every musician have access to Content ID?
Not directly.
YouTube reserves direct Content ID access for copyright owners that meet specific requirements, including having exclusive rights to a substantial catalogue that requires frequent copyright management.
However, independent musicians don’t necessarily need direct access to YouTube’s Content Manager.
Record labels, distributors and specialist rights-management companies can manage Content ID on behalf of artists and copyright owners.
That allows independent artists to potentially identify videos containing their recordings and collect revenue generated from eligible uses of their music.
What is the YouTube Copyright Match Tool?
Content ID isn’t YouTube’s only copyright-identification technology.
YouTube also offers its Copyright Match Tool.
The Copyright Match Tool is designed primarily to find copies or potential copies of videos that have already appeared on YouTube. It can surface matching uploads for the original creator to review.
YouTube says the Copyright Match Tool uses the same matching technology as Content ID, although the tools serve somewhat different copyright-management needs.
Copyright owners can then decide whether to contact the uploader, request removal or simply archive the match.
How accurate is YouTube at finding copyrighted music?
YouTube’s copyright-detection infrastructure operates at extraordinary scale.
In its own information about music rights management, YouTube says that the overwhelming majority of music claims are generated automatically through Content ID rather than manually.
That does not mean every copyrighted song uploaded to YouTube will always be recognised.
A recording might not have been supplied to Content ID, the copyright owner may not be eligible for the system, a particular use might not create a sufficient match or the recording may fall outside Content ID’s eligibility rules.
There are therefore two separate questions:
“Will YouTube detect this song?”
and:
“Do I have permission to use this song?”
They are not the same thing.
Copyright still applies even if Content ID doesn’t generate a match.
What music can you safely use on YouTube?
The simplest options are music you have the rights to use.
That could include:
- music you created and own yourself
- music for which you have received the necessary permission
- appropriately licensed music
- music from YouTube’s Audio Library
- eligible music licensed through YouTube Creator Music
- public-domain music where the relevant rights have genuinely expired
Be particularly careful with music described online as “copyright free” or “royalty free”.
Royalty free does not necessarily mean copyright free. The music is often still copyrighted but offered under a licence that permits particular uses.
You should always check what the licence actually allows.
How does YouTube identify copyrighted music? The simple answer
YouTube primarily identifies copyrighted music through Content ID.
Copyright owners provide eligible reference recordings to YouTube. YouTube generates digital fingerprints from those recordings and scans uploaded videos looking for matches.
When a match is detected, the rights holder can choose what happens next: monetise the video, track it or block it.
For creators, the important point is that YouTube isn’t simply looking at song titles or video descriptions. It is comparing the actual content contained within videos against copyright reference material at enormous scale.
And for musicians and rights holders, that same technology makes it possible to find uses of their recordings across YouTube and potentially earn money when their music appears in other people’s videos.
Frequently asked questions
Does YouTube automatically check videos for copyrighted music?
Yes. Videos uploaded to YouTube are automatically scanned by Content ID against eligible reference material supplied by copyright owners.
Can YouTube detect copyrighted music if it’s only a few seconds long?
It can potentially identify portions of copyrighted material. There is no universal “safe” number of seconds that automatically avoids copyright restrictions.
Can YouTube detect music if I change the pitch?
Changing pitch, speed or otherwise editing a recording doesn’t automatically make the music copyright-free or give you permission to use it.
Will I get a copyright strike for using copyrighted music?
Not necessarily. An automatic Content ID claim isn’t the same as a copyright strike. Copyright strikes generally result from valid copyright removal requests.
How does YouTube know which song is playing?
For music registered with Content ID, YouTube can compare the audio in an uploaded video with digital fingerprints generated from reference recordings supplied by copyright owners.
Can I use copyrighted music if I give credit?
Credit alone doesn’t grant permission to use copyrighted music. You still need the appropriate rights or another valid legal basis for using the material.