Announcing digital fingerprinting of my music

MikS Music
Starting November 2014, all music available for licensing at MikS Music will become digitally fingerprinted by AdRev. In this post I will explain why I choose to implements digital fingerprinting and what this means for my customers.

How digital fingerprinting works?

YouTube employs an elaborate digital fingerprinting systems, called Content ID, aimed to prevent unauthorized use of copyrighted material. Every time you upload a new video to You Tube, the system checks if your file contains any copyrighted video or music. If there is a positive match, you get a copyright claim on you video.

A typical copyright claim looks like this:

copyright claim youtube

From that point on, YouTube may show the ads in the video that triggered the claim. The advertisement revenue will go to the copyright owner as a compensation for (allegedly) unauthorized use.

How to remove AdRev copyright claims and the ads

You have 3 options:

  1. Contact me and send me the link to the video in question along with the order number. You can find the order number in the confirmation email that you received when you purchased the license. This is the preferred option. In most cases I can remove the claim the same day I receive your request.
    UPDATE: Now you can simply reply to the confirmation email to reach me.
  2. Contact AdRev and mention that you have the proper license to use the music on YouTube.
  3. Dispute the claim with YouTube by following the steps outlined in this tutorial. This may be the longest option, however.

Please note that this only applies to the paid licenses. If you are using my music under the Free Non-Commercial License, unfortunately, I won’t be able to remove the claims.

Why I decided to fingerprint my music?

Over 70 hours of new video are uploaded to YouTube every minute! Sadly, many of these uploads contain unlicensed material, very often music. As any content creator, I would like to be aware and to get compensated for the unauthorized use of my music. Iย  choose a company called AdRev to help me.

AdRev is a California based company that enables record labels, music publishers, and indie musicians to monitor how their music is being used on YouTube and to monetize on unlicensed usage.

AdRev does NOT own copyright to the music they claim, they simply administer the rights on behalf of the owners.

I am NOT using AdRev to collect “hidden” royalties from the clients who have purchased licenses and use my music on YouTube.

I am using AdRev to monitor what YouTube videos contain my music and to collect advertisement revenue from the videos using my music without a license.

All my clients who purchased a license are entitled to have the ads removed! It’s quick and simple!

At this point all my licenses cover ad-free commercial YouTube use.

How digital fingerprinting affects my clients?

If you are not using my music in YouTube videos this does not affect you at all!

If you do, here’ what you need to know:

  • AdRev does NOT hold any rights to the music, it merely monitors the usage and acts on behalf of the copyright owner.
  • The claim merely informs you that your video contains copyrighted music. The claim can be easily and quickly removed if you have the license that covers YouTube usage.
  • Your YouTube channel is not being penalized. This isn’t a copyright strike.
  • If you do not mind the ads appearing in your videos you may simply ignore the claim.ย Your video will not be muted or restricted in any way.

FAQ: Why inconvenience your clients anyway?

Let’s face this, online piracy is rampant. It’s in my clients interest that I fingerprinting my music and can quickly release copyright claims. Unfortunately, if I let my music be freely distributed without any protection, someone else will illegally claim it and will try to monetize on your videos with no intention of releasing the claims. By using the digital fingerprinting I remain in control and can serve you better by promptly removing (orย  preventing) the claims.

FAQ: I have purchased the license to use your music on YouTube, why do I have to deal with the claims?

The Content ID system does not know whether you have the license to use a particular piece of music. It merely informs you that copyrighted music was detected in your video. However, as the sole copyright owner, I can quickly and easily remove the claim.

I don’t want to see the ads when my video is published! What should I do?

  1. Upload your video but don’t publish it yet (or publish as private).
  2. Send me the link to your video.
  3. Wait for the claim to clear and then publish the video (or make it public).

Questions or comments?

If you are a client in need of resolving a copyright claim please contact me. For general questions or comments please post a comment below.

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Mik
About the author: Hi, Iโ€™m Mik. I make royalty free music for promotional videos, YouTube business vlogs, marketing campaigns, film, and more. All my music is available for licensing online with a simple royalty free commercial license. Buy once, download instantly, use forever!

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