Today I have some important news for anyone who uses my music on YouTube. You can watch the video above, but I also describe everything you need to know below.

From April 17, 2023, I will be implementing a ‘Smart Content ID’ system for the library to help stop bad actors from illegally claiming copyright on my music used in YouTube videos. But, there are changes to how you should credit me on YouTube that need to know:

📌From April 17, 2023, anyone using my music on YouTube will be required to put a credit IN THE DESCRIPTION of their videos.

This is a fundamental change from present, where you could provide a credit in the video itself. This change is required as new system can’t recognise text in the video, and so it needs to be in the description below the video.

If you don’t do this, then you will likely get a copyright claim from me.

But don’t worry! If you get a claim after April 17, 2023, and you are sure you’ve credited me correctly in the description, you can read this quick guide to find out how to release the claim: https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/library/copyright-claims-release/

What constitutes a credit?

The credit needs to atleast say my name ‘Scott Buckley’ (spelt correctly). You can also choose to use the new @ScottBuckley tag – this will also work. An ideal credit will look something like this:

Music (or track title) by Scott Buckley (or @ScottBuckley) – released under CC-BY 4.0. scottbuckley.com.au

I have already added copyable credits to each track page on the library site, to make it easy for you copy and paste the correct attribution to your own video description.

What is Smart Content ID?

The new ‘Smart Content ID’ is designed to scan the descriptions of videos using my music, and if certain keywords are present (such as a credit), then it will not place a copyright claim on the video.

So what this means is that I can:

  1. protect the library by submitting my music into the Content ID system – preventing others from doing so;
  2. protect free use of my music by those who properly credit me.

I’m so excited that there finally exists a solution for composers like myself who release music freely and openly. We also need to protect our music from unauthorised uses but have never had proper tools to do so – until now.

It’s also important to point out that these changes only affect YouTube videos. Videos on other platforms (such as Instagram & Facebook) are unaffected by this change – but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t credit me! 😉

This is a big change for the library, but a change which I hope protects your interests as much as my own. I want the library to be an accessible and trustworthy source of free music, and this change will hopefully get us closer to that goal.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thanks for your continued support!

Cheers,
Scott.

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