https://wearethemusicmakers.co/latest Music tech and AI in music: the news that matters, what we think about it, and a directory of the tools. en-us Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/recipe-youtube-content-id-for-a-release https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/recipe-youtube-content-id-for-a-release Most independent artists cannot get Content ID directly from YouTube, so they get it through a distributor. This recipe covers opting a release in, what YouTube requires of the rights you hold, and how to allowlist your own channel so your uploads are not claimed. Each step has a time and a cost. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-recipeyoutubecontent-iddistributionallowlisting https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/licensing-music-to-creators https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/licensing-music-to-creators Creators need background music and will happily pay or credit an artist who makes clearing it easy. This guide covers the three ways to license your tracks directly to creators (free with credit, Creative Commons, or a paid licence), what a one-page licence should say, how to keep Content ID from claiming a video you licensed, and how to price it. YouTube and Creative Commons sources read on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers licensingyoutubecopyrightindependent-artists https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/cover-song-licensing https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/cover-song-licensing Recording someone else's song is one of the few things in music with a ready-made legal route. Here is what the US mechanical licence actually covers, what a distributor's cover service does for you, why a YouTube cover is a different deal, and why a translated lyric falls outside the easy path. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers copyrightroyaltiesdistributionyoutube https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/youtube-official-artist-channel https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/youtube-official-artist-channel You cannot apply for a YouTube Official Artist Channel yourself. Your distributor, label or a listed music partner asks for you. This guide sets out the requirements YouTube publishes, how a request through a distributor works in practice, what to fix before you ask, and what can take the badge away again. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers youtubeofficial-artist-channeldistributionworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/streaming-loudness-targets-2026 https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/streaming-loudness-targets-2026 Most "streaming loudness target" charts mix official numbers with figures nobody at the platform ever published. We went back to each service's own pages on 24 Oct 2026. Spotify publishes a full spec, Apple and Amazon describe the method but no number, YouTube says normalisation-style processing is off for music, and for TIDAL and Deezer we found no current artist-facing page at all. Here is what is documented, what is reported, and a target plan you can defend. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers masteringloudnessworkflowsspotifyapple-musicyoutube https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/youtube-content-id-for-your-music https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/youtube-content-id-for-your-music A step-by-step playbook for independent artists. Check whether your tracks qualify before you tick the Content ID box, keep your own channel and your collaborators out of the line of fire, and know which button to press when a claim hits your video or someone else claims your song. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers youtubecontent-idcopyrightdistributionworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/youtube-shorts-music-revenue-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/youtube-shorts-music-revenue-explained Shorts don't pay per play. YouTube pools Shorts Feed ad money each month, takes out a music share for every Short that uses a licensed track, and the music share reaches artists only through a label or distributor. Here is the maths, with YouTube's own worked example, and what to check in your statements. Fri, 04 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryyoutubeshortsroyaltiesexplainer https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/youtube-content-id-independent-artists-explainer https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/youtube-content-id-independent-artists-explainer Most independent artists can only reach YouTube's Content ID through a distributor, and the eligibility rules exclude far more music than people expect. Here is how claims, disputes and held revenue work, the false-claim traps around samples and public-domain material, and why AI soundalikes are still a gap in the system. Wed, 19 Aug 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowsyoutubecontent-idaicopyright https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/youtube-official-artist-channel-merge-topic-channel https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/youtube-official-artist-channel-merge-topic-channel An Official Artist Channel folds your auto-generated topic channel and your own channel into one, with one subscriber count and a Releases shelf. You cannot apply yourself; your distributor or label asks for you. Here is who qualifies, how to ask, and what changes on screen. Fri, 14 Aug 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowsyoutubeofficial-artist-channeldistributionartist-tools https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/loudness-normalisation-explained-lufs-spotify-apple-youtube https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/loudness-normalisation-explained-lufs-spotify-apple-youtube Spotify plays music at -14 LUFS by default and turns louder masters down, so a -8 LUFS master buys you no extra volume, only less dynamic range and more risk of encoding distortion. Here is what Spotify, Apple and YouTube actually document, what they leave out, and how to make mastering decisions with that in mind. Thu, 06 Aug 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowsmasteringloudnessspotifyapple-musicyoutube https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/indian-musicians-us-platforms-w8ben-15-percent-treaty https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/indian-musicians-us-platforms-w8ben-15-percent-treaty Without a W-8BEN, US payers can hold back 30% of your US royalties, and YouTube can take 24% of everything you earn worldwide. Here is how Indian artists claim the 15% treaty rate with a PAN, get that tax back as a credit in India, and when GST treats the income as an export. Wed, 05 Aug 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowstaxindiaroyaltiesyoutubegst https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/07/murphy-campbell-ai-voice-clone-uk-personality-rights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/07/murphy-campbell-ai-voice-clone-uk-personality-rights AI covers built from North Carolina folk singer Murphy Campbell's YouTube performances appeared on streaming services under her name, then her own videos of public-domain songs were hit with copyright claims. The Musicians' Union now uses her case to argue for UK personality rights. Her story suggests a right on paper is only the first of three things artists need. Mon, 20 Jul 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsai-musicdeepfakespersonality-rightsukmusicians-unionspotifyyoutube https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/06/kogon-v-google-lyria-youtube-licence https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/06/kogon-v-google-lyria-youtube-licence In Kogon v. Google, independent musicians allege Lyria 3 was trained on their music. Google's motion to dismiss says the YouTube terms they accepted already license the conduct alleged. Whatever the judge decides, it will help settle whether uploading a song also hands over AI-training rights. Mon, 08 Jun 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsgoogleyoutubeai-training https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/04/protect-name-face-youtube-likeness-spotify-profile-protection-isni https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/04/protect-name-face-youtube-likeness-spotify-profile-protection-isni YouTube now offers likeness detection to talent agencies, managers and the celebrities they represent, as well as eligible creators. Spotify is beta-testing a way to review releases that use your name. Neither one travels across platforms, so here is how to set up both, and where an ISNI fits. Tue, 21 Apr 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsyoutubespotifydeepfakesisniguides