Content monetisation, insights and IP protection consultancy Aux Mode has created a free to use calculator that shows how much money creators should in theory be making under YouTube Shorts’ recently launched monetisation programme.
According to Aux Mode, based on the information that is current available about the programme, 1 million daily views translates into around $1157 per month. 10 million daily views equates to around $385 per day, or around $11,577 per month.
The YouTube scheme was launched on February 1 and was widely expected to be a landmark moment in revenue generation for digital first creators. Since then, creators have been sharing their returns online – and for the most part it has been relatively low. It’s not clear yet if the figures will start to rise as more creators start to use the YouTube shorts programme and it gains traction with advertisers and agencies.
Alongside the new calculator (linked above), Aux Mode founder Adam Rumanek provided a breakdown of how YouTube Shorts works. He explained that: “A portion of all YouTube Shorts revenue goes to the creator pool, which is calculated based on views and music usage across all Shorts. YouTube then pays music publishers based on how often their intellectual property is used within YouTube Shorts.”
For example, if a creator uses two music tracks in a Short, 66% of revenue goes to music publishers while 33% goes to the YouTube Shorts creator. If a creator uses one track in a YouTube Short, revenue is split 50/50 between them and publishers. If a creator uses no music tracks, they keep all revenue from their share of the pool.
Overall, monetising YouTube creators keep 45% of their revenue share from the creator pool (after deductions for music usage). “If you are a creator looking to monetise your YouTube Shorts your earnings are based on the number of views you get, your geographical location, and how many music tracks you use,” said Rumanek. One of the clear takeaways from this update is to be selective with music usage.
