Insight Into T-Series Profit From YouTube Platforms

Founded by Gulshan Kumar on 11 July 1983, T-Series is an Indian Music record label with over 220 million subscribers on YouTube. Lately, there have been lots of controversies about the T-Series YouTube income, and one common question that we see is “What is T-Series income on YouTube?”

So, if you have the same question, then, you’ve come to the right page to find an answer. In this post, we’ve covered everything you need to know about the T-Series YouTube income. So, without wasting much time, let’s dive in to find out more.

1. Huge YouTube Channel Monthly Visits
2. Large Subscriber Base
3. Regular Posting of Quality Videos

• Bonus Tip: How to be a YouTuber and Make Videos like t series

Part 1: Information Box on T Series

Before we reveal all you need to know about T-Series YouTube income, here is an overview of Who T-Series is.

Name	T-Series
Real Name	Bhushan Kumar Dua
Net Worth (2022)	$515.4 Million
Monthly Income and Salary	Approximately $8.6 Million
Yearly Income	Over $128 Million
Type	Private
Industry	Music & Entertainment
Founded	11 July 1983; 39 years ago in Delhi, India
Founder	Gulshan Kumar
Key People	Bhushan Kumar Dua (Chairman, managing director), Krishan Kumar, Neeraj Kalyan (President)
Services	Music record label % Film production
YouTube Channel	T-Series
Awards and Recognition	Creator Awards

Now you have an overview of what T-Series YouTube channel income is, read on to discover more

Part 2: T-Series YouTube Earning and Stats

T-Series main source of revenue is the views and adverts, and as of when this article was written, research shows that T-Series attracts more than 2.15 billion views per month. Since a YouTube channel could earn an average of $3 to $5 per one thousand views, it can be estimated that T-Series earn a monthly income of up to $8.6 Million per month, and could make up to over 128 Million per year. Do you still want to find out more? Check out the table on T-Series stats;

Estimated Monthly Earning (USD/INDIAN RUPEES)	$8.6 Million / R.S699 Million
Estimated Yearly Earning (USD/INDIAN RUPEES)	Approximately $128 Million / R.S 10.4 Billion
Total Videos Uploads	17, 516
Total Views	202,606,674,113
Subscribers	225 Million
Years Active	16 years
Genre	Music

T-Series is very popular on all social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. He has been in the game for so long that anyone believes in the content he creates. The company was discovered in the 1980s by Gulshan Kumar a cassette tape business, and it was focused on devotional music, especially Hindu hymns and Bollywood music.M

The good thing back then was that T-Series was the first of its kind, and the devotional music market was really big, especially amongst old folks. So, it was easy for T-Series music to reach the right audience within a short time, and it had its first breakthrough in the late 1980s.

Fast forward to 2004, telecommunication companies were having complaints from mobile phone users who were not satisfied with their ringtones. So, T-Series became their plug and started 30-second of their music to them. Then, in 2009, when YouTube was launched in India, T-Series discovered lots of his music where being uploaded on YouTube illegally. This led to a ruling against YouTube, and in January 2011, T-Series published its first video on YouTube.

Since 2011 till now, T-Series has experienced tremendous growth. T-Series has up to 29 different YouTube channels with total subscribers of 225million with over a billion views monthly, making them one of the top-leading YouTube channels globally. Right now,

Part 3: Why Is T-Series Trending on YouTube?

Since you already know what T-Series income on YouTube is, you might be eager to find out what he did that made him so popular and became a trend on YouTube. Well, the truth is, T-Series is not doing anything no one can do. However, he has been in the industry for so long that his YouTube channel is like a dish for many viewers, especially the ones in India.

Below are the three main things why T-Series is always trending on YouTube;

Huge YouTube Channel Monthly Visits

Boasting monthly views of over 100 million per month, T-Series is one of the few YouTube channels that usually have millions of visits from users globally every month. Research shows that the YouTube channel usually has approximately 7.9million visitors per month. This huge monthly visit helps them stay at the top of most YouTube searches that relates with his videos keywords, thus making them trend more when compared with his competitor’s YouTube channel.

Large Subscriber Base

With over 225 million subscribers and still counting, T-Series YouTube channel is a home for many folks to listen to music and see movie thrillers. The large subscriber base plays a huge role in his trend, and the subscriber base continues to increase, he still has the high chance of maintaining his trend within the industry for a very long time.

Regular Posting of Quality Videos

Having a huge YouTube subscriber base is one thing, but being able to deliver quality video content that anyone would love to watch is different. T-Series has been consistent in delivering quality videos, that immediately he uploads a new video on YouTube, he starts getting massive views instantly. Many folks are always eager to see his next upload on YouTube. This has been the same thing for T-Series over the past years, and it has helped him gained more and more popularity.

Bonus Tip: How to be a YouTuber and Make Videos like t series

To be a YouTube-like T-Series you don’t only need to put in the hard work in what you do, you also need to be smart and stay consistent. Plus, you must acquire advanced video editing software that will help you create videos that will make you stand out in the industry. One such video editing software is Wondershare’s Filmora video editor.

Filmora is a video editing powerhouse that boasts lots of efficient tools that one can use to edit every aspect of a video clip. From removing background noise to editing audio, adding transitions, applying effects, and lots more. The tool is one that any YouTuber must have at his/her fingertips.

Besides, Filmora offers lots of free built-in video effects from popular platforms like FilmStock, Pixel, Unsplash, and many others. The amazing thing is you don’t necessarily need video editing skills to utilize the features of the software.

Here is how to use Filmora to Create Impressive Videos for YouTube;

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Step1 Download the latest version of Filmora from the official website and install it. Then, launch the tool and use the Import button to upload the YouTube video you wish to edit.

Drag-n-drop the imported video to the Timeline.

Step2 Navigate to the top of the screen and select Effects. Choose AI Portrait from the left-hand side. After that, drag-n-drop a preferred AI Portrait effect to the Timeline. Then, adjust it to the section of your video you want it to be displayed.

You can also change the AI Portrait effect settings. To do that, double-click on the effect from the timeline to prompt a pop-up window. Apply the AI Portrait effect from there.

Step3 You can add royalty-free music to your YouTube video by clicking Audio from the top. Then, select the preferred audio to use in the video and move it to the timeline.

To adjust your audio settings, double-click the audio clip from the timeline and use the relevant button to balance audio fade-in and fade-out, volume, pitch, etc.

Step4 Another crucial thing you need to do is to add Subscribe watermark. To do this, click the >> icon next to Export from the top of the screen and select Element.

Locate and click ‘Social Media Show Element 07’ Effects. Drag-n-drop the selected effect to the Timeline.

Step5 Change the position where the Subscribe watermark should appear in your video. Then, play the video to preview it.

Step6 After you’re done with the editing, click the Export button from the top bar and choose Burn DVD from the drop-down list that shows up.

Spet 7: A pop-up window will appear on your PC screen. Select where you want to save the edited video file from the Folder Path section. Then, enter the file name in Lable. Click Export to finish.

Final Words

That’s all on T-Series income on YouTube. T-Series did not just become successful overnight. It took consistent hard work. The team put so much effort not just to come up with ideas and create videos, but also to invest in the right tools to make their videos stand out in the industry. If you’re looking to start your YouTube journey and be like T-Series some days, you should start now. The first move you should make is to invest in Wondershare Filmora software, as it has lots of tools to offer for editing videos with high quality.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Part 1: Information Box on T Series

Before we reveal all you need to know about T-Series YouTube income, here is an overview of Who T-Series is.

Name	T-Series
Real Name	Bhushan Kumar Dua
Net Worth (2022)	$515.4 Million
Monthly Income and Salary	Approximately $8.6 Million
Yearly Income	Over $128 Million
Type	Private
Industry	Music & Entertainment
Founded	11 July 1983; 39 years ago in Delhi, India
Founder	Gulshan Kumar
Key People	Bhushan Kumar Dua (Chairman, managing director), Krishan Kumar, Neeraj Kalyan (President)
Services	Music record label % Film production
YouTube Channel	T-Series
Awards and Recognition	Creator Awards

Now you have an overview of what T-Series YouTube channel income is, read on to discover more

Part 2: T-Series YouTube Earning and Stats

T-Series main source of revenue is the views and adverts, and as of when this article was written, research shows that T-Series attracts more than 2.15 billion views per month. Since a YouTube channel could earn an average of $3 to $5 per one thousand views, it can be estimated that T-Series earn a monthly income of up to $8.6 Million per month, and could make up to over 128 Million per year. Do you still want to find out more? Check out the table on T-Series stats;

Estimated Monthly Earning (USD/INDIAN RUPEES)	$8.6 Million / R.S699 Million
Estimated Yearly Earning (USD/INDIAN RUPEES)	Approximately $128 Million / R.S 10.4 Billion
Total Videos Uploads	17, 516
Total Views	202,606,674,113
Subscribers	225 Million
Years Active	16 years
Genre	Music

T-Series is very popular on all social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. He has been in the game for so long that anyone believes in the content he creates. The company was discovered in the 1980s by Gulshan Kumar a cassette tape business, and it was focused on devotional music, especially Hindu hymns and Bollywood music.M

The good thing back then was that T-Series was the first of its kind, and the devotional music market was really big, especially amongst old folks. So, it was easy for T-Series music to reach the right audience within a short time, and it had its first breakthrough in the late 1980s.

Fast forward to 2004, telecommunication companies were having complaints from mobile phone users who were not satisfied with their ringtones. So, T-Series became their plug and started 30-second of their music to them. Then, in 2009, when YouTube was launched in India, T-Series discovered lots of his music where being uploaded on YouTube illegally. This led to a ruling against YouTube, and in January 2011, T-Series published its first video on YouTube.

Since 2011 till now, T-Series has experienced tremendous growth. T-Series has up to 29 different YouTube channels with total subscribers of 225million with over a billion views monthly, making them one of the top-leading YouTube channels globally. Right now,

Part 3: Why Is T-Series Trending on YouTube?

Since you already know what T-Series income on YouTube is, you might be eager to find out what he did that made him so popular and became a trend on YouTube. Well, the truth is, T-Series is not doing anything no one can do. However, he has been in the industry for so long that his YouTube channel is like a dish for many viewers, especially the ones in India.

Below are the three main things why T-Series is always trending on YouTube;

Huge YouTube Channel Monthly Visits

Boasting monthly views of over 100 million per month, T-Series is one of the few YouTube channels that usually have millions of visits from users globally every month. Research shows that the YouTube channel usually has approximately 7.9million visitors per month. This huge monthly visit helps them stay at the top of most YouTube searches that relates with his videos keywords, thus making them trend more when compared with his competitor’s YouTube channel.

Large Subscriber Base

With over 225 million subscribers and still counting, T-Series YouTube channel is a home for many folks to listen to music and see movie thrillers. The large subscriber base plays a huge role in his trend, and the subscriber base continues to increase, he still has the high chance of maintaining his trend within the industry for a very long time.

Regular Posting of Quality Videos

Having a huge YouTube subscriber base is one thing, but being able to deliver quality video content that anyone would love to watch is different. T-Series has been consistent in delivering quality videos, that immediately he uploads a new video on YouTube, he starts getting massive views instantly. Many folks are always eager to see his next upload on YouTube. This has been the same thing for T-Series over the past years, and it has helped him gained more and more popularity.

Bonus Tip: How to be a YouTuber and Make Videos like t series

To be a YouTube-like T-Series you don’t only need to put in the hard work in what you do, you also need to be smart and stay consistent. Plus, you must acquire advanced video editing software that will help you create videos that will make you stand out in the industry. One such video editing software is Wondershare’s Filmora video editor.

Filmora is a video editing powerhouse that boasts lots of efficient tools that one can use to edit every aspect of a video clip. From removing background noise to editing audio, adding transitions, applying effects, and lots more. The tool is one that any YouTuber must have at his/her fingertips.

Besides, Filmora offers lots of free built-in video effects from popular platforms like FilmStock, Pixel, Unsplash, and many others. The amazing thing is you don’t necessarily need video editing skills to utilize the features of the software.

Here is how to use Filmora to Create Impressive Videos for YouTube;

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Step1 Download the latest version of Filmora from the official website and install it. Then, launch the tool and use the Import button to upload the YouTube video you wish to edit.

Drag-n-drop the imported video to the Timeline.

Step2 Navigate to the top of the screen and select Effects. Choose AI Portrait from the left-hand side. After that, drag-n-drop a preferred AI Portrait effect to the Timeline. Then, adjust it to the section of your video you want it to be displayed.

You can also change the AI Portrait effect settings. To do that, double-click on the effect from the timeline to prompt a pop-up window. Apply the AI Portrait effect from there.

Step3 You can add royalty-free music to your YouTube video by clicking Audio from the top. Then, select the preferred audio to use in the video and move it to the timeline.

To adjust your audio settings, double-click the audio clip from the timeline and use the relevant button to balance audio fade-in and fade-out, volume, pitch, etc.

Step4 Another crucial thing you need to do is to add Subscribe watermark. To do this, click the >> icon next to Export from the top of the screen and select Element.

Locate and click ‘Social Media Show Element 07’ Effects. Drag-n-drop the selected effect to the Timeline.

Step5 Change the position where the Subscribe watermark should appear in your video. Then, play the video to preview it.

Step6 After you’re done with the editing, click the Export button from the top bar and choose Burn DVD from the drop-down list that shows up.

Spet 7: A pop-up window will appear on your PC screen. Select where you want to save the edited video file from the Folder Path section. Then, enter the file name in Lable. Click Export to finish.

Final Words

That’s all on T-Series income on YouTube. T-Series did not just become successful overnight. It took consistent hard work. The team put so much effort not just to come up with ideas and create videos, but also to invest in the right tools to make their videos stand out in the industry. If you’re looking to start your YouTube journey and be like T-Series some days, you should start now. The first move you should make is to invest in Wondershare Filmora software, as it has lots of tools to offer for editing videos with high quality.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Best Approach for Managing CC Rights & Usage

How to Use Creative Commons Copyright Licenses [Complete Guide]

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

You might have noticed that, when you post a video, you get to choose how you want to copyright it: standard license, or creative commons. You’ve also probably noticed that when you looking for royalty-free music or stock footage a lot of it is licensed through creative commons.

So, what exactly are creative commons ?

To hold the copyright to a creative work means that you own it, and anybody who wants to use your work for anything (i.e. uses a song you composed in their YouTube video) has to do so on your terms. When you license your work through creative commons you do not give up your rights to your creative work (a common misconception).

When you use a creative commons license you are outlining the terms under which other creators are allowed to use your creations in their projects for free if they credit you for your work.

If you do not want anyone using your work for free in any context, you stick to traditional copyrighting.

But if you’ve created a piece of music, a photograph, or a clip that you wouldn’t mind other people using, potentially as a way to get your name out there, you might want to consider creative commons.

There are 6 different creative commons licenses. Which is right for you will depend on your answers to these two questions:

Are you okay with a creator making money off of something they create using your work?

Are you okay with a creator producing a derivative of your work?

To say ‘no derivatives’ is to say ‘I’m okay with people using it, so long as they don’t change it’. One example of a derivative is a techno remix of a song. If you are alright with other creators making derivatives of your work, you may also want to require them to ‘ShareAlike’. ShareAlike means that the creator of that techno remix of your song has to use the same creative commons license you used for your original to distribute the remix.

An example of a derivative someone might make of a YouTube video would be auto-tuning it to make a song or cutting up your video to make one that’s just ‘the funny parts’.

Here are the 6 creative commons licenses, and a chart you can use as a quick reference tool.

Attribution – CC BY

If you’re using music or other media with this license, all you need to do is credit the artist.

If you license your video this way, people can do whatever they like with any element of it (video or sound) so long as they credit you. I.e. if someone wanted to mute your clips and use you as stock footage in a bigger project, they could.

Attribution-ShareAlike – CC BY-SA

If you use music, photos, or any other media licensed this way, then you must both credit the artist and license your video this same way. Meaning, you can’t use YouTube’s standard license and must instead allow for others to use your work the way you are using the licensed media.

If you apply this license to your video, you’re saying you don’t mind people using all or portions of your video for their project so long as they allow others to use their work in the same way.

Attribution-NoDerivs – CC BY-ND

This one can get tricky.

Essentially, you can use media licensed this way so long as you don’t alter it or create a different version. For example, you can’t take a song licensed this way and use it in a mashup with another song. That part is clear. Where it gets tricky is when you want to use a song in your video.

Under normal copyright rules, using a royalty-free song in the background of your video would not count as creating a derivative. The definition of derivative according to creative commons is a bit broader and includes ‘syncing’. This means you can’t take an ‘Attribution-NoDerivs’ song and create any kind of music video for it.

For example, you can’t edit clips of yourself snowboarding so that they’re in sync with a song that has this license.

Whether or not you can play the song in the background of your vlog while you are speaking can be a bit of a grey area. In theory, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re accessing the music through a social site like SoundCloud then it might be best to ask the artist first.

There’s no reason to license your YouTube videos this way. If people cannot alter your video, all that’s left is for them to repost it. Even though they’d also be crediting you, they’d still essentially be stealing views and ad revenue from your original video.

Attribution-NonCommercial – CC BY-NC

If you’re using stock footage, music, or stock photos licensed this way then you should still be able to monetize your video. YouTube monetization and commercial use are different things. However, there is a lot of confusion about this issue, and chances are the rights holder intends for this license to mean ‘no monetization’.

What you definitely could not do with a NonCommercial license is to use the song/other media in an actual commercial for a product, including product placement that a brand is paying you for.

If you license your video this way, people can use it in whatever way they like so long as they credit you and don’t try to make money off of it. Once again, that doesn’t mean they can’t use it in a YouTube video which they monetize because, technically, they’d be making money off of the ad that ran ahead of the video and not the video itself.

The thing to be careful of with this license is that it’s not ‘ShareAlike’. So, if you license your video this way somebody could use your clips as stock footage and then provide them - as part of their project – for free to a third person to use in a project they were making money off of.

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike – CC BY-NC-SA

Music and other media with an ‘Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike’ license can be used in and altered for your videos, so long as you aren’t making money off those videos. You must also use this same license for the video you create using elements licensed this way.

If you license your video this way, people can use it or a portion of it in their project if they credit you. They must also use this same license for their video if they do. This protects you from the situation where a third person who never licensed your original content is making money off of it.

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs – CC BY-NC-ND

There aren’t many situations where you would be using media licensed this way in your YouTube videos. You can’t alter it, sync videos to it, or make money from any video that uses it.

You also probably shouldn’t use this license for your videos. ‘NoDerivs’ means there are not many ways people could use your content, except to repost full videos and steal your views.

Edit Video with the Most Excellent Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

You might have noticed that, when you post a video, you get to choose how you want to copyright it: standard license, or creative commons. You’ve also probably noticed that when you looking for royalty-free music or stock footage a lot of it is licensed through creative commons.

So, what exactly are creative commons ?

To hold the copyright to a creative work means that you own it, and anybody who wants to use your work for anything (i.e. uses a song you composed in their YouTube video) has to do so on your terms. When you license your work through creative commons you do not give up your rights to your creative work (a common misconception).

When you use a creative commons license you are outlining the terms under which other creators are allowed to use your creations in their projects for free if they credit you for your work.

If you do not want anyone using your work for free in any context, you stick to traditional copyrighting.

But if you’ve created a piece of music, a photograph, or a clip that you wouldn’t mind other people using, potentially as a way to get your name out there, you might want to consider creative commons.

There are 6 different creative commons licenses. Which is right for you will depend on your answers to these two questions:

Are you okay with a creator making money off of something they create using your work?

Are you okay with a creator producing a derivative of your work?

To say ‘no derivatives’ is to say ‘I’m okay with people using it, so long as they don’t change it’. One example of a derivative is a techno remix of a song. If you are alright with other creators making derivatives of your work, you may also want to require them to ‘ShareAlike’. ShareAlike means that the creator of that techno remix of your song has to use the same creative commons license you used for your original to distribute the remix.

An example of a derivative someone might make of a YouTube video would be auto-tuning it to make a song or cutting up your video to make one that’s just ‘the funny parts’.

Here are the 6 creative commons licenses, and a chart you can use as a quick reference tool.

Attribution – CC BY

If you’re using music or other media with this license, all you need to do is credit the artist.

If you license your video this way, people can do whatever they like with any element of it (video or sound) so long as they credit you. I.e. if someone wanted to mute your clips and use you as stock footage in a bigger project, they could.

Attribution-ShareAlike – CC BY-SA

If you use music, photos, or any other media licensed this way, then you must both credit the artist and license your video this same way. Meaning, you can’t use YouTube’s standard license and must instead allow for others to use your work the way you are using the licensed media.

If you apply this license to your video, you’re saying you don’t mind people using all or portions of your video for their project so long as they allow others to use their work in the same way.

Attribution-NoDerivs – CC BY-ND

This one can get tricky.

Essentially, you can use media licensed this way so long as you don’t alter it or create a different version. For example, you can’t take a song licensed this way and use it in a mashup with another song. That part is clear. Where it gets tricky is when you want to use a song in your video.

Under normal copyright rules, using a royalty-free song in the background of your video would not count as creating a derivative. The definition of derivative according to creative commons is a bit broader and includes ‘syncing’. This means you can’t take an ‘Attribution-NoDerivs’ song and create any kind of music video for it.

For example, you can’t edit clips of yourself snowboarding so that they’re in sync with a song that has this license.

Whether or not you can play the song in the background of your vlog while you are speaking can be a bit of a grey area. In theory, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re accessing the music through a social site like SoundCloud then it might be best to ask the artist first.

There’s no reason to license your YouTube videos this way. If people cannot alter your video, all that’s left is for them to repost it. Even though they’d also be crediting you, they’d still essentially be stealing views and ad revenue from your original video.

Attribution-NonCommercial – CC BY-NC

If you’re using stock footage, music, or stock photos licensed this way then you should still be able to monetize your video. YouTube monetization and commercial use are different things. However, there is a lot of confusion about this issue, and chances are the rights holder intends for this license to mean ‘no monetization’.

What you definitely could not do with a NonCommercial license is to use the song/other media in an actual commercial for a product, including product placement that a brand is paying you for.

If you license your video this way, people can use it in whatever way they like so long as they credit you and don’t try to make money off of it. Once again, that doesn’t mean they can’t use it in a YouTube video which they monetize because, technically, they’d be making money off of the ad that ran ahead of the video and not the video itself.

The thing to be careful of with this license is that it’s not ‘ShareAlike’. So, if you license your video this way somebody could use your clips as stock footage and then provide them - as part of their project – for free to a third person to use in a project they were making money off of.

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike – CC BY-NC-SA

Music and other media with an ‘Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike’ license can be used in and altered for your videos, so long as you aren’t making money off those videos. You must also use this same license for the video you create using elements licensed this way.

If you license your video this way, people can use it or a portion of it in their project if they credit you. They must also use this same license for their video if they do. This protects you from the situation where a third person who never licensed your original content is making money off of it.

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs – CC BY-NC-ND

There aren’t many situations where you would be using media licensed this way in your YouTube videos. You can’t alter it, sync videos to it, or make money from any video that uses it.

You also probably shouldn’t use this license for your videos. ‘NoDerivs’ means there are not many ways people could use your content, except to repost full videos and steal your views.

Edit Video with the Most Excellent Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

You might have noticed that, when you post a video, you get to choose how you want to copyright it: standard license, or creative commons. You’ve also probably noticed that when you looking for royalty-free music or stock footage a lot of it is licensed through creative commons.

So, what exactly are creative commons ?

To hold the copyright to a creative work means that you own it, and anybody who wants to use your work for anything (i.e. uses a song you composed in their YouTube video) has to do so on your terms. When you license your work through creative commons you do not give up your rights to your creative work (a common misconception).

When you use a creative commons license you are outlining the terms under which other creators are allowed to use your creations in their projects for free if they credit you for your work.

If you do not want anyone using your work for free in any context, you stick to traditional copyrighting.

But if you’ve created a piece of music, a photograph, or a clip that you wouldn’t mind other people using, potentially as a way to get your name out there, you might want to consider creative commons.

There are 6 different creative commons licenses. Which is right for you will depend on your answers to these two questions:

Are you okay with a creator making money off of something they create using your work?

Are you okay with a creator producing a derivative of your work?

To say ‘no derivatives’ is to say ‘I’m okay with people using it, so long as they don’t change it’. One example of a derivative is a techno remix of a song. If you are alright with other creators making derivatives of your work, you may also want to require them to ‘ShareAlike’. ShareAlike means that the creator of that techno remix of your song has to use the same creative commons license you used for your original to distribute the remix.

An example of a derivative someone might make of a YouTube video would be auto-tuning it to make a song or cutting up your video to make one that’s just ‘the funny parts’.

Here are the 6 creative commons licenses, and a chart you can use as a quick reference tool.

Attribution – CC BY

If you’re using music or other media with this license, all you need to do is credit the artist.

If you license your video this way, people can do whatever they like with any element of it (video or sound) so long as they credit you. I.e. if someone wanted to mute your clips and use you as stock footage in a bigger project, they could.

Attribution-ShareAlike – CC BY-SA

If you use music, photos, or any other media licensed this way, then you must both credit the artist and license your video this same way. Meaning, you can’t use YouTube’s standard license and must instead allow for others to use your work the way you are using the licensed media.

If you apply this license to your video, you’re saying you don’t mind people using all or portions of your video for their project so long as they allow others to use their work in the same way.

Attribution-NoDerivs – CC BY-ND

This one can get tricky.

Essentially, you can use media licensed this way so long as you don’t alter it or create a different version. For example, you can’t take a song licensed this way and use it in a mashup with another song. That part is clear. Where it gets tricky is when you want to use a song in your video.

Under normal copyright rules, using a royalty-free song in the background of your video would not count as creating a derivative. The definition of derivative according to creative commons is a bit broader and includes ‘syncing’. This means you can’t take an ‘Attribution-NoDerivs’ song and create any kind of music video for it.

For example, you can’t edit clips of yourself snowboarding so that they’re in sync with a song that has this license.

Whether or not you can play the song in the background of your vlog while you are speaking can be a bit of a grey area. In theory, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re accessing the music through a social site like SoundCloud then it might be best to ask the artist first.

There’s no reason to license your YouTube videos this way. If people cannot alter your video, all that’s left is for them to repost it. Even though they’d also be crediting you, they’d still essentially be stealing views and ad revenue from your original video.

Attribution-NonCommercial – CC BY-NC

If you’re using stock footage, music, or stock photos licensed this way then you should still be able to monetize your video. YouTube monetization and commercial use are different things. However, there is a lot of confusion about this issue, and chances are the rights holder intends for this license to mean ‘no monetization’.

What you definitely could not do with a NonCommercial license is to use the song/other media in an actual commercial for a product, including product placement that a brand is paying you for.

If you license your video this way, people can use it in whatever way they like so long as they credit you and don’t try to make money off of it. Once again, that doesn’t mean they can’t use it in a YouTube video which they monetize because, technically, they’d be making money off of the ad that ran ahead of the video and not the video itself.

The thing to be careful of with this license is that it’s not ‘ShareAlike’. So, if you license your video this way somebody could use your clips as stock footage and then provide them - as part of their project – for free to a third person to use in a project they were making money off of.

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike – CC BY-NC-SA

Music and other media with an ‘Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike’ license can be used in and altered for your videos, so long as you aren’t making money off those videos. You must also use this same license for the video you create using elements licensed this way.

If you license your video this way, people can use it or a portion of it in their project if they credit you. They must also use this same license for their video if they do. This protects you from the situation where a third person who never licensed your original content is making money off of it.

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs – CC BY-NC-ND

There aren’t many situations where you would be using media licensed this way in your YouTube videos. You can’t alter it, sync videos to it, or make money from any video that uses it.

You also probably shouldn’t use this license for your videos. ‘NoDerivs’ means there are not many ways people could use your content, except to repost full videos and steal your views.

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Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

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You might have noticed that, when you post a video, you get to choose how you want to copyright it: standard license, or creative commons. You’ve also probably noticed that when you looking for royalty-free music or stock footage a lot of it is licensed through creative commons.

So, what exactly are creative commons ?

To hold the copyright to a creative work means that you own it, and anybody who wants to use your work for anything (i.e. uses a song you composed in their YouTube video) has to do so on your terms. When you license your work through creative commons you do not give up your rights to your creative work (a common misconception).

When you use a creative commons license you are outlining the terms under which other creators are allowed to use your creations in their projects for free if they credit you for your work.

If you do not want anyone using your work for free in any context, you stick to traditional copyrighting.

But if you’ve created a piece of music, a photograph, or a clip that you wouldn’t mind other people using, potentially as a way to get your name out there, you might want to consider creative commons.

There are 6 different creative commons licenses. Which is right for you will depend on your answers to these two questions:

Are you okay with a creator making money off of something they create using your work?

Are you okay with a creator producing a derivative of your work?

To say ‘no derivatives’ is to say ‘I’m okay with people using it, so long as they don’t change it’. One example of a derivative is a techno remix of a song. If you are alright with other creators making derivatives of your work, you may also want to require them to ‘ShareAlike’. ShareAlike means that the creator of that techno remix of your song has to use the same creative commons license you used for your original to distribute the remix.

An example of a derivative someone might make of a YouTube video would be auto-tuning it to make a song or cutting up your video to make one that’s just ‘the funny parts’.

Here are the 6 creative commons licenses, and a chart you can use as a quick reference tool.

Attribution – CC BY

If you’re using music or other media with this license, all you need to do is credit the artist.

If you license your video this way, people can do whatever they like with any element of it (video or sound) so long as they credit you. I.e. if someone wanted to mute your clips and use you as stock footage in a bigger project, they could.

Attribution-ShareAlike – CC BY-SA

If you use music, photos, or any other media licensed this way, then you must both credit the artist and license your video this same way. Meaning, you can’t use YouTube’s standard license and must instead allow for others to use your work the way you are using the licensed media.

If you apply this license to your video, you’re saying you don’t mind people using all or portions of your video for their project so long as they allow others to use their work in the same way.

Attribution-NoDerivs – CC BY-ND

This one can get tricky.

Essentially, you can use media licensed this way so long as you don’t alter it or create a different version. For example, you can’t take a song licensed this way and use it in a mashup with another song. That part is clear. Where it gets tricky is when you want to use a song in your video.

Under normal copyright rules, using a royalty-free song in the background of your video would not count as creating a derivative. The definition of derivative according to creative commons is a bit broader and includes ‘syncing’. This means you can’t take an ‘Attribution-NoDerivs’ song and create any kind of music video for it.

For example, you can’t edit clips of yourself snowboarding so that they’re in sync with a song that has this license.

Whether or not you can play the song in the background of your vlog while you are speaking can be a bit of a grey area. In theory, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re accessing the music through a social site like SoundCloud then it might be best to ask the artist first.

There’s no reason to license your YouTube videos this way. If people cannot alter your video, all that’s left is for them to repost it. Even though they’d also be crediting you, they’d still essentially be stealing views and ad revenue from your original video.

Attribution-NonCommercial – CC BY-NC

If you’re using stock footage, music, or stock photos licensed this way then you should still be able to monetize your video. YouTube monetization and commercial use are different things. However, there is a lot of confusion about this issue, and chances are the rights holder intends for this license to mean ‘no monetization’.

What you definitely could not do with a NonCommercial license is to use the song/other media in an actual commercial for a product, including product placement that a brand is paying you for.

If you license your video this way, people can use it in whatever way they like so long as they credit you and don’t try to make money off of it. Once again, that doesn’t mean they can’t use it in a YouTube video which they monetize because, technically, they’d be making money off of the ad that ran ahead of the video and not the video itself.

The thing to be careful of with this license is that it’s not ‘ShareAlike’. So, if you license your video this way somebody could use your clips as stock footage and then provide them - as part of their project – for free to a third person to use in a project they were making money off of.

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike – CC BY-NC-SA

Music and other media with an ‘Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike’ license can be used in and altered for your videos, so long as you aren’t making money off those videos. You must also use this same license for the video you create using elements licensed this way.

If you license your video this way, people can use it or a portion of it in their project if they credit you. They must also use this same license for their video if they do. This protects you from the situation where a third person who never licensed your original content is making money off of it.

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs – CC BY-NC-ND

There aren’t many situations where you would be using media licensed this way in your YouTube videos. You can’t alter it, sync videos to it, or make money from any video that uses it.

You also probably shouldn’t use this license for your videos. ‘NoDerivs’ means there are not many ways people could use your content, except to repost full videos and steal your views.

Edit Video with the Most Excellent Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

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