Online hub for buying and selling beats Airbit has monetized 4 billion YouTube views in first half of 2021, amounting to nearly $2.5 million in royalties for producers.
They are one of the only online marketplaces that has a direct relationship with YouTube.
The amount collected by Airbit is expected to grow more than 230% year over year. They’re on track to collect $10 million in 2021 from publishing and content ID.
YouTube’s Content ID system hasn’t fared well for everyone, but by adding producers’ credits to beats they are tapping into a significant revenue stream.
“YouTube is a beats search engine, and producers need to make sure their work is monetized there, where billions of views are happening,” Judah Wiedre, COO of Airbit, explains in a press release. “Without this, they are leaving significant money on the table.”
YouTube is owned by Google and has 2 billion active monthly users. Amongst these users are content creators who make their entire living on the platform in niches like cooking, fitness, and music. Hip-hop and rap have become one of the most sought after genres, and the beats are often produced from the comfort of one’s home and uploaded to YouTube for the rappers to freestyle or rap over.
But the producers of these beats get the short end of the stick. They get massive amounts of streams and rappers rapping over their beats but no royalties coming in.
“Airbit has helped me have fewer copyright claims on my YouTube channel and ensures I get credited,” producer Ryini Beats says in a press release. “Before, artists would often forget to credit me, or sometimes they downloaded the beat and would forget entirely that I produced it. Now with Airbit’s YouTube Monetization, they get an official reminder who the producer is and they can decide to purchase the beat if they want to monetize their YouTube video. It also helps the artists we work with. Now that we are in control of the Content ID, we can easily remove a claim for any artist who leases a beat from us.”
Producers using the service’s YouTube royalty collection service also receive the luxury of quick payouts. Producers alike mention that these speedy payouts are one of the main reasons for signing up to the service.
“According to my experience of six months, Airbit provides the fastest service,” Sachin, another Airbit producer, notes. “Before, I had to collect Content ID from three companies, and payment was received after two months.”
Oskrr, another Airbit producer, mentioned that they signed up to Airbit as an experiment. They noted that Airbit’s systems are very easy to use and have increased their revenue significantly, allowing them to focus on creating music they love.
“I signed up to Airbit’s YouTube Monetization program purely as an experiment,” states Oskrr in a press release. “Airbit have been collecting royalties on my behalf ever since, and their system is incredibly easy to use. It has made a massive difference to me financially and has allowed me the freedom to focus on making music that I love, full-time.”