No Revenue Gets Paid When Songs Are In Conflict. Why it happens and how to fix it.

In the digital age, musicians have more opportunities than ever to share their work and connect with audiences worldwide. YouTube stands out as one of the most powerful platforms for artists to showcase their music. However, many songwriters and even publishers remain unaware of how royalty collection works on this platform. Understanding the intricacies of YouTube royalty collection is essential for maximizing earnings and ensuring that artists receive fair compensation for their work.

The Basics of YouTube Royalties

YouTube generates revenue primarily through advertising. When users watch videos, ads are displayed, and a portion of that revenue is shared with content creators. For musicians, this means that every time their music is played in a video, they have the potential to earn royalties.

Types of Royalties

There are two main types of royalties that musicians can earn on YouTube:

1. Performance Royalties: These are earned when a song is played publicly, including in videos on YouTube. Performance rights organizations (PROs) like ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC collect these royalties on behalf of artists.

   
   

2. Mechanical Royalties: These are generated from the reproduction of a song, such as when it is streamed or downloaded. On YouTube, this typically applies to music that is streamed through official channels.

   
   

How YouTube Pays Musicians

YouTube pays musicians through its Partner Program. To qualify, artists must meet specific criteria, including:

• Having at least 1,000 subscribers

• Accumulating 4,000 watch hours in the past 12 months

• Complying with YouTube's policies and guidelines

  
  

Once accepted into the Partner Program, musicians can monetize their videos through ads, channel memberships, and Super Chat features during live streams.

Different countries

The Role of Content ID

One of the most significant tools for musicians on YouTube is Content ID. This system helps identify and manage copyrighted material on the platform. When a user uploads a video containing copyrighted music, Content ID scans the video and matches it against a database of songs. If a match is found, rights holders can choose to:

• Monetize the video: Allow the uploader to keep the video up while collecting ad revenue.

• Block the video: Prevent the video from being viewed.

• Track the video: Monitor its performance without taking any action.

  
  

Benefits of Content ID

Using Content ID can significantly benefit musicians by:

• Protecting their work: Ensuring that unauthorized use of their music is minimized.

• Generating revenue: Allowing them to earn money from videos that use their music.

Basics of Conflicts

To understand conflicts, you have to understand the basic math of music publishing on platforms like YouTube.

YouTube’s Content ID system is essentially a giant calculator. For every single musical asset, there is exactly 100% of the publishing rights available to claim. No more, no less.

A conflict occurs, quite simply, when the claims submitted to YouTube add up to more than 100%.

If Publisher A claims they own 60% of a song, and Publisher B claims they own 50% of the same song, the total is 110%. YouTube’s system sees this mathematical impossibility, panics, and throws a flag.

The result? The song goes into "Conflict," and the revenue generated by that video is frozen in an escrow account until the parties figure it out.

Here are the three most common ways this math gets broken.

Why Conflicts Happen

This is perhaps the most confusing source of conflicts, and it stems from the fact that different countries define "rights organizations" differently.

The US Model: In the United States, Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) like ASCAP and BMI only collect Performance Royalties. They do not collect Mechanical Royalties (the other half of the income generated by a stream).

The European/Global Model: In many other countries, the major society is a Collective Management Organization (CMO) that collects BOTH Performance and Mechanical royalties bundled together.

The Conflict Scenario: Let's say you are a US songwriter with a US publisher. Your song is getting huge views in Germany.

1. The US Publisher's Move: Your US publisher registers your song directly with YouTube to collect the global Mechanical royalties (since ASCAP won't do it). They claim 100% of the mechanicals.

2. The German PRO's Move: GEMA (the German society) sees your song being played in their territory. GEMA’s mandate is to collect everything—performance and mechanicals—for songs played in Germany. So, GEMA also places a claim on the video for 100% of the rights in Germany.

   
   

The Result: YouTube sees the US Publisher claiming the mechanicals, and GEMA also claiming the mechanicals for the same territory.

Two entities are fighting over the same pot of money in Germany. The asset goes into conflict, and the revenue from those German views freezes.

Scenario 2: The "Split Sheet" Slip-Up (Human Error)

This is the most preventable, yet most common, cause of conflicts. It happens when co-writers aren't on the same page.

Imagine you write a song with a friend. You casually agree over text message to split it "50/50."

• You tell your publisher you own 50%.

• Your friend, misremembering the conversation or feeling generous toward themselves, tells their publisher they own 60% because they wrote the lyrics and the melody.

Your publisher registers 50%. Their publisher registers 60%. Total: 110%.

The Result: Instant conflict. The money sits in escrow while you and your co-writer argue about who remembers the session correctly.

Scenario 3: The "Ghost of Admins Past"

This happens when you switch business partners.

Let’s say you used "Aggregator A" for publishing administration for two years. You decide to switch to a new, more proactive administrator, "Publisher B."

You sign up with Publisher B, and they immediately register your catalog with YouTube, claiming 100% on your behalf.

However, "Aggregator A" has slow systems. They haven't processed your termination notice yet, or they simply forgot to send a "takedown" notice to YouTube.

The Result: Your old partner is still claiming 100%, and your new partner is also claiming 100%. YouTube sees a 200% claim and freezes the asset. The conflict won't resolve until the old administrator manually removes their claim.

Why You Can’t Ignore Conflicts

When a song is in conflict, the money doesn't disappear—at least not immediately. It sits in a holding account at YouTube called escrow.

But here is the danger: if the conflict isn't resolved within a certain timeframe (usually 6 to 12 months, depending on the platform), that money can expire. It may be returned to the advertiser or absorbed by the platform.

Conflicts are not just annoying red tape; they are active leaks in your revenue stream. They rarely resolve themselves. They require manual intervention, data cleanup, and sometimes uncomfortable emails to co-writers or old publishers.

Conclusion: Unfreezing Your Future

In the complex ecosystem of global music rights, "conflicts" are not a sign of failure—they are a sign of activity. They mean your music is being used, recognized, and monetized. The problem isn't the conflict itself; it's the paralysis that follows.

Every day your song sits in conflict is a day your revenue is held hostage by a spreadsheet error. Whether it's a clash between US and German collection rules, a simple typo on a split sheet, or an old partner forgetting to let go, the result is the same: you aren't getting paid.

The good news is that every conflict has a solution. It requires diligence, a clear understanding of international rights, and the willingness to pick up the phone and resolve disputes manually. Don't let your royalties expire in a "frozen" account. Audit your catalog, identify the red flags, and ensure your team has the expertise to turn those yellow warning signs back into green revenue streams. This is where Royalties Recovered comes in.

Your music is doing the work globally. Make sure your data is working just as hard to bring that value home.