The Trials & Tribulation Of A YouNoober

Combating Copyright Claims & Complaints On YouTube

If you're anything like us, you're here, you're queer, and you know that fear is always near, dear.

You might have also decided to try your hand at content creation. Whatever your platform of choice, it’s exciting, right? Scary, right? But you do it anyway. 

You've got your tools, your ideas, and perhaps even a touch of that youthful enthusiasm that says, "I can do this!" 

And you can. And you do.

But as any YouTuber will quickly discover, there's a lot more to being a content creator than meets the eye, boo.

Sure, you might have envisioned a glamorous life of making fun videos and amassing legions of adoring fans. But reality has a funny way of throwing curveballs, and for many newcomers, those curveballs come in the form of unfounded copyright claims and unkind comments.

Let's talk about copyright claims first. Ah, the joys of navigating the murky waters of YouTube's Content ID system. For those uninitiated, Content ID is a digital fingerprinting system that allows copyright owners to identify and manage their content on YouTube. 

Sounds great in theory, right? Well, not so much when you're a YouNoob trying to use classical music in a video. Music that was not only composed long ago, it's been recorded countless times over the years.

Unless it was composed in the 20th century, all classical music is in the public domain. Full stop. Most of the recordings, being from the 20th and 21st centuries, are copyrighted. But thanks to generous musicians and organizations, quality public domain recordings of classical works do exist. 

The problem? Music publishers big and small regularly violate YouTube's policy about public domain compositions by uploading those works to the Content ID. And then we content creators are left to dispute these false copyright claims. And wait (for up to 30 days) for the claimants to respond. If they don't, the claim expires.

It's a frustrating dance, to say the least. As a new creator, affording licensed music just isn't feasible. So, you turn to the treasure trove of copyright-free and public domain music available online, grateful for those generous souls who share their compositions freely. You diligently credit them in your videos, hoping to spread a little love in return.

We credit our work because we want to spread love. We want to share our creativity. We don't want to fight about copyrights. Or musical tastes. 

Which brings me to the unkind complainers. The biggest complaint we get is about music. It's our biggest complaint too..about the comments.

Repeat after me: Tastes, whether it's in men or music, is subjective. 

Same for art, design, and everything on YouTube. 

While we love those who share our tastes, to those who don't like it we say scroll along.

These constant complainers seem to think their purpose in life is to find fault with others. Always ready to pounce at the slightest provocation.

Whatever the reason, they're not shy about letting you know. Strangers on the internet are rarely shy about judging someone else's work, but rarely have anything to show they've done that's better. This ain’t my first rodeo, so sometimes I blast back.

To them, I say this: Be kind or rewind elsewhere. Constructive criticism is one thing, but spreading negativity serves no purpose. We're all just trying to navigate this crazy world of content creation, and a little kindness can go a long way.

Fellow YouNoobs, take heart. Yes, the road ahead may be filled with copyright claims and unkind comments, but remember why you started this journey in the first place. 

Embrace the challenges, learn from your mistakes, and keep creating. 

And who knows? Maybe one day, we'll all look back on these early struggles with a wry smile, knowing they helped shape you into the content creator you were meant to be.

Thanks for watching!
Clint

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