What is Content ID?
Content ID, or “UGC matching”, is an add-on service that helps identify your music in user-created videos (UGC = user-generated content) on YouTube, TikTok and Facebook/Instagram for the purpose of collecting royalties.
What are the requirements?
Only original music is eligible for Content ID, meaning that recordings made using samples or other elements deemed non-exclusive cannot apply protection with Content ID.
The procedure of scanning videos to identify embedded music is quite complex and sensitive. For the scanning process to work as intended, your track must:
not use a beat, instrumental or topline that is, or has been, available for anyone to buy, download and use (i.e. licensed under non-exclusive terms)
not contain music or recordings from the public domain
not be a from a soundtrack or score
not be/have been marketed as “free to use” or as production/stock music
be the original version of the song (i.e. remixes, mashups, live versions, instrumental versions, etc. are not eligible)
be original commercial music (i.e. nature sounds, ASMR, prayers, church services, speeches and other types of audio content are not eligible)
Additional things to note:
For Pro users, Content ID is available at no extra charge. For Boost users, there's a 15% fee for Content ID ad-revenue.
Ensure the following stores are included in the selection when you submit your release, if you want UGC matching across all available platforms:
YouTube Music
TikTok
Instagram & Facebook
As of May 2025, only releases where Content ID is active on all tracks will be monetized on Instagram & Facebook. If any track in a release is ineligible for monetization, the entire release will not be monetized. To avoid missing out on royalties from these apps, tracks that are to be monetized need to be delivered separately or only alongside other eligible tracks.
Platforms like Meta and YouTube have strict rules regarding content eligibility. Violating these may result in the removal of your music from their systems and loss of monetization privileges. Please note that these platforms also reserve the right to remove any content without prior notice or explanation.
If Content ID is not active on a song, that song is not available in YouTube’s Shorts audio library either.
Repeated or severe issues related to copyright infringement will render your Amuse account ineligible for Content ID.
Claims on YouTube
When Content ID is added to your track, it will start processing every video ever uploaded on YouTube immediately. Content ID prioritizes scanning the most popular videos on YouTube before it moves on to scan the videos with less popularity and so on.
YouTube has existed since 2005 and Content ID scans every single video ever uploaded on the platform. It can sometimes take up to 6 months before Content ID has scanned all the video and claimed the correct content- please have patience.
If you get a copyright claim message:
You might get a copyright claim message from YouTube saying that Amuse is claiming your content on YouTube. This is because we request Content ID on your behalf.
If you see a message like this, it simply means the system is working correctly and we are collecting your revenue on your behalf. All of your ad revenue will be paid out by Amuse to you together with your other royalties from stores.
Read more here: YouTube Copyright Claims.