If your release contains any audio (beats, loops, samples, video game sounds, other peoples' music...) that you didn't create yourself, it is unfortunately ineligible for YouTube Content ID.

YouTube is really serious about this stuff. All of the following must be true for a release to be eligible:

  • You created all of the sounds
  • Your release does NOT contain beats, loops, sound effects, or other audio downloaded from sample libraries or other public sources. This includes sounds that are available for free from GarageBand, Ableton, Logic, Fruity Loops, etc.
  • You will not allow other artists to remix your song(s), or use any of the sounds from your song(s) in their own songs. That's because if their remix gets uploaded to YouTube, Content ID may claim it as yours. Or if the remixer opts into Content ID, it may think your version is the same song, and claim it as theirs. It's all very complicated.
  • Your release does NOT contain public domain recordings or songs.
  • Your release does NOT contain sounds from video games, television, movies, etc.
  • Your release does NOT contain any audio from other peoples' YouTube videos.
  • You are the only person who will add this single to YouTube Content ID. Nobody else (band members, producer, etc.) will also try to add it to YouTube Content ID, because that causes a mess.
  • You have NOT used another company, such as TuneCore or CD Baby, to submit this single to YouTube Content ID. That will cause a conflict, and a mess.