YouTube has passed 125 million Music and Premium subscribers and announced that it has paid out a total of $12 billion through its Content ID system as of December 2024. This information comes from YouTube’s recently released “Copyright Transparency Report.” The report states that this amount represents the advertising revenue paid to rights holders for content that has been claimed and monetized using Content ID.
In 2024, YouTube said that over 7,700 partners used Content ID, choosing to monetize more than 90% of all claims. Most of these claims, more than 99%, were detected automatically through YouTube’s systems, while manual claims were very rare, accounting for fewer than 0.5% of total claims. Although Content ID covers a range of content types, a large portion of the monetization comes from music.
Looking at a broader timeline, YouTube reported that in the three years before January 2024, it paid out more than $70 billion to creators, artists, and media companies. A significant part of this amount likely went to the music industry, including earnings from both advertising and Music and Premium subscribers.
However, despite these high payout numbers, YouTube continues to face criticism over how much it pays creators per view. In particular, some musicians have raised concerns about access to Content ID features, especially for smaller, independent creators who do not meet eligibility requirements. YouTube noted in its report that these smaller creators can still access Content ID services through third-party providers.
The report’s payout figures are notable considering that much of this content was not monetized in the past. The data shows that YouTube remains a major platform for music monetization alongside others like Spotify.
In terms of advertising revenue, YouTube’s growth also outpaced Spotify’s during the first quarter of 2025. YouTube’s ad revenue increased by 10.3% year over year to $8.9 billion, while Spotify’s advertising revenue grew about 8% to $475.3 million. Factors such as Spotify’s ongoing efforts to expand video content and adjust its advertising strategy play a role in these numbers. Overall, the data indicates YouTube’s strong position in the current entertainment landscape, especially in areas related to video and music.
