Monetizing walkthroughs on youtube

Pixelbastardo · 03-12-2012 7:09pm #1

Has anyone here successfully monetized their gameplay or walkthroughs on youtube, with or without commentary ?
I know in the states there a laws that leave a grey area for people to monetize their stuff if they put commentary over atleast afew minutes of their gameplay.
And i have also seen people monetize "lets plays" with or without commentary, once they get a deal with someone like machinima..

anyone here know the irish laws on all this, or have any experience with monetizing their vids ?

TheChrisD · 03-12-2012 10:42pm

With standard monetization, it was always a bit hit-or-miss with me. A few of my videos I was able to monetize raw, particularly Microsoft games under their Game Content Usage Rules (before their recent "clarification"), and I think I was able to get maybe one or two live-commentary games monetized. State Fair Use, especially if you do videos in games that have a clear terms of service or similar (like Minecraft).

Since partnership, there's been no hassles with claiming any of those videos, although my network maintain a policy in that all game footage must contain audio commentary to be valid for claiming.

Pixelbastardo · 04-12-2012 5:58pm

Cheers for the info.
Yeah, iv read that blizzard games and minecraft can be monetized without issue.. i dont play either though, iv grown bored of minecraft months ago.
Id like to do some walkthroughs without commentary, or with as little as possible. and i know for every person that likes letsplays with commentary, theres another one who likes the atmosphere of the game over someone talking and "ruining it".
Although that excuse id doubt very much would be given 2 foops by youtube ^^

Well, iv starting a new channel regardless and am uploading a walkthrough of Silenthill 2 HD, half it up already.., ill see how it goes and just leave the monetization for the minute... My old main account that iv uploaded a bunch of old irish creamfields and homelands sets, along with a bunch of vinyl, i have some self made tunes monetized on that... but i own full copyright to that so not really the same thing...

Do you know what the story is if i tryed to monetize one of the Silenthill vids to see how it goes. If it gets rejected, does youtube remove the vid or give any hassle over trying to monetize ?

Doctor DooM · 04-12-2012 6:41pm

If someone claims a monetized video for copyright your channel could be shut down.

Pixelbastardo · 04-12-2012 8:12pm

Doctor DooM wrote: »

If someone claims a monetized video for copyright your channel could be shut down.

yikes, wouldnt like that to happen... i already have maybe 16, 10 minute vids of SH2HD up,each vid took me 4 hours to upload.. wouldnt like to start over again..

I guess its best to build the channel and leave the rest for the minute...
My main music account was given a strike in march for uploading 2 short clips from fear n loathing in las vegas, i got a copyright notice and tryed to dispute it (since 100's of other accounts had clips from the same movie up)
I was then given a strike, and had to delete the clips.. the strike lasted 6 months for it, and that made it a Bi&%h to try and monetize my music...and disabled me from uploading over 15min vids...

Damn, would be nice if it was fair game for all though....

AGB_Ghost · 08-12-2012 1:58am

I have had a channel for a good while now, though it's growing extremely slowly I am no stranger to copyright claims on my content. EA especially are devious for it, they flagged all of my Battlefield 3 stuff which I had to remove if I wanted to get partnered with a third party channel. Anyways, as for monetization, I always just monetize away and see what happens. Usually the videos go under review for a day and pop-up Monetized, Rejected, or Declined with exception of copyright claim, meaning if you can provide proof the content is your's they'll allow you to make cash off of it. Now, in this case you can't, since the game is technically not yours. But you can claim it as being under fair use rights for reasons of commentary and social satire. Which many big Gaming channels do to avoid hassle. Pretty much hiding behind the notion of 'free speech' to get around getting claims on their channel. Just be careful. Music is the BIG problem, make sure your clips have no music you can't prove you own or got via legal means i.e from Royalty Free sites, you got consent or you have a paid license to use said music, that how some YouTubers use ACDC and others in their videos, but those licences are mad expensive ( about 250 quid I believe to use one song or maybe album) . Even the 5 second tune between matches on Battlefield 3 is enough to get you flagged.
After A good Year and a bit on YouTube and after a few flags, I still have this status, just be careful but to be honest, your channel getting closed down is heavily unlikely.

Pixelbastardo · 11-12-2012 10:55pm

Cheers for the info, so are you signed to a gaming network ?. if so, is it a thing with them, once your signed, you can post almost any game and monetize it without issue. (as these game networks apparently have all the necessary licences ?)

I found a very informative thread afew months back at neogaf
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=493634

Some people in that thread who have signed deals say there a good thing, others say there a scam and not necessary.
Some people get good deals with decent percentages and that, while others seem to get worse deals.
The 3rd comment in, from a person signed with Machinima, says he monetizes his vids through them without commentary which sounds great. Although iv read that you need somewhere in the thousands of views per day for them to sign you, not sure what the deal is with that yet...
Iv also read, that people who havnt signed to a network, and start doing well, if they start making alot of cash, thats when the game publishers step in and claim all rights... with different outcomes case by case, since its such a grey area.

Im just finishing up a Silenthill 2 walkthrough on my new channel now, and maybe 5 of the vids so far have audio copyright claims, that i just have to acknowledge and do nothing else (im used to these claims on my main music channel).
I still havnt enabled monetization on my new channel yet, probably best to build it up alittle at the minute.

Do you think if i were to enable monetization on this channel and submit the vids from the sh2 walkthorugh that dont have any claims, they would get rejected without commentary?.

AGB_Ghost · 11-12-2012 11:35pm

Honestly and truly, copyright claims are a tricky standpoint because you can either accept them, or dispute them which basically takes legal action with YouTube to prove you own it. Copyright is a mess in it's entirity even though many companies love their YouTube fanbase. For example From Software who make Dark Souls frequently discuss EpicNameBro, a really fantastic YouTuber who does ton of Dark Souls stuff. So even if a game dev loves you and your channel, YouTube still take it upon themselves to flag you regardless of who you are. It's stupid because they can say "This video contains content owned by EA Entertainment" But 9/10 chances say EA don't even know you exist.
I'm trying to get partnered, this is my current Channels status yet, they will probably deny me partnership due to "Possible third party content on my channel."

Chavways · 17-12-2012 9:14pm

I monetise 95% of my video's and I have never had a copyright claim.But bear in mind that my channel is relatively small.80 subscribers and around 7K views per month.

TheChrisD · 18-12-2012 4:59pm

You may not have had any copyright claims yet, but have you ever had your monetisation disabled on any videos?

Chavways · 18-12-2012 5:26pm

TheChrisD wrote: »

You may not have had any copyright claims yet, but have you ever had your monetisation disabled on any videos?

Nope, haven't had that either. I select monetisation when I upload them and it usually passes the review stage within a few hours.I don't think I've ever not been allowed to monetise one either.

Pixelbastardo · 21-12-2012 12:54am

Chavways wrote: »

Nope, haven't had that either. I select monetisation when I upload them and it usually passes the review stage within a few hours.I don't think I've ever not been allowed to monetise one either.

Have you ever gotten one of them copy right notices over music from the game that you just have to acknowledge ?

A SH2 walkthrough i uploaded, 12 of the vids have "copyright notices" for "matched third party content"(in game music).
On each vid with this notice theres an "acknowledge" button, when i click it i get "Acknowledged third party content", and the vids stay up (although 1 of the 10 vids is banned from viewing in germany).

Chavways, what sort of vids do you make ?, cod gameplay, walkthroughs or mantages ?, and have you tryed monetizing any vids with no commentary with success ?

Chavways · 21-12-2012 4:34pm

Pixelbastardo wrote: »

Have you ever gotten one of them copy right notices over music from the game that you just have to acknowledge ?

A SH2 walkthrough i uploaded, 12 of the vids have "copyright notices" for "matched third party content"(in game music).
On each vid with this notice theres an "acknowledge" button, when i click it i get "Acknowledged third party content", and the vids stay up (although 1 of the 10 vids is banned from viewing in germany).

Chavways, what sort of vids do you make ?, cod gameplay, walkthroughs or mantages ?, and have you tryed monetizing any vids with no commentary with success ?

I think I've gotten 1 or 2 notices that there's matched third party content. I try not to have music in the video's if I can.

I make mainly Gran Turismo and BF3 videos.None of them have commentary and most of them are monetised.

Pixelbastardo · 21-12-2012 7:46pm

Cool, i was just wondering if i needed to delete any vids with claims before enabling monetization..

Well i went ahead earlier today anyway and enabled it, out of 23 of the SH2 walkthrough vids(not including the ones with copyright claims which is another 17) that were put through for review, 9 have been moneitzed, 4 are still under review,
7 of them say "Not monetized. click to provide proof of commercial use rights".
I have a ten part Journey walkthrough up too, and most of them got flat out rejected with a couple asking for proof of commercial use rights.
And maybe an hour ago i uploaded a farcry 3 dust 2 re-creation, and it became monetized instantly =/ ??

Its funny however they go about the review process, some vids excepted while others are not .

Chavways, have you ever gotten that "Not monetized. click to provide proof of commercial use rights" ?

AGB_Ghost · 21-12-2012 8:32pm

Pixelbastardo wrote: »

"Not monetized. click to provide proof of commercial use rights" ?

I get it about 20% of the time.

Pixelbastardo · 21-12-2012 9:17pm

AGB_Ghost wrote: »

I get it about 20% of the time.

Have you ever managed to get one monetized after getting that message on a vid ?

Chavways · 21-12-2012 9:57pm

Pixelbastardo wrote: »

Cool, i was just wondering if i needed to delete any vids with claims before enabling monetization..

Well i went ahead earlier today anyway and enabled it, out of 23 of the SH2 walkthrough vids(not including the ones with copyright claims which is another 17) that were put through for review, 9 have been moneitzed, 4 are still under review,
7 of them say "Not monetized. click to provide proof of commercial use rights".
I have a ten part Journey walkthrough up too, and most of them got flat out rejected with a couple asking for proof of commercial use rights.
And maybe an hour ago i uploaded a farcry 3 dust 2 re-creation, and it became monetized instantly =/ ??

Its funny however they go about the review process, some vids excepted while others are not .

Chavways, have you ever gotten that "Not monetized. click to provide proof of commercial use rights" ?

Nope I've never gotten that. I got an email a while ago saying that one of my Saints Row 3 videos was unmonetised because it contained offensive content. Who would've known killing people with a giant dildo sword was offensive.

Pixelbastardo · 23-12-2012 4:17pm

lol, dildo beatdown,

So whats your secret Chavways ?, how do you get by without getting the "provide proof of commercial use rights" on any vids ^^ ?
maybe its all down to luck(or the content), do you upload short of long vids ?.. the shortest vid i up'ed was a farcry 3 map editor vid like 3mins long, and it got monetized instantly.., where as all my other vids are between 10/15 mins and all took afew hours to a day to get reviewed for monetization..

and does anyone know is it a bot that reviews the vids or actual people ?

Chavways · 23-12-2012 4:20pm

Pixelbastardo wrote: »

lol, dildo beatdown,

So whats your secret Chavways ?, how do you get by without getting the "provide proof of commercial use rights" on any vids ^^ ?
maybe its all down to luck(or the content), do you upload short of long vids ?.. the shortest vid i up'ed was a farcry 3 map editor vid like 3mins long, and it got monetized instantly.., where as all my other vids are between 10/15 mins and all took afew hours to a day to get reviewed for monetization..

and does anyone know is it a bot that reviews the vids or actual people ?

I thought everyone's video's were monetised as easy as mine.I must be getting lucky. Most of the mare only 2-3 minutes long so maybe that's why.

MagicSean · 23-12-2012 4:33pm

I get permission to monetize my Indy stuff. Things like minecraft, ftl and WoW allow monetization too. The other stuff I don't monetize. I still get the odd request for proof from YouTube but I simply reply saying I made the video myself and have permission to use the game footage.

Anything with music will likely attract a copyright claim. Music companies have software that identifies the music and claims it. Last month I uploaded a private movie of my grandmothers funeral service for family members abroad. Only four people had access to it. It was claimed by the music company who owned the rights to the hymn that was sung.

Your channel works on a reputation system. You won't get shut down for the odd mistake but continuos ones can result in your ability to monetize stuff being withdrawn permanently.

Pixelbastardo · 23-12-2012 10:02pm

cheers Chavways, maybe the length of the vid effects the review process in some way, idk but ill keep an eye on any more short vids i up and see if its instant monetize like last one.

@Magicsean, that sucks about the funeral vid, ridiculous!... but i know all to well about them blocking audio in different regions with my main music account.

Doctor DooM · 31-12-2012 1:36pm

I have been thinking about posting in this thread for a while, but I wanted to formulate my thoughts on it correctly.

There's a lot of people here giving advice on how to monetise without getting done for copyright and the like, and some of it will work, at least for some time, but I feel someone has to say: if you monetise without having the correct permissions, there is always, always a chance youtube will shut you down. the risk might be small, but it is there.

Doing any of the above is accepting a risk, unless the content is completely your own- including owning game rights- or joining a network that has those rights.

Now, the obvious network to partner with is Machinima, but, obviously, they're generally filled with the higher end of the gaming market.

The network I'm partnered with (fullscreen.net) have a low requirement sub network called creator x. With them, you are safe to do commentated game footage, I checked.

There's also yousch.com, who may be worth a look.

Partnering cuts down your profits a little but for peace of minds sake it's good.

MagicSean · 31-12-2012 2:48pm

Doctor DooM wrote: »

Doing any of the above is accepting a risk, unless the content is completely your own- including owning game rights- or joining a network that has those rights

Can you explain how doing it with the permission of the content owner is a risk?

Also is Lindsey Sterling on that network?

EDIT: One thing about networks, always read the contract fully.

Doctor DooM · 31-12-2012 3:02pm

MagicSean wrote: »

Can you explain how doing it with the permission of the content owner is a risk?

Also is Lindsey Sterling on that network?

EDIT: One thing about networks, always read the contract fully.

It can still be a bit of a risk if you have the permission of the content owner- if you are unsure they will back up up if you get claimed accidentally. I have had MLG accidentally claim me and they backed down when I pointed it out to them, thankfully. There are also malicious users on youtube who will claim someone elses video to try and get money. This is why having the support proper of the content owner (preferably in the form of a license) is important, as DMCA claims can lead to legal proceedings, and someone saying "yeah sure no prob bud" won't cut much mustard if you go to youtube with it.

The risk is minimal but it is there. I'm just trying to get people to understand that.

Also, do you have permission for everything used? All the music? Are you sure there's no additional rights for the actual writer of the music?

As for free music used, bear in mind music which is usually free is not when you're doing it for profit in general. Usually there's a specific clause about that!

Yes, Lindsey Sterling is on FS, I think.

And yes, you should always read the contract thoroughly!

CrinkElite · 31-12-2012 4:16pm

How much money are ye talking about here? let's say for a video with 10,000 views.

TheChrisD · 31-12-2012 4:42pm

Doctor DooM wrote: »

Now, the obvious network to partner with is Machinima, but, obviously, they're generally filled with the higher end of the gaming market.

Obvious choice, maybe. Very bad choice, hell yes :P

Doctor DooM wrote: »

The network I'm partnered with (fullscreen.net) have a low requirement sub network called creator x. With them, you are safe to do commentated game footage, I checked.

In addition to Creator X (part of Fullscreen, in association with VidStatsX), you could also go with TGN (part of BroadbandTV, heap of muck) or RPM (part of Maker Studios, in association with SocialBlade).

Doctor DooM wrote: »

There's also yeousch.com, who may be worth a look.

Yeousch's requirement are about as high as Machinima, unfortunately

Doctor DooM wrote: »

Partnering cuts down your profits a little but for peace of minds sake it's good.

It only cuts if you were capable of monetising everything to begin with, although there is a very good chance that the CPM you gain from a network is worth more even after the split :pac:

CrinkElite wrote: »

How much money are ye talking about here? let's say for a video with 10,000 views.

The CPM varies completely depending on time of year, location the views are coming from, and also how many of them are mobile views. Also, revenue isn't applied retroactively.

Pixelbastardo · 03-01-2013 4:14am

Thanks for the info Dr.Doom.
Yeah its something to be aware of certainly, some of my vids have been excepted, less then half, and other rejected.
The whole process seems halfassed on youtubes part. The review process that is.. Same types of vids on my Silenthill2 walkthrough allowed and others not and others rejected, or asking for proof of rights.. idk, ima just leave what got excepted alone and keep adding to the channel for now.

Tea_Bag · 03-01-2013 2:42pm

also interested in how much money people can make.

TheChrisD, I understand it's not an easy calculation. how about a rough estimate.

let's say 70% views From US, rest from all over. 20% total from mobile. this time of year.

if that's too difficult, and if you don't mind, how much did you make on you're most recent video, and how much do you make on your best one? be as rough as you like.

AGB_Ghost · 03-01-2013 2:46pm

Tea_Bag wrote: »

also interested in how much money people can make.

TheChrisD, I understand it's not an easy calculation. how about a rough estimate.

let's say 70% views From US, rest from all over. 20% total from mobile. this time of year.

if that's too difficult, and if you don't mind, how much did you make on you're most recent video, and how much do you make on your best one? be as rough as you like.

A big time Machinima Director, who works purely on YouTube with an average view count in the hundred thousands makes a low 6 digit number. Or so Hutch said in his AMA on Reddit.

Doctor DooM · 03-01-2013 3:34pm

Tea_Bag wrote: »

also interested in how much money people can make.

TheChrisD, I understand it's not an easy calculation. how about a rough estimate.

let's say 70% views From US, rest from all over. 20% total from mobile. this time of year.

if that's too difficult, and if you don't mind, how much did you make on you're most recent video, and how much do you make on your best one? be as rough as you like.

Not to pre-empt Chris but most people who've signed a partnership contract are banned from discussing payouts as part of the contract... it's annoying, but it's difficult to find exact details.

AGB_Ghost wrote: »

A big time Machinima Director, who works purely on YouTube with an average view count in the hundred thousands makes a low 6 digit number. Or so Hutch said in his AMA on Reddit.

The amount of people who earn that much, though, is the tiniest fraction of the people partnered on youtube. Hutch himself also said you should never set out to survive off youtube without a back up plan.

I have also heard it can also be quite a difficult job, you spend a lot of time earning that cash. If you set out to make a living and don't love the topic you're making videos about, I think you're doomed to failure.

AGB_Ghost · 03-01-2013 3:40pm

Doctor DooM wrote: »

Not to pre-empt Chris but most people who've signed a partnership contract are banned from discussing payouts as part of the contract... it's annoying, but it's difficult to find exact details.

The amount of people who earn that much, though, is the tiniest fraction of the people partnered on youtube. Hutch himself also said you should never set out to survive off youtube without a back up plan.

I have also heard it can also be quite a difficult job, you spend a lot of time earning that cash. If you set out to make a living and don't love the topic you're making videos about, I think you're doomed to failure.

Very true, I myself know if I get big on YouTube it will NOT become my job. A lot of people when they get big can live off of it but not in the long run of life. Even though I'm getting paid YouTube will always be my hobby, never my job. When you get older, the idea of putting up Videos in your Fourties may not sit right with you, then what? You have no job or fallback plan to go to.

Monetizing walkthroughs on youtube

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