Why it matters: If you're a YouTuber, dealing with copyright claims for music in your videos is probably a major headache. You spend hours crafting the perfect video, only for it to get flagged because you unknowingly used a copyrighted song in the background. Thankfully, YouTube has rolled out a new AI-powered tool to make removing copyrighted audio a breeze.
YouTube's "Erase Song" feature lets users precisely zap copyrighted tunes from their clips while keeping all the other audio intact. YouTube chief Neal Mohan hyped the new tool on X/Twitter, saying it will help easily remove copyright-claimed music from videos while preserving everything else.
The feature has actually been around for a while in beta form, but it hasn't always been on point. The updated version uses advanced AI algorithms to more accurately detect and isolate just the copyrighted music, so your voiceovers, sound effects, and such are untouched.
Good news creators: our updated Erase Song tool helps you easily remove copyright-claimed music from your video (while leaving the rest of your audio intact). Learn more… https://t.co/KeWIw3RFeH
– Neal Mohan (@nealmohan) July 3, 2024
If the Erase Song tool somehow can't quite nail the removal, YouTube gives you the option to just mute the audio for any flagged segments containing copyrighted material.
"This edit might not work if the song is hard to remove. If this tool doesn't successfully remove the claim on a video, you can try other editing options, such as muting all sound in the claimed segments, or trimming out the claimed segments," the company noted on its support page.
It's not ideal, but it beats losing your whole video to a claim.
Getting started with the feature is simple. Head to YouTube Studio > Content, filter for Copyright claims, and find the video in question. In the Restrictions column, hover over Copyright and click "See Details." You'll see the specific claim – just click "Select Actions" and choose whether to trim out, replace, or mute the offending audio segment.
For creators, having an easy way to laser out copyrighted tunes from an otherwise perfect final video is great. Of course, the best solution is to avoid using copyrighted music in the first place. But since that's not always possible when shooting on location, editing over existing footage, or just making amateur mistakes, YouTube's new AI eraser provides a handy fix.
The updated Erase Song feature will be available on YouTube Studio desktop and mobile in the coming weeks.