YouTube Shorts Update
Key Changes (Effective October 15th)
- Upload Duration: Now possible to upload YouTube Shorts up to three minutes.
- Vertical videos between 60 seconds and 3 minutes posted before this date will remain as long-form content.
- Horizontal videos, regardless of length, remain unaffected and are considered standard YouTube videos.
Community Feedback
- Mixed reactions from the audience about the update.
- Concerns about its impact on:
- Discovery
- Music usage
- Monetization
Music Usage
- Shorts up to 60 seconds:
- No change; can utilize any popular song from the shorts audio library.
- Shorts over 60 seconds:
- Use of popular songs not possible.
- Non-compliance leads to the video being non-playable, non-recommended, and non-monetizable.
- Allowed to use songs from YouTube's audio library (access via YouTube Studio > Audio Library).
- Browse royalty-free music without copyright issues.
- Other royalty-free music sites are also permitted.
Search and Discovery
- Shorts discovery system remains unchanged.
- Longer shorts will appear across various sections like home, watch next, and shorts tab.
- No inherent advantage in creating longer shorts.
- Provides more space to narrate stories.
- Performance and discoverability depend on video quality.
Monetization
- No difference in ad revenue between longer and shorter shorts.
- Earnings based on shorts views, not watch time.
- Example: A 3-minute short with 2 minutes watch time earns the same as a 60-second short with equivalent views.
- Main change: Extended content length allows for more elaborate storytelling.
Conclusion
- Discoverability and monetization largely remain unchanged.
- Music policy adjusted slightly for longer videos.
- Audience invited to comment on the update.
- Encouragement to keep creating content.
Additional Resources
- A suggestion to watch a related video about new updates for smaller channels.
Note: Feedback is encouraged in the comments section for further discussion on the update's impact.