YouTube released a modified eraser tool on July 4th. Its purpose is to facilitate the management of copyright problems among creators. This tool allows them to remove copyrighted music from their videos and leave unchanged audio components like dialogue or sound effects. YouTube made this improvement to make editing easier and minimize copyright claims’ influence on creators’ content.
The announcement by YouTube Chief Neal Mohan
YouTube Chief Neal Mohan took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce the release of the updated Erase Song tool. He expressed excitement about the new feature, stating, “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).” Mohan provided a link for creators to learn more about the tool and its capabilities.
Development and Features of the Tool
Initial Testing and Improvements
According to YouTube, in a video released alongside the announcement, the eraser tool has been tested for quite some time now. The first versions of this tool were not very accurate: they would often erase copyrighted music and other audio components. This is why the latest version uses an AI-powered algorithm, making it more precise. This algorithm finds precisely within the clip where a song is protected by copyright and deletes everything around it, leaving the rest of the sounds intact.
AI-Powered Algorithm
The AI-driven algorithm is a breakthrough for YouTube that allows more complex audio processing. This feature will enable creators to preserve video quality while deleting copyrighted songs. It primarily benefits those relying heavily on dialogue, sound effects, or other non-musical audio elements necessary for their content.
Support Page Warning and Limitations
Despite the improvements, YouTube’s support page cautions that the algorithm might not always succeed in removing only the song. The support page states, “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 the claimed segments.”
This warning highlights the complexities of audio editing and the limitations of current technology. While the updated tool represents a significant step forward, there are still scenarios where additional editing may be required to address copyright claims fully.
Alternative Options for Creators
YouTube offers several alternative options for creators who encounter difficulties with the eraser tool:
Muting All Sound in Claimed Segments
Creators can choose to mute all sound in the segments of their videos that contain copyrighted material. This option ensures the copyrighted content is not audible, thereby addressing the copyright claim. However, this approach may also remove other important audio elements from the affected segments.
Trimming Out Claimed Segments
To still have a video you can upload, you could edit out the parts of the video with copyrighted music. Cutting out the video segments where copyrighted material is used will keep everything together and help with quality.
Content ID Claims and Resolution
When a creator fixes their video to resolve a copyright claim, YouTube removes the content ID claim. Content ID is YouTube’s system for identifying and managing copyrighted content across the platform. By using the new eraser tool or other editing options, creators can ensure their videos follow copyright rules and stay up for their viewers.
Summary
What YouTube did with its Erase Song feature is another big step forward in helping creators deal with copyright on their platform. Powered by AI technology, this tool was designed to be more accurate and easy to use when removing copyrighted music from videos without affecting other audio elements. The usefulness of this tool may be limited, but it does offer some valuable features for creators who want to address copyright claims while keeping high-quality content.
