I have the option, among others, of either "Allow Remixing" or "Do Not Allow Remixing" on uploads to YouTube.
I'd be grateful please for some informed comment as to the the significance or otherwise of this,

Ron

Assignment of rights complexity. The current system has trouble with certain genres of music. If you release a track nowadays, one question is "does this release feature samples?" - if you say yes, some distributors won't touch it, others then ask about if you have the necessary permissions.

I don't know for certain why this is, but I expect it's simply to do with them paying the right people. If your track is 3:00 and 30 seconds of it is samples from a single individual, or group, or record company - then a sixth of the income should go to them? Maybe, but somebody has to decide the amount, check it, make sure the sample is actually clearable? Imagine a sample of the Eagles Hotel California? Youtube checks for rights and takes your money, or removes the audio, or bans the entire thing at the moment. How about that sample? If their system IDs they can do something, but if the hotel california sample is short or burried, and they don't notice, but the Eagles fans do, then it would be messy. Some distributors process covers, but some just don't. Some just don't submit to download sites like Apple and Amazon and stop there.

Remixes, samples and mashups would be an admin nightmare.

A belated "thank you" Paul. What I had in mind, was "allow remixing" of video content. I don't understand what this means or rather entails. Can someone simply extract some video from one's YT upload and go off and use it themselves?

Ron

Hi Ron, Long time....! Basically yes they can. You sign away most of your rights when you sign up to YouTube, that's why you see so many TV programs on cats or animals doing silly stuff or car crash stuff with YouTube clips that have been uploaded without credit to the uploader. 'Allow re-mixing' lets others grab parts of your video or audio and use it in their own 'Shorts' creations BUT if they do, there is a link back to the original person's YouTube channel who uploaded the video or audio. See YT info here: https://www.google.com/search?q=youtube+allow+remixing&oq=youtube+allow+remixing&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQRRhAMgYIAhBFGDwyBggDEEUYPDIGCAQQRRg80gEJMTAwNTVqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I think (but aren't certain) that the Youtube system is like Shazam - when you use music, it's checked against the database, and if you allow remixing, when other people use your track as a basis or 'feature' - they don't get a warning. If you say no remixing and they use your music, their track will flag up yours and if you have an Adsense account and are monitized then their use generates money for you? I can't think what else they'd use it for?