Airbit, an online hub and marketplace for beatmakers, has collected and distributed more than $2.5 million (1.8m GBP) in YouTube-generated revenue to producers for the first half of 2021, an amount that it projects to grow 230% year over year from the $1.8 million (1.3m GMP) collected in 2020.
In the first six months of 2021 alone, Airbit helped producers monetise more than 4 billion views.
Airbit states that it is the only beats marketplace to have a direct relationship with YouTube, which means more money going straight to producers. By adding producers’ work to YouTube’s ContentID system, Airbit allows producers to unlock yet another key revenue stream.
“YouTube is a beats search engine, and producers need to make sure their work is monetised there, where billions of views are happening,” explained Judah Wiedre, COO of Airbit. “Without this, they are leaving significant money on the table.”
“Airbit has helped me have fewer copyright claims on my YouTube channel and ensures I get credited. Before, artists would often forget to credit me, or sometimes they downloaded the beat and would forget entirely that I produced it. Now with Airbit’s YouTube Monetisation, they get an official reminder who the producer is and they can decide to purchase the beat if they want to monetise their YouTube video,” said producer Ryini Beats.
“It also helps the artists we work with. Now that we are in control of the Content ID, we can easily remove a claim for any artist who leases a beat from us.”
Airbit strives to find every potential source of revenue for producers. The goal is to help them build a viable and satisfying independent career and to foster a sustainable ecosystem for producers, the too often unsung creative heroes of hip hop, pop, and RnB.
“We’re on target to earn around $10 million dollars (7.2m GBP) this year for producers from publishing and ContentID alone,” said Wiedre.
“Money from sources like YouTube is growing fast, and it’s making a difference in producers’ lives.”
Producers point to Airbit’s speedy payouts and consolidated collections from one source as reasons they signed up for Airbit’s YouTube monetisation.
“According to my experience of six months, Airbit provides the fastest service,” Sachin, another Airbit producer, noted. “Before, I had to collect Content ID from three companies, and payment was received after two months.”
“I signed up to Airbit's YouTube Monetisation program purely as an experiment. Airbit has been collecting royalties on my behalf ever since, and their system is incredibly easy to use,” added producer Oskrr.
“It has made a massive difference to me financially and has allowed me the freedom to focus on making music that I love, full-time.”