The Rumours Are True: YouTube Is Removing Music Deals — Here’s How to Make Your Own And Earn More
Yes, the rumours are true. YouTube has started removing songs from many “music deal” platforms, and we have been hit. No warning, no explanation. All of our music has been removed from the shorts library. We’ll still be paying out to our partners on everything that YouTube pays out to us.
In this article, I’ll explain my opinion on what’s really going on and show you how to create your own music deal that keeps you safe, compliant, and earning.
💭 What’s Actually Going On
Over the past few months, YouTube has quietly removed tracks supplied by various music-deal networks.
Some companies have said they’re just “switching distributors,” but from where we stand, it looks like something bigger is happening — a platform-wide change in how YouTube handles music distribution and monetization.
Our view is that YouTube is tightening control because these networks have essentially opened up a loophole.
By letting creators monetize instantly through third-party systems, they take away some of YouTube’s control over who can (and can’t) earn money and which videos qualify for monetization.
And to be fair, YouTube’s perspective makes sense.
When creators can be monetized through indirect networks, it becomes harder for YouTube to prevent abuse — like spam uploads or stolen content. If YouTube can’t easily see who’s authorized, it’s easier for them to remove everything than to investigate case by case.
💸 What Happened to Our Music
To give you an inside look, here’s what we’ve seen personally:
- Our most recent payout from YouTube was far lower than expected — roughly a tenth of the total views shown in YouTube Studio.
- The RPM (revenue per thousand views) was also much lower than usual.
- Shortly after, our songs were removed from the YouTube Shorts library.
The music still appears in YouTube Music for now, but monetization through Shorts depends on the Shorts library — so this change effectively cuts off a key revenue stream.
As for what will happen to upcoming payouts: we simply don’t know yet.
YouTube payments lag by about two to three months, and the platform hasn’t given any formal explanation. They reserve the right to adjust or withhold payments under their terms, so we’ll only know in time. But rest assured — for all revenue that YouTube does pay out, you will still receive your 50 % share, as always.
UPDATE: Sorry, but our distributor has now removed all of our songs and analytics, and has completely cleared out our payment account, even on songs that had nothing to do with YouTube Shorts, so we will not be getting paid on our existing music deals, and can therefore not pay our partners.
🌍 This Isn’t Just Us
From what we can see, this appears to be happening across the industry — quietly, and without warning.
Even networks that haven’t publicly confirmed issues seem to be affected. We tried to prepare for this by tightening our partner guidelines and vetting creators more strictly, but despite that, our music has still been removed.
So, what now?
🚀 Introducing “Plan B” — Build Your Own Music Deal
Right now, you have two choices:
- Jump to another “music-deal” platform (which might also be removed before your first payout), or
- Create your own music deal — and take control of your content, your revenue, and your future (and we’ll give you the music – for free)
Here’s why option 2 is the smarter move.
🎯 Why Your Own Music Deal Is Safer
When you use music supplied by a deal platform, you’re in the same basket as hundreds of other creators.
Even if you follow YouTube’s rules perfectly, if others misuse that same track — re-uploads, spam, copyright abuse — YouTube can find it easier to remove the entire catalog than to pick out the bad actors.
But if you distribute your own unique music, and you’re the only one using it, then as long as you stay within YouTube’s guidelines, there’s no reason for them to ban or demonetize your content.
So you stay safe — and you keep control – and…
💰 Earn More: Up to 100 % of Your Revenue
Besides being safer, this approach is also more profitable.
Instead of getting 50 % of your earnings through a music-deal split, you’ll earn 85 % – 100 % of the revenue from YouTube.
- 85 % payout = Free plan (no cost to join)
- 100 % payout = Paid plan (optional upgrade)
Either way, you don’t pay out-of-pocket, and you’ll finally be keeping what your content actually earns.
🎁 A Free Song, 100 % Yours
Don’t have your own music yet? No problem.
To thank our creators and help you transition smoothly, we’re giving you a song with full rights, completely free.
That means it’s your track — not royalty-free, not licensed temporarily — fully owned by you.
No one else can claim it or take it away.
⚙️ How It Works
- Sign Up — Click the link below to join our partner distributor (the referral code should already be filled in).
- Get Your Free Song — Tell us your username (email support@musicalrpm.com) so we can confirm that you used our link, and we’ll send your free song.
- Upload Your Song — The distributor will send it to the YouTube Shorts library and YouTube Music on your behalf.
- Use Your Music — Add your own track to your Shorts and videos, and get paid for using your own music.
It’s that simple — and works with YouTube’s current systems.
⏳ Limited-Time Offer
We’re only able to give out a limited number of free tracks, so make sure you sign up soon.
The free-song bonus applies only to creators who register through our referral link.
The distributor is called RouteNote. They are the only distributor who allow free publication to the YouTube Shorts Library and their 85-100% payout is the highest on the market.
IMPORTANT: Email us (support@musicalrpm.com) and send us your RouteNote username after you sign up to get your free song.
🔚 Final Thoughts
YouTube’s crackdown on music deals seems inevitable, but it doesn’t have to end your earning potential.
By creating your own verified distribution, you’ll stay ahead of the curve — compliant, independent, and earning more than ever before.
This isn’t the end of the music-deal era — it’s the beginning of a smarter, fairer one.
Let’s build it together.
👉 [Join Now and Claim Your Free Song →]
IMPORTANT: Email us (support@musicalrpm.com) and send us your RouteNote username after you sign up to get your free song.