YouTube Shorts has always had a similar structure to TikTiok’s videos – namely, the ability to clip audio samples from other videos on the platform. However, Shorts users could previously only clip audio from other Shorts or songs in the YouTube music library. Now, YouTube plans to expand the clipping feature to give Shorts users the ability to clip audio from any video on YouTube.
The new feature was first announced in March 2021 in a community support post. Recently, YouTube revealed it has plans to release the feature in the coming weeks.
How the new YouTube Shorts feature works
In the YouTube app, a new “Create” button will be below the video’s like and dislike button. To sample an audio clip from the video, you’ll tap the button. The Verge reports that YouTube Shorts content will link back to the original video. This is good, since it will theoretically drive more traffic to the source’s video, helping the audio source’s creator.
YouTube creators can opt out if they want
If a creator doesn’t want their video’s audio clipped, they can opt out of the feature. However, they will have to opt out each video individually. As YouTube rolls out the feature, the platform has automatically turned on the feature for all videos on the platform. So, unless you manually opt out, your video’s audio can be clipped.
The potential problems
YouTube houses a lot of content. Many of the videos are for entertainment purposes. However, there are a lot of videos that cover sensitive topics, and some of the videos are very personal to creators. There’s a possibility people will clip these videos in a way to mock the creator, or use their content in a way that it wasn’t intended for. While creators can opt out of having their videos clipped for YouTube Shorts, they could be either unaware their videos are potentially open for clipping or just not very active on YouTube. Either way, since it’s opt out rather than opt in, there’s a potential for misuse.
YouTube told The Verge it’s working on an opt out option that should allow creators to opt all their videos out. Until then, creators should be aware of this new feature for YouTube Shorts and determine whether or not they want their content to be a part of it.
Image courtesy: YouTube