How to Replace Music in YouTube Video

In this blog post, I will walk you through the step-by-step process involved in How to Replace Music in a YouTube Video using the built-in Video Editor in YouTube Studio.

The built-in YouTube video editor is a basic editor, however, it can come very handy when you need to edit a video that you’ve already uploaded to your YouTube channel.

 This can be especially helpful if you’ve got a copyright claim on your video and need to change or replace the music and release your video from the copyright claim.

Bear in mind that I’m using the web version of YouTube Studio and I’m not sure if this feature is available yet in the Android or iOS YouTube Studio apps.

If you prefer following video instructions, I've created a step-by-step video in which I walk you through the whole process. You can check the video below. Further down this blog post, you will also find written instructions on how to do the same.

To access the built-in YouTube video editor, go into Edit mode for the specific video. Once you do so, you will see a link to the YouTube video editor (in the left side panel) if you're using the web version of YouTube.

 
To add music from the YouTube Audio Library, click on the audio button in the top-left panel where you see several video editing tools. This will open the YouTube Audio Library, you can then hover your mouse, over a specific song/music track and click the ADD button.

This will add the song/music track to your current audio track in the timeline. The newly added song/music track can be moved, by dragging along the timeline. You will also see a button on the newly added song/music track that looks like 3 sliders. This button allows you to adjust the mic level (volume) using the slider.

If you move it to the extreme left position, it will maintain your current audio, while also adding the newly added song/music track. If you move it to the extreme right position, it will replace the original audio.

So you can adjust the level accordingly, based on your needs. You can preview the changes before you save them. You can also revert back to the original video, if you do not like the changes you’ve made.

Hope this tutorial helped. If you can check my other YouTube Help tutorials. If you still have further question or concerns, please feel free to use the comments section below. Thanks for stopping by!

CREDITS: Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission | Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are trademarks, or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries | Logos and screenshots used with permission from respective owners | Other company names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

How to Replace Copyrighted Music in YouTube

If you create video content on YouTube via your YouTube channel you must already know about copyright claims and copyright infringement.

If you're new and don't know the basics on copyright infringement, I would highly recommend you take the time to learn at least the basics.

Essentially, the Copyright Act protects the ownership and usage rights for creative works including works of art and written books, as well as other types of media.

Copyright is the legal and exclusive right to copy, or permit to be copied, some specific work of art. A variety of content can be protected by copyright, including books, songs, films, artwork, etc.

YouTube has an automated system in place called as Content Id which helps content creators and owners identify other YouTube videos that include content they own. A content ID claim is different from a Copyright Takedown notice. A content ID claim doesn't result in a copyright strike, but a copyright takedown notice does.

I create original content on YouTube, which include images, graphics, video footage, music, etc. Sometimes I use music that is specifically licensed to use, even for commercial purposes. However, in the past, whenever I've used licensed music from third-parties, I've experienced copyright claims, both Content ID as well as copyright takedown notices.

In every case, I've been able to produce a license and the copyright claim was released. However, based on my experience on YouTube, I've sometimes received multiple copyright claims on the same video from different sources. This caused a lot of frustration and waste of my precious time because I would have to constantly dispute copyright claims.

So when YouTube launched the YouTube Audio Library I started using music exclusively from this library because its copyright-free and can be used even on monetized videos. Since then it's been smooth sailing.

However, recently, I got copyright claim from a Content ID match on an old video that I had uploaded in 2012. I was surprised because I do have a license to use the music. Anyway, this time I decided to replace the music instead of disputing the claim.

In this video tutorial below, I walk you through the process step-by-step on How to Replace Copyrighted Music in a YouTube Video. It's a fairly simple process which is done directly within YouTube. And you can replace the music by using a copyright-free audio track from the YouTube Audio Library.

On the flip side, I've had many of my YouTube videos stolen by bad actors on YouTube and uploaded to their channels without my permission. Previously, I had to manually search on YouTube and then file a copyright takedown notice.

However, since YouTube introduced the new Copyright Match Tool, it's saved me a lot of time and frustration. The Copyright Match Tool is a blessing because it automatically identifies content that has been used by other channel owners. All the infringing videos are listed down and copyright takedown notices can be filed within the tool itself.

I've created a separate blog post covering this in more detail, but you can check this video on how the Copyright Match Tool works.

Hope you found this YouTube help article useful. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section. Thanks for stopping by!

CREDITS: Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission | Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are trademarks, or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries | Logos and screenshots used with permission from respective owners | Other company names may be trademarks of their respective owners.