In the last YouTube Diaries post, I discussed how companies leverage YouTube’s Content ID to siphon ad revenue from creators who may not have the knowledge or ability to dispute their bogus copyright claims. Though it’s unlikely that the claims are made actively, Content ID incentivizes large companies to simply dump their entire libraries into…

Last week, I shared how my cover of Usher and Alicia Keys’ “My Boo” was blocked in the United States. I took the opportunity both to discuss how YouTube’s “Content ID” algorithms for recognizing copyrighted content worked and to share how you can sometimes apply the Fair Use doctrine to dispute copyright claims made against your…

Last week, I introduced you to how I set up my channel and how it runs up against YouTube’s intellectual property management system, Content ID. I left you on a bit of a cliffhanger, with my cover of Usher and Alicia Keys’ “My Boo” getting banned in the U.S. (but available for revenue sharing everywhere…

For just over a year, I’ve been growing my YouTube channel, which features me playing a collection of American chart toppers, Vietnamese pop classics, and Vietnamese traditional songs on the one-string monochord, “đàn bầu.” The experience has been artistically satisfying, but analytically, the most intriguing aspects have been the insights gained into the nuts-and-bolts of the YouTube…