As a system integrator, I, Tak@, face complex systems every day. I feel that the YouTube Shorts video format is a kind of digital alchemy that quantifies a creator's "time" and "talent" and directly transforms them into "value."

The "New Normal" of Generating Revenue with YouTube Shorts

The Path to the YouTube Partner Program

If you're aiming to monetize with YouTube Shorts, the first major goal is to join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). To join this program, you need to meet several conditions, and there are specific conditions for Shorts videos.

The conditions are over 1,000 subscribers on your channel and over 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days.

This might be a surprising number for some of you.

10 million views is a very ambitious number, like a big company's KPI, even from my perspective as a system developer. However, this is by no means an impossible number. YouTube Shorts has the potential to create an unexpected huge wave due to its ease of use and viral nature.

Because the videos are short, they are easy for many people to watch repeatedly, and once a video catches on, it's not a dream to record an explosive number of views.

When you join YPP, you can receive a portion of the ad revenue from videos that appear in the YouTube Shorts feed. This will be a great motivation for creators to continue producing high-quality content.

I myself feel that the satisfaction of creating something that helps someone and is also appreciated is priceless, along with the fun of creating.

The Truth About View Counts: Changes after March 31, 2025

There is big news that the way YouTube Shorts view counts are calculated will change after March 31, 2025. Until now, a certain amount of playback time was required to be counted as a view, but after this change, the number of times a Shorts video is started will be counted as a view.

YouTube explains that this will allow creators to more accurately understand the performance of their Shorts videos.

However, this change will not directly affect YPP eligibility or ad revenue sharing for Shorts videos. This is because these conditions will continue to be determined based on the "engaged views" metric.

"Engaged views" is a metric that follows the traditional view count concept, and it indicates the number of times a viewer watches a video without interruption. In other words, it is a higher-quality metric that measures not just whether a video was played, but how much it captured the viewer's heart and attention.

From an SIer's perspective, this can be seen as a move to distinguish between a system's "usage frequency" and "usage depth," and to emphasize the true value brought about by user behavior, not just superficial access numbers.

What does this change mean for creators?

It means that it will be more important than ever not just to increase the number of views, but to attract viewers and keep them on the video. Does your video have the kind of appeal that makes viewers stop scrolling?

Grasping Performance with Numbers! How to Use YouTube Analytics

Deeply Understanding Viewer Behavior with "Engaged Views"

YouTube Analytics is a powerful tool for creators to deeply understand the performance of their content. For Shorts videos in particular, the use of "engaged views" is key.

Get started with YouTube Analytics

Even after March 31, 2025, this metric, which is the basis for YPP eligibility and revenue sharing, will show how much a viewer has "engaged" with your video, or "participated" in it.

Just as I, an SIer, analyze system logs, YouTube Analytics provides you with a "log" of your videos.

You can grasp detailed data, such as which videos are getting a lot of engaged views, at what moment viewers are leaving, and what kind of audience is watching your videos.

This makes it possible to implement improvement measures based on specific data, not just a subjective evaluation like "this video is funny."

For example, if the average watch time for your Shorts videos is short, the "hook" that grabs the viewer's heart in the first few seconds might be weak. Or, if the viewer retention rate drops sharply in a specific segment, you can suspect that there is an issue with the content or editing of that part.

In this way, I believe that by deciphering the analytics data, you can get clues to find the direction for your next creative work.

Using Data to Unravel the "Why" of Shorts Videos

YouTube Analytics not only shows you "what happened," but also gives you hints to the question of "why it happened."

For example, if a specific Shorts video suddenly gets a lot of views, what was the reason behind it? Was it because you used a trendy song? Or was it because it attracted viewers' interest with an unexpected angle? Analytics data can help you test such hypotheses.

Analytics also allows you to check the traffic from "related videos," which shows how your Shorts videos are contributing to other content (e.g., your long-form videos or live streams).

This is very important data for knowing if your Shorts videos are functioning as a "gateway" to bring new viewers to your channel.

By checking if viewers are smoothly moving from your Shorts videos to your long-form videos and optimizing the related video settings if necessary, you can accelerate the growth of your entire channel.

Avoiding Copyright Troubles: The Content ID System and How to Deal with It

The Content ID Mechanism: A World of Automatic Video Scanning

YouTube is a place where creators can publish content with peace of mind, and at the same time, it has built an advanced system to protect the rights of copyright owners. At the center of this is "Content ID," an automated content identification system.

How Content ID works

I think of it as a "fingerprint database" of content stored in a huge data center.

Copyright owners submit their audio or video files to YouTube, and their "digital fingerprints" are registered in the Content ID database. Then, all videos uploaded to YouTube are automatically scanned against this database, and any matching content is instantly identified.

This scan has the precision to recognize not just video and audio matches, but even melodies. From my experience in developing Wav file analysis software in the past, I am impressed by the technical depth of this system.

Content ID is a tool primarily available to copyright owners who frequently upload content and have exclusive rights to it, such as major media companies and record labels.

For example, if you post a Shorts video using a popular artist's song without permission, Content ID will detect it and send a notification to the copyright owner.

What to Do If You Get a Copyright "Claim"? 3 Options

If your Shorts video receives a Content ID claim, the copyright owner can choose one of the following three actions for that video.

1. "Block" the video so it cannot be watched: This is the most severe measure, and the video will become unwatchable in certain regions or worldwide. In particular, if there is a valid Content ID claim on a Shorts video that is longer than 1 minute, that video will be blocked worldwide and will not be eligible for monetization.
2. "Monetize" the video with ads and share the revenue: The copyright owner can choose to place ads on your video and share a portion of the revenue with you. Many copyright owners choose this monetization option, and in fact, billions of dollars in revenue have been brought to content owners through Content ID. This can be said to be a mechanism to build a win-win relationship that allows creators to reuse content in fan videos, etc., while also securing legitimate revenue.
3. "Track" statistical information about the video's viewers: The copyright owner can track detailed data (analytics) about the viewers of your video. This is a means of gathering information to understand how their content is being consumed and to help with future strategy planning.

These measures may be limited to specific regions. For example, it is possible to set a video to be monetized in one country and blocked in another.

If you feel that a claim has been made in error, you can file a dispute. During the dispute, any revenue generated from the video will be held separately and paid to the appropriate party after a resolution.

I myself sometimes insist "this is not a bug, it's a feature!" when developing systems, but YouTube also has a process for resolving disputes that involve such complex judgments.

"Wisdom" to Avoid Copyright Troubles

To prevent copyright troubles and create YouTube Shorts with peace of mind, there are several important points.

First, Content ID is only available to copyright owners who have exclusive rights to large amounts of content that are frequently uploaded to YouTube.

Music works such as mashups, best-of compilations, remixes, gameplay videos, music or videos used without permission, or content for which you have permission but not exclusive rights, are often not eligible for Content ID.

This is because it is difficult to prove exclusive rights when the copyright extends to multiple parties.

When using music in your Shorts videos, it is highly recommended to use the royalty-free music provided in the YouTube Audio Library. Music from the Audio Library will not receive Content ID claims.

This allows you to safely monetize your Shorts videos.

If you do receive a Content ID claim, you may be able to resolve it by editing the video.

You have the option to cut the claimed segment from the video, replace the song with another one from the YouTube Audio Library if the claim is on audio, or mute the song.

However, after June 2025, once you save an edit, you cannot revert it, so careful work is required.

In addition to Content ID, YouTube provides a variety of copyright management tools to meet the needs of creators.

• Copyright Infringement Takedown Webform: If you find a video that infringes on your copyright, any user with a YouTube account can use this to send a takedown notice and ask YouTube to remove the content. This is said to be the fastest and easiest method.
• Copyright Match Tool: This tool automatically detects videos that are the same as or very similar to a video you have uploaded to YouTube. For the detected videos, you can send an email to the user who uploaded it, request a takedown, or archive the match. It uses the same matching technology as Content ID but is easier to use.
• Enterprise Copyright Match Tool: This is for companies that manage a large amount of copyrights. In addition to the automatic detection function, it has a function to search for content suspected of copyright infringement and request the removal of multiple videos at once.

By using these tools appropriately, creators can protect their own content and manage copyright risks.

Misuse (such as submitting false information) can lead to account suspension or legal issues, so it is important to understand exceptions to copyright protection, such as fair use and fair dealing, and to always make legitimate claims.

The "New Expressions" of YouTube Shorts Brought by AI

Dream Track: Original Sound Created by AI

The evolution of YouTube Shorts does not stop. The progress of AI technology is bringing new possibilities for expression to creators. "Dream Track" is one of the prime examples.

Create AI-generated soundtrack in Shorts with Dream Track

This is an experimental tool that allows you to use AI to generate instrumental music from text prompts. It's like a "dream composer" where AI takes a vague musical image in your head and turns it into a concrete form.

Currently, this feature is only available to some creators in the US, but the generated soundtracks can be remixed by users worldwide and incorporated into their own Shorts videos.

AI-generated soundtracks will display a "Created with Dream Track" text label, clearly indicating their origin. This mechanism of maintaining transparency for AI-generated content is appealing to SIers like me who value data privacy.

I feel that this feature is groundbreaking in that it allows creators without music production knowledge or skills to easily create an original soundtrack that is perfect for their Shorts video.

The text prompts are limited to English and have a length limit (50 characters in the YouTube app, 85 characters in the YouTube Create app), but how creative you are with your instructions within these constraints will be the key to creating interesting music.

You might be concerned that copyright issues will become more complex as AI becomes involved in content generation, but content generated with Dream Track also needs to comply with YouTube's Community Guidelines, and efforts are being made to remove any violating material.

In addition, the monetization policy is clearly defined, and it is noteworthy that new creative possibilities and the rules that support them coexist.

Dream Screen: Generating Backgrounds and Videos with AI

The creative power of AI is not limited to music. "Dream Screen" is an experimental AI-generation feature that allows you to generate original images and videos based on text-based prompts and add them as backgrounds for Shorts videos or as standalone 6-second video clips.

Create content for Shorts using AI-generated features

By tapping "Green Screen" from the Shorts camera and selecting Dream Screen, you can enter your idea and choose a style, and AI will present you with multiple images. The generated images can be used for filming as still images or as moving images.

For example, you can appear on the cover of your favorite book or create an anime-style opening, allowing you to fully exercise your imagination. I feel that this feature, where AI materializes visual elements as if you were shaping an idea with code, has great potential.

However, there are, of course, points to be careful about with AI-generated content. Content generated with Dream Screen also needs to comply with YouTube's Community Guidelines.

YouTube's AI tools have built-in safety protections and are designed to prevent creators from generating prompts that violate policies or creating images that look like real photos of identifiable individuals, which could be misused for harmful content such as deepfakes.

AI can sometimes make mistakes, and the correct result is not always obtained.

Therefore, YouTube recommends that creators carefully check all AI-generated content before publishing it. This suggests that the final responsibility lies with the creator themselves, just as an SIer rigorously tests a system before deploying it to a production environment.

AI and Privacy: What Creators Should Know

When using YouTube's AI features (Dream Screen, Dream Track, posts, AI stickers, etc.), how does Google handle user data? This is a very important privacy concern for creators.

Google may collect prompts and outputs from YouTube's AI features, data shared by users (such as images and videos), related content, and feedback for the purpose of providing, improving, and developing services.

This is to improve the accuracy of AI models and help with the development of new features. Your creative input becomes the foundation for future AI features.

You can check and delete your past AI feature activity in "My Activity." Prompts and outputs not associated with a Google Account are saved for up to 3 years, and if they are associated with a Google Account, they are saved for up to 18 months (different retention periods apply to data collected before May 8, 2025).

It is particularly noteworthy that human reviewers may review prompts, outputs, and related content for quality validation and product improvement.

To protect privacy in this process, measures are taken to de-associate prompts and outputs from the Google Account before reviewers see them.

Nevertheless, the warning not to enter confidential information (or any other data you don't want reviewers to see) into prompts is very important. When developing systems, this is the part I am most careful about when handling users' confidential data. The same caution is required when interacting with AI.

YouTube is constantly testing new experimental features, and this limited testing is intended to conduct proper research and development for future iterations of the product.

Creators need to understand that the availability of AI tools may vary by country and language, and that they are responsible for ensuring that their use of AI tools does not violate the terms of service, community guidelines, or copyright and privacy rights.

In an era of co-creation with AI, I believe that creators are required to have the sense of balance to maximize the benefits of technology while fulfilling their own responsibilities.

Deepening Bonds with Viewers with "Remix" and "Related Videos"

Interactive Communication with "Shorts for Comment Replies"

The appeal of YouTube Shorts is not limited to just posting short videos. It is also full of features to deepen interactive communication with viewers. One of them is the "Shorts for comment replies" feature.

Reply to comments with your YouTube Shorts

With this feature, you can reply directly to comments posted on your channel with a Shorts video.

It's as if the text exchange in the comment section is elevated to the rich expression of a video. The Shorts video created as a reply is notified to the commenter and displayed below the original comment in the comment feed.

From my perspective as an SIer, this is like a "mashup" of real-time communication and asynchronous content creation, and it's very interesting in terms of how the system can enhance user engagement.

By answering viewers' questions in a video, responding to requests, or expressing your honest reactions to comments in a short video, you can directly convey the creator's personality and enthusiasm that is difficult to convey with text alone.

This will surely make the bond with viewers deeper and stronger.

Creating a Shorts for comment reply is easy. You can reply directly from the comment section or open the Shorts camera and add the comment as a sticker.

In the video you create, you can freely change the position and size of the comment sticker, and you can also use creative features such as text and filters.

A Clever Strategy to "Repurpose" Existing Content

YouTube Shorts is not only a way to create new content but also a powerful means to reactivate your existing content. The "remix" feature is a prime example of this.

Create YouTube Shorts with remixed content

You can take a part of another creator's video or music and incorporate it into your own Shorts video to create an original work.

The sound source or video used for the remix will be credited with a link on the sound library page or in the YouTube Shorts player, which can also be an opportunity for new viewers to discover your content.

The ability to remix music video content is particularly noteworthy. A variety of remix methods are offered, such as using the green screen feature to use a music video as a background for a Shorts video, cutting a 1- to 5-second video segment to use, or sampling up to 60 seconds of audio (30 seconds for some licenses).

It's like assembling "parts" of existing content to create a new "product."

Furthermore, you can also create a new Shorts video from your own uploaded long-form videos. Unlike remixing, this feature is only available to the creator who produced the original long-form video.

You can select a portion of the video that is 60 seconds or less and edit it as a Shorts video. This allows you to re-organize excellent past content as Shorts videos and deliver it to the vast audience of YouTube Shorts.

The Shorts video created in this way is also linked to the original video, so it also serves as a "path" to guide viewers from the Shorts video to your long-form videos.

In addition, with the "related video" feature, you can add a link to your other YouTube videos, Shorts videos, or live streams after uploading a Shorts video.

This allows viewers to smoothly move to other content on your channel, increasing the possibility of increasing watch time and subscribers. I feel that this feature is a very effective tool for thinking about the overall content strategy of a channel.

Remix Permissions to Protect Your Content

On the YouTube platform, creators' content is remixable by default. This is to stimulate creative activity across YouTube and has the potential to expand reach to new viewers.

However, some creators may want to restrict their content from being remixed.

Currently, only partners with access to YouTube Studio Content Manager can restrict remixes of their content. Partners can choose whether to allow remixes for individual videos, and they can also disable all remix creation from their managed content in the overall Content Manager settings.

If this setting is turned off, all existing remixes will also be muted.

If the original content used in a remix is restricted, edited, or deleted, what kind of impact will it have on your remixed video?

• For audio remixes: First, the remixed audio will be muted and the video will be set to unlisted. Then, 30 days after the original video's creator deletes the work or restricts remixing, your remixed video will be scheduled for deletion. This change will be notified by email, so it is possible to download the video without audio before it is deleted and re-upload it with a different audio.
• For video remixes: If the original video is deleted or its use is restricted, your video remix will also be deleted. You will also be notified by email in this case.

This is like the dependency of an IT system, where if one part of the system stops, another system that depends on it is also affected. I feel that creators need to consider the rights of the original content and the possibility of future changes when using it as a remix.

YouTube provides a variety of tools and policies for creators to protect and manage their own content. By understanding and properly utilizing these mechanisms, you will be able to confidently and freely share your "voice" in the vast creative sea of YouTube Shorts.

Conclusion

From my perspective as a system integrator, the world of YouTube Shorts is a truly unpredictable giant system. AI composes music, generates backgrounds, and even makes it possible to reply to comments with videos.

On the other hand, behind the scenes, an advanced copyright management system called Content ID scans a huge amount of content every day, protecting the rights of creators and the health of the platform.

And it is view counts and analytics that measure the "results" of that system. The change in the view count calculation method on March 31, 2025, is not just a change in numbers; I feel that it suggests a shift in the focus of evaluation from "how many people were reached" to "how deeply people's hearts were moved."

The transition from quantity to quality is a theme that cannot be avoided in modern digital content.

Does your Shorts video not just go viral, but also deeply resonate with viewers and create "engaged views" that make them want to watch it again and again?

By welcoming AI as a powerful "development partner," understanding the "contract" of copyright, and deciphering the "dashboard" of analytics, you should be able to create new value with YouTube Shorts.

Now, why don't you ride this wave of change and open up new possibilities with YouTube Shorts? I wholeheartedly support your challenge to give shape to your ideas in this magnificent digital ecosystem.

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