Beat marketplace Airbit collects $2.5m from YouTube

The figure is expected to grow by 230% by end of the year, compared to the $1.8m that was collected in 2020. The platform says it generated the revenue for producers from more than 4 billion views.

Airbit says it is the only beat marketplace that has a direct relationship with YouTube, and gives producers access to a key revenue stream by adding their work to YouTube’s Content ID system. It aims to find every potential source of revenue for producers and foster a sustainable ecosystem for them.

“YouTube is a beats search engine, and producers need to make sure their work is monetised there, where billions of views are happening,” Airbit chief operating officer Judah Wiedre said. “Without this, they are leaving significant money on the table. We’re on target to earn around $10m dollars this year for producers from publishing and Content ID. Money from sources like YouTube is growing fast and it’s making a difference in producers’ lives.”

Producer and Airbits user Ryini Beats said: “Before, artists would often forget to credit me, or sometimes they downloaded the beat and would forget entirely that I produced it. Now with Airbit’s YouTube monetisation, they get an official reminder of who the producer is and they can decide to purchase the beat if they want to monetise their YouTube video”.

Meanwhile, Airbit in May launched a curated playlist to promote producers. The playlist showcases producers’ beats and sounds, and aim to help them reach more artists on and off the beat marketplace.