Are you trying to figure out how to stop ReverbNation from posting every song play to your personal Facebook profile? This option seems very elusive ever since ReverbNation’s 2012 redesign. Here’s how to do it:
Finding this feature is more difficult ever since ReverbNation redesigned their website in late 2012. After going through every drop-down option at the top of the page, I realized that there are additional options at the bottom of the page. So after you log into ReverbNation, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page and take a look at the options down there. Under the “Promotion” heading, you’ll see “Social Sync” which you should click. Note that “Social Sync” does NOT appear on the “Promotion” drop-down at the top.
After clicking that option, you’ll be at a screen full of options. You should be at the “Social Sync” tab, and there should be a button labeled “Start Using Social Sync For Free” which you should click.
You’ll want to un-check the option: Automatically post things I do on ReverbNation (Recommended)
You also may have to disconnect your personal profile on this screen as well. You don’t need to have your personal Facebook profile connected in order for your band page to work, so having this connection is unnecessary.
Note that the information above is relevant as of 12/8/2012. It’s possible that ReverbNation may change their interface at any given time, rendering this article obsolete.
Content Match
In a related matter…
Are you a band or artist and received a “content match” copyright notification for a music video you’ve uploaded to YouTube? Here’s what you need to know:
Usually you can just acknowledge the warning and forget about it.
In most cases, the artist has uploaded music to a digital distributor such as CD Baby and opted in to a monetization program. What this means is that the notification you’ve received is a good thing!
Content ID
YouTube has a system in place for checking copyrighted material, called Content ID. This is where they create a music “fingerprint” and every video uploaded is checked against their massive database of music fingerprints to ensure that copyrighted material is duly noted. YouTube does not allow artists to submit music to their Content ID system directly. So if you are an unsigned/independent artist, CD Baby is probably the best route to make sure that whenever your music appears in a YouTube video that you’ll be paid for it. Some artists see this is a good thing, while others see it as a middle man usurping rights to artists’ music. It comes down to preference at that point.
What to do
When you receive one of these “content match” notifications, YouTube wants you to either acknowledge or dispute it. Do not dispute it unless you did not opt in to the CD Baby/Rumblefish deal. Simply acknowledge it and continue on. Any time a video containing your music is played on YouTube, an ad will show and you will be compensated.
The next question is why it shows CD Baby as the copyright holder, and not the artist? This is simply the licensed entity which submitted the music to YouTube’s Content ID system.
If you don’t want to monetize your music on YouTube, log into your CD Baby account and opt out of the Rumblefish/monetization part. Some artists opted in so long ago that they forgot about ever doing it.
CD Baby addresses these concerns in their FAQ:
If you login to your YouTube account and see a copyright notice next to your videos– don’t worry! CD Baby has partnered with Rumblefish to collect money for the usage of your music in videos (This includes videos you upload). This notice means the content ID system identified your song and it’s now setup to generate revenue for that video. You don’t need to take action. Neither CD Baby or Rumblefish are claiming ownership of your song.
They further state:
This is your indicator that your music is now ready for monetization on YouTube. DO NOT DISPUTE IT! Whenever your videos (or someone else’s videos that use your music) are played, you’ll earn money from ad revenue.
Is this a Scam?
There have been artists who did not understand the system and complained about CD Baby “stealing” their music. This isn’t the case. CD Baby & Rumblefish hold a non-exclusive license to your music, which allows them to submit it to YouTube’s Content ID on your behalf. Consider:
- You opted in, and you can opt out.
- The monetization process benefits you.
- Yes, they take a cut of the money, but anyone providing such a service would be expected to do so.
- The alternative is to have no protection on your music at all. Imagine a video going viral with your music in it that did not have monetization enabled!
Bottom Line
If you are signed up with CD Baby and you’re seeing a copyright/content ID notification on YouTube, it’s most likely that you opted into this and the system is working. In this case, the notification is a good thing. If you are not affiliated with a such a program, you may look into the YouTube dispute process.
Have you received such a notice on your music? What do you think of the CD Baby/Rumblefish system? Let us hear from you in the comments below?
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
Tumblr
RSS