I’m faintly put out. Google have a new clever-dick system on YouTube that analyses your videos and compares them to reference recordings to try to determine whether you’ve uploaded something copyright. Now, all I upload are videos of me playing guitar. Some of those are cover versions, true, but I’m certainly not uploading other people’s music videos or songs or whatever.
Imagine then my annoyance when into my inbox popped a notice that my latest video might be copyrighted material O_o And then another. Further annoyance followed when they stuck popup ads onto those two videos 
I suppose that google has to pay royalties to the songwriters’ wossname – just like a radio station or a bar or something. And I suppose it’s fair enough they would want then to get a bit of money from videos for which they might have to pay said royalties. But I hate having ads on my videos.
So that’s really the point of this little ramble: the ads aren’t my fault, and I do apologise dreadfully for their presence. 
Popularity: 2% [?]
Apparently, the way it works, is when you get a certain number of views you become a youtube partner which gives you a bunch of extra tools including the ability to remove or post ads onto things which infringe your copyrights, or even just to swap out the audio for someones video. So my flatmate tells me. Who works for someone who has just become a youtube partner.
Anyway, fairs fair. Covers are still copyright material. If you played them live at a venue you’d submit your setlist to APRA so the appropriate songwriters could be paid, why should youtube be any different?
If you are playing other peoples stuff for your own income then paying the copyright charges seems fair. However if you are just playing it in a public forum without getting paid then surely it’s like me wearing a coca cola or metallica emblazoned tshirt – just free advertising for them or worse example – like me whistling Eleanor Rigby down Queen St on Friday night. Surely no one would charge me for doing so?
I’m not paying anything, but (just like a radio station) YouTube has to. They do make money from “broadcasting” or making available all these videos, so as Kristie has said, it’s fair enough that royalties are paid … I just don’t like having ads on my videos
In fact, thr question of whether or not they’re making money from it is irrelevant; the composers are entitled o their royalties … I just don’t like having ads on my videos