# YouTube ? Right time & place, and I got it all on video **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 18, 2014, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014 "2014-03-18T18:05:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/41 "2014-03-19T22:19:31Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Don’t ask a question if you’re going to get mad when people don’t tell you exactly what you want to hear. > > (BTW, I can’t see anyone paying all that much for a video of the Queen twerking, if that’s what your video is like. At least not like you’re talking about.) I believe I posted in **General Questions** , where\*\* factual answers\*\* are to be found, and not absurd ones, or people dropping in with one liners instead of answering the question. Am I mistaken about that Guin? Does it not say **General Guestions** on your screen too? What I wanted to hear, and what some people were kind enough to offer, were answers to my original question and not absurd suggestions dealing with things I never said. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/42 "2014-03-19T22:56:06Z")
WooHoo! Cat fight! ETA: oK, I’m back and ready to video this. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/43 "2014-03-20T07:23:34Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > That looks bad. By “wasted” I mean enjoyed myself instead of doing whatever I was supposed to be doing.😃 Thanks - it’s always nice to hear that people are enjoying my stuff. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/44 "2014-03-20T10:52:43Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Create a Youtube account, upload the video, select ‘monetize’. I think it’s actually as simple as that nowadays. If it’s so easy to do, why doesn’t everybody click on monetize for everything they post on Youtube? What’s the downside? (no snark or anything implied. I had no idea that it was possible to make money on youtube–I just assumed it was all public domain, and the advertising income all went to Google. ) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/45 "2014-03-20T12:01:42Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > What’s the downside? More ads > [@](#): > > (no snark or anything implied. I had no idea that it was possible to make money on youtube–I just assumed it was all public domain, and the advertising income all went to Google. ) Nothing you post on youtube is in the public domain. People often treat it that way but you still have the copyright on things you create. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/46 "2014-03-20T13:04:44Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > If it’s so easy to do, why doesn’t everybody click on monetize for everything they post on Youtube? > > What’s the downside? > (no snark or anything implied. I had no idea that it was possible to make money on youtube–I just assumed it was all public domain, and the advertising income all went to Google. ) Not sure. I think a significant proportion of videos on YouTube will never get more than a few dozen views, so they’re not worth anything, but it seems like many mid range YouTubers just don’t know about the revenue possibilities, or can’t be bothered. Mine makes me about $100 a month on average now, even if I do nothing - that’s with about 4000 subscribers. Not sure how many views per month in total. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/47 "2014-03-20T14:06:07Z")
> [@LurkerInNJ](#): > > I believe I posted in **General Questions** , where\*\* factual answers\*\* are to be found, and not absurd ones, or people dropping in with one liners instead of answering the question. > > Am I mistaken about that Guin? Does it not say **General Guestions** on your screen too? > > What I wanted to hear, and what some people were kind enough to offer, were answers to my original question and not absurd suggestions dealing with things I never said. Your veiled pleas to mod intervention aside… What you actually did was post an OP that consisted of three paragraphs of bragging about your kewl video and justifying your attempts to make money off of someone else and _ **one** _ paragraph asking your question. You then went on the describe your intention to do this anonymously and wanting to make your money before YouTube. If you didn’t want posters to comment on these aspects of your OP you shouldn’t have included them. Watch how easy it is: “How do I upload a video to YouTube and monetize the account?” Easy peasy. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/48 "2014-03-20T14:21:53Z")
> [@LurkerInNJ](#): > > What I wanted to hear, and what some people were kind enough to offer, were answers to my original question and not absurd suggestions dealing with things I never said. Your question was answered in post #4. The rest of the thread has consisted of you getting amusingly angry and people watching the spectacle. The average cpm for a youtube video is somewhere around $7.60 and a new account with no history and no subscribers is not going to net that. If the video isn’t timely, then you could upload some cat videos or something to establish your account and try to get some subscribers but really, if you want youtube to make you money, you have to work at it. To get good ad rates you need subscribers and lots of likes and favorites. To get those you need to get recognized as a regular provider of quality content. I’m not saying you can’t do this, but I think to really make it pay out will require more work. Also, if the video is short, and you make people watch a pre-roll, they’ll get cranky. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/49 "2014-03-20T14:43:39Z")
I wonder if it would be better to approach a site like TMZ to see if they’ll pay you for it? ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/50 "2014-03-20T15:58:50Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Nothing you post on youtube is in the public domain. People often treat it that way but you still have the copyright on things you create. How does this work legally? Let’s discuss 2 situations, which are similar : posting here at the Dope, and posting on youtube. Suppose I write an original song for my girlfriend’s birthday. 1.I post the lyrics here in MPSIMS. I assume that I have put it those lyrics in the public domain. Am I wrong? 1. At the birthday party, I take my guitar and sing the song to her. Then I post the video of me singing my original song on Youtube . You say that I retain rights to it. What’s the difference? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/51 "2014-03-20T16:18:02Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > How does this work legally? > Let’s discuss 2 situations, which are similar : posting here at the Dope, and posting on youtube. > > Suppose I write an original song for my girlfriend’s birthday. > 1.I post the lyrics here in MPSIMS. > I assume that I have put it those lyrics in the public domain. Am I wrong? You’ve published them on the board, and thus grant the SD certain rights on using and re-publishing your work, but you’re still the owner of the original rights. They are not in the Public Domain in terms of rights (they’re in view of the public, but that’s not the same thing at all). > [@](#): > > 1. At the birthday party, I take my guitar and sing the song to her. Then I post the video of me singing my original song on Youtube . > You say that I retain rights to it. > > What’s the difference? Same as above - if you’re the rights owner and some random Joe copies your original work, you have the potential capacity to take legal action against that person. Such rights aren’t automatically enforced - and in practice, if some big giant corporation decides to steal your song and release it, their lawyers might well crush yours underfoot, just because they have more resources for that sort of a fight. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/52 "2014-03-20T16:18:51Z")
> [@awldune](#): > > I wonder if it would be better to approach a site like TMZ to see if they’ll pay you for it? That would be my approach. If it really is as interesting a video as the OP says it is, it should fetch much more than $500. For example, see [here](http://www.aolnews.com/2009/07/23/how-much-did-websites-pay-for-video-of-lebron-getting-dunked-on/) how much a cellphone video of LeBron James getting dunked on fetched. (TMZ paid $3000 for it; eBaumNation paid $5000 for their version of it, and Gawker was going to go as high as $10K for it, and [BetUS](http://www.betus.com.pa/sports-betting/pr/sports_news/betus-offers-50000-for-the-lebron-dunk-tape/) supposedly offered up to $50K for it.) ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/53 "2014-03-20T16:20:54Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Suppose I write an original song for my girlfriend’s birthday. > 1.I post the lyrics here in MPSIMS. > I assume that I have put it those lyrics in the public domain. Am I wrong? Yes. If you came up with it, you own the copyright, that is the right to determine how and when copies can be made. Because of the ToS you agreed to when you signed up on the Dope, you’ve ceded some control to them, after all, technically they need copyright permission in order to post what you wrote so that everyone could see it. But they also could take your posts as part of a book or whatever. But, I, Joe Schmoe, seeing your lyrics in MPSIMS, could not take them without your permission and record a hit single on my next album. Well, I could but you (and I think, the Chicago Reader) would be able to sue me for copyright infringement. If you don’t care and you’re the only one with an interest in the copyright status of the lyrics, then I guess they’re in a quasi-public domain. And there are a number of different levels of copyright. You could post them under a creative commons license, for example and depending on which CC license you use, relinquish various rights to the material. The CC most people think of is the attributive one where anyone can pretty much do anything with your stuff, as long as they attribute the original material to you. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/54 "2014-03-20T16:39:20Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > That would be my approach. If it really is as interesting a video as the OP says it is, it should fetch much more than $500. For example, see [here](http://www.aolnews.com/2009/07/23/how-much-did-websites-pay-for-video-of-lebron-getting-dunked-on/) how much a cellphone video of LeBron James getting dunked on fetched. (TMZ paid $3000 for it; eBaumNation paid $5000 for their version of it, and Gawker was going to go as high as $10K for it, and [BetUS](http://www.betus.com.pa/sports-betting/pr/sports_news/betus-offers-50000-for-the-lebron-dunk-tape/) supposedly offered up to $50K for it.) Concur - if it’s a moderately awesome a video, that’s probably a faster way to make money than on YouTube. From my own experience (which is probably a fairly decent metric - because I’m not a big fish like Smosh or PewDiePie - they are probably getting much better CPM than me), a million views gets you maybe $2000. If you (OP) are really sure the video has massive viral potential, then selling it outright might be like killing the golden goose, but is that really what you’ve got? If it’s just a celeb doing a little dance for you at your request, then it’s probably not going to take the world by storm. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/55 "2014-03-20T16:48:19Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Suppose I write an original song for my girlfriend’s birthday. > 1.I post the lyrics here in MPSIMS. > I assume that I have put it those lyrics in the public domain. Am I wrong? You are wrong. You have copyright on anything creative you write down. In this case, posting the lyrics in a public place doesn’t mean you give up your copyright, anymore than putting the lyrics in an album liner notes does. Anyone can listen to your song but technically they can’t write them on MPSIMS because they don’t have the rights to copy them. This is why the Mods will prevent you from quoting entire song lyrics in the thread. > [@](#): > > 1. At the birthday party, I take my guitar and sing the song to her. Then I post the video of me singing my original song on Youtube . > You say that I retain rights to it. > > What’s the difference? There isn’t, because you haven’t given up copyright in either place. I’m not going to venture into the world of performance rights since that adds another wrinkle to things. From here: [Frequently Asked Questions | U.S. Copyright Office](http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/) > [@](#): > > When is my work protected? > Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device. ETA - others beat me to the punch. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/56 "2014-03-20T18:36:35Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Concur - if it’s a moderately awesome a video, that’s probably a faster way to make money than on YouTube. While people overestimate the value of a lot of stuff, they also severely underestimate what exclusive photos and videos of celebrities can go for, if they are truly interesting. A friend/colleague of mine shot Eva Longoria and Tony Parker’s wedding. OK! magazine paid $2 million for the rights to publish those images. (I don’t know exactly what his deal was, as the sale went through the Parkers, AFAIK, and there were plenty of NDAs involved in the contract. I assume he was well-compensated to keep the photos under wraps, but I’ve never asked.) So, it’s worth keeping that in mind. If it’s truly an interesting video of a celebrity, $500 is nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/57 "2014-03-20T18:51:13Z")
If it was [Rep. John Lewis dancing to “Happy,”](http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/this-video-of-rep-john-lewis-dancing-to-happy-is-the-best-th) Buzzfeed got there first. This I might have paid for. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/58 "2014-03-22T02:51:51Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Since it’s the video that’s going to make you money and not a description of it why don’t you just tell us what it is? I’m still waiting for the OP’s answer to this pertinent question. mmm ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/59 "2014-03-22T04:00:33Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I’m still waiting for the OP’s answer to this pertinent question. > mmm We all are. For some reason, he seems to feel that telling us the topic would somehow damage the value of the video, although. I haven’t figured that part out. Or, maybe he’s afraid that he will be identified and his anonymity on this board will be gone, for whatever that’s worth to him. I would think thst telling us would only pique our interest to see it, or at least he could measure what kind of interest people might have for his video. And as far as finding out his real name, he could hide that easy enough. He wouldn’t have to identify himself on youtube publicly. So his name would be kept private from the SDMB. Only YouTube would need his name so they would know who to make the big checks out to. His unwillingness to share the video’s topic just makes no sense to me. Maybe it would if I saw the video, but to describe it and not show it to us would not really ruin his chances of hitting it big, unless of course we knew the person he has on his camera and could go up and ask them to duplicate the behavior for us and beat him to youtube or something. Since I highly doubt that any of us are rubbing elboys with this uber-celebrity/global personality, I think he’s safe. But who knows? ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-right-time-place-and-i-got-it-all-on-video/684014/60 "2014-03-22T05:35:15Z")
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