YouTube is eliminating a major pain point for content creators, paving the way for them to be able to monetize videos containing licensed music.

Content creators have had to tiptoe around licensed music for years. Even something as simple as showing off video gameplay often requires creators to mute the audio to avoid running afoul of licensing issues.

YouTube is working on a solution, dubbed Creator Music, that will allow creators to buy licensed music for use in their videos. Creators will also be able to monetize those videos. Best of all, creators will have a choice whether to pay upfront or split revenue from their videos with the artist behind the music.

We’re introducing Creator Music, a new destination in YouTube Studio that gives YouTube creators easy access to an ever-growing catalog of music for use in their long-form videos. Creators can now buy affordable, high-quality music licenses that offer them full monetizing potential—they will keep the same revenue share they’d usually make on videos without any music.

And for creators who don’t want to buy a license up front, they’ll be able to use songs and share revenue with the track’s artist and associated rights holders. Creator Music, currently in beta in the US and expanding to more countries in 2023, will offer a streamlined process for creators—they’ll be able to instantly see the terms for their song selection.

The new feature will be a welcome improvement for content creators, giving them more freedom and flexibility than they have previously enjoyed.