YouTube has spent years building YouTube Shorts and its creator program. Now it will give creators an option to monetize content earlier.

Executives at the company’s Made on YouTube event, live and virtual, on Tuesday announced updates to its YouTube Partner Program, which now includes monetizing Shorts.

“Creators are the heart of YouTube,” said Neal Mohan, CPO at YouTube. “I’m reminded of that every time I meet with creators and see they change lives and transform culture.”

In early 2023, YouTube creators can apply to become part of the platform’s revenue-sharing program if they have at least 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views in 90 days. YouTube Partner Program participants will receive revenue sharing and the 10 ways creators can make money on the platform. They also will have an option to earn money earlier in the process.

There are more than 30 billion views from 1.5 billion logged-in users monthly, he said.

Mohan also announced revenue sharing for Shorts and a new way to license music for their videos and still get paid for their video views under the ad-revenue sharing program.

Ads for shorts are different from long-form video, he said. They are not attached to specific videos or run between videos.

Every month, YouTube will combine all Shorts ads, and the money will go to payout Shorts creators and cover the cost of music licensing.

From the share of money allocated to creators, creators will keep 45%. Each is paid on their share of total Shorts view. The revenue share remains the same, even if they use music, Mohan said.

“Creators no longer need to chase down music rights just to use the music they love,” he said.

 YouTube also introduced Creator Music, a destination in YouTube Studio that gives YouTube creators access to a catalog of music for use in their long-form videos.

For creators who do not want to buy a license up front, they will have an option to use songs and share revenue with the track’s artist and associated rights holders.

YouTube has spent years building YouTube Shorts and its creator program. Now it will give creators an option to monetize content earlier. Executives at the company’s Made on YouTube event, live and virtual, on Tuesday announced updates to its YouTube Partner Program, which now includes monetizing Shorts.