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YouTube will pay video creators during YouTube Red's free trial

YouTube will pay video creators during YouTube Red's free trial

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YouTube's new subscription service, YouTube Red, launched this week, and content creators are worried it will cost them money. Although the $9.99 monthly fee YouTube is charging users to skip ads will be split with content creators when the service is in full swing, YouTubers are worried they won't get paid during the service's 30-day free trial. The video platform has responded to these fears today, assuring video makers they'll still get paid even when YouTube Red users are riding for free.

revenue will be siphoned off google play music subscribers

"Creators are the lifeblood of YouTube," said the company in a blog post. "So with Google Play Music subscribers instantly joining YouTube Red, we will pay a portion of the revenue we receive from these subscribers to our creators on day 1. Even with 30-day free trials, our creator community will make as much or more as they would have without YouTube Red."

Although it's impossible to say how much potential revenue YouTubers would have lost during YouTube Red's free trial (probably only a very small amount), it seems fair that whatever the sum YouTube should be prepared to help out. The situation is similar to the launch of Apple Music, with the iPhone maker originally planning not to pay artists during the streaming service's three-month free trial until Taylor Swift stepped in and Apple executed a speedy U-turn.