YouTube Shorts now in 100 countries

Google’s answer to TikTok, YouTube Shorts is rolling in beta across the more than 100 countries where YouTube is available.

“With over 2 billion monthly users, our label and publishing partners see the massive potential in Shorts for artists to expand their audience reach and engage directly with their global fanbases,” YouTube said in a statement

“With this exciting new service, creators and fans will be able to directly express their ingenuity and passions by interacting with Universal Music’s artists and music they love — while this partnership ensures our artists are fairly compensated for the use of music in these short-form videos,” said Michael Nash, EVP of Digital Strategy at Universal Music Group

“YouTube Shorts is the next big frontier of a fast-growing platform that is centered on connecting artists and fans, around the love of music.,” said Lyor Cohen, YouTube Global Head of Music. “I’m excited to watch the creativity of the YouTube community remix old favorites into new ones while discovering new music from artists they will undoubtedly end up loving.”

Bruce Houghton is Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank and serves as a Senior Advisor to Bandsintown which acquired both publications in 2019. He is Founder and President of the Skyline Artists Agency and an online professor for the Berklee College Of Music.