YouTube Shorts is now as popular as TikTok and a long-form video, earnings gateway

YouTube announced that its TikTok rival YouTube Shorts is now watched by over 1.5 billion logged-in users monthly. By comparison, TikTok announced 1 billion monthly users last September and has been projected to pass 1,5 million monthly average users sometime this year,

All of these numbers are self-reported, but even the most skeptical analysis shows an impressive rise in the popularity of YouTube Shorts in the two years since its launch.

Shorts drive long-form content and $$$ on YouTube

YouTube is touting as a key differentiator that, unlike TikTok, Shorts is also a driver of long-form content on YouTube. The company has dubbed the trend “the rise of the multiformat creator.”

TikTok has increased the length of its videos over time to 10 minutes as well as other initiatives like TikTok LIVE that go well beyond short clips.

But many artists already have years of content on YouTube – both official and fan-created – that Shorts can resurface. That alone is a reason for many artists and music marketers to add Shorts to their social mix.

YouTube also has a reputation as a place where creators can make money – something TikTok is pushing hard to replicate. Last year YouTube launched a $100 million Shorts fund that paid creators up to $10,000 per month and has begun testing ads and other additional monetization features for Shorts.

To learn more: YouTube Shorts: Everything you need to know as an artist and Using YouTube Shorts to promote your music

Here’s a video of a YouTube Short created for my recent appearance on the Music Biz Weekly podcast.