YouTube now lets users crop, remix music videos for Shorts
YouTube has introduced a Remix feature for its mobile app, allowing users to transform music videos into Shorts. This development follows Universal Music Group's (UMG) decision to remove its artists from TikTok due to financial disagreements. The Remix tool offers four options, allowing you to modify different parameters of a full-length music video, to craft something entirely distinct. The feature is currently accessible on the mobile app, although it may not be available to all users at the moment.
How the remix feature works
To use Remix, users can tap "remix" on a YouTube music video and select: Sound, Green Screen, Cut, or Collab. The Sound tool extracts audio for use in YouTube Shorts, similar to TikTok's popular lip-syncing feature. Green Screen turns video into a background for users to interact with, while Cut clips out a five-second portion of the video to add to a Short. Collab creates side-by-side video with original content, allowing users to showcase their choreography alongside the original artist.
YouTube's access to Universal Music roster
UMG's withdrawal from TikTok has forced creators on the platform to replace music tracks, as anything sourced from Universal is automatically muted. UMG accused TikTok of wanting to pay a "fraction" of rates offered by other social media sites. However, YouTube's Remix tool has access to Universal's entire roster, including artists like Taylor Swift, Drake, and Billie Eilish. This move further solidifies YouTube Shorts as a strong competitor to TikTok.
