YouTube's new subscription service, YouTube Red, has finally launched—but that doesn't mean it has quite shaken off a sense of dubious cynicism from would-be users surrounding the members-only the streaming site. After taking a "strictly business" approach to a sales revenue deal that all YouTube creators were forced to sign, more or less bullying them into it, now creators are worried if they're even going to get paid at all.
The reason? Even though YouTube Red's monthly subscription fee is $9.99, the ad-free streaming service is offering a free month for all new subscribers—and because a lack of monetized ads means no ad revenue (which more or less served as a financial lifeblood for most creators), the fee is presumably their main source of income.
However, the Google-owned company was quick to assuage creators and remedy the situation. In an official release posted on its blog, the team behind YouTube Red stated, "The YouTube you know and love is here to stay." They also addressed the concerns expressed by creators:
"Creators are the lifeblood of YouTube. 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."
As of now, content creators have yet to respond to YouTube Red's statement in any official capacity, but with the last uproar over the revenue share deal, in which a number of partners expressed feeling "coerced" into signing, it's probably the best move for the site to make at this juncture.
Learn more about YouTube Red in the promo below.
Via: The Verge
