YouTube Paid Over $8 Billion to Music Industry in 2024-25, Says Global Head Lyor Cohen
YouTube, the Google-owned video platform, has paid out more than $8 billion to the music industry between July 2024 and June 2025, according to an announcement by Lyor Cohen, the company's global head of music. In an open letter to partners, Cohen described this as a significant milestone, emphasizing how central YouTube has become to the global music economy. He also discussed a series of defining cultural moments that went viral on the platform during this period.
A Year of Landmark Moments for YouTube
Cohen shared detailed data and insights about some of the standout moments for YouTube in the past year. He highlighted that ROSÉ and Bruno Mars opened the Grammy Awards with their song "APT," which accumulated over 2.3 billion views on YouTube. Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance garnered more than 120 million views, a figure Cohen noted is unsurprising given that the artist holds the record for the most music videos with over a billion views—19 in total, more than any artist in history. Additionally, ROSALÍA's performance at the BRIT Awards attracted 4 million views in just two days.
Music Videos Are Alive and Kicking
Cohen pushed back against any narrative suggesting that the music video is dying, even as short-form content like YouTube Shorts dominates the digital landscape. He attributed the continued relevance of music videos to YouTube's "comprehensive visual storytelling ecosystem," which sees billions of logged-in viewers watching music videos on the platform every month.
Addressing Generative AI in Videos
Cohen also addressed the growing use of generative AI in videos, clearly stating YouTube's position on the matter. Echoing remarks made by CEO Neal Mohan, he emphasized that "AI will remain a tool for expression, not a replacement." YouTube recently announced it is developing AI-powered tools to expand storytelling capabilities for artists and creators. At the same time, the platform is strengthening safeguards by upgrading its Content ID system and adding new protections around likeness detection to crack down on low-quality AI-generated content.
Cohen provided an example of AI done right, citing singer Lewis Capaldi's reimagined music video for "Something in the Heavens," created using YouTube's Flow tool in collaboration with Wonder Studios.
Mission for 2026
Looking ahead, Cohen outlined YouTube's mission for 2026: "Help artists and songwriters harness the power of visual storytelling to build their global audiences and lifelong careers. At the same time, help fans cut through the noise and take them on an immersive journey to find the music that soundtracks their life, creating connections that run deep along the way."
