Navigating YouTube Monetization Delays: Royalty-Free Music, Stupeflix, and Flagged Videos

Hey everyone! I know it’s been a while since my last post, but I wanted to address a few questions I’ve been getting about YouTube monetization.

Monetization is a huge benefit, and it really encourages everyday creators to share interesting parts of their lives with the world.

Smooth Sailing for Video, Friction for Slideshows

Most of my YouTube uploads so far have been standard videos. I’ve had zero issues monetizing them—they get approved almost instantly.

However, I’ve run into a few roadblocks when creating photo slideshows.

To make slideshows more engaging, I add royalty-free background music. There are plenty of sites offering royalty-free tracks, both free and paid. One site I’ve found particularly helpful is Musopen (musopen.org).

The Copyright Review Bottleneck

The issue? Every single slideshow I’ve uploaded with background music has been flagged for manual review by YouTube.

Once flagged, YouTube sends an email requesting details about the track, where it was sourced, and a direct link to the usage license. As many other creators have pointed out, YouTube is notoriously slow when reviewing these flagged uploads.

I don’t completely blame YouTube. I understand they’re protecting both themselves and creators from potential copyright infringement lawsuits.

Still, there has to be a more efficient system.

Testing Stupeflix for Faster Approvals

A few days ago, a friend recommended Stupeflix (stupeflix.com).

It operates similarly to Windows Movie Maker, but offers built-in stock music tracks. It even features a cool robotic text-to-speech voice generator. While Stupeflix isn't owned by Google, they seem to have a business partnership or integration in place.

I assumed that using Stupeflix's licensed stock library would allow me to bypass YouTube’s monetization delays.

I was wrong.

While Stupeflix is user-friendly and fun to work with, my slideshow using their provided audio was still flagged for manual review. It has been a day, and the video remains pending.

This is especially frustrating because Stupeflix is a paid service. While it isn't expensive—starting at $5/month or $29/year—it feels redundant when Windows Movie Maker is completely free.

Looking Ahead

I’m not giving up on Stupeflix just yet; they might just be ironing out integration kinks.

I also expect YouTube to speed up its review process over time. The platform was undoubtedly overwhelmed with submissions when they opened monetization to everyone.

In the meantime, all we can do is submit our licensing documentation, wait, and hope for quick approvals!

I ONLY DATE MODELS (For Single Guys)

Chasing Viral Success: From Times Square Models to Toilet Bowl Sailboat Races

Chasing Viral Success: From Times Square Models to Toilet Bowl Sailboat Races

A few posts ago, I wrote about my most popular YouTube video to date.

It was totally unplanned. I had just exited the subway in Times Square, NYC, when the entire scene basically unfolded right before my eyes.

The Accidental Viral Hit

A light rain began to fall when, suddenly, a ridiculously tall model ran past me wearing a bikini.

It took me a moment to figure out what was happening. It turned out she was part of a photo shoot and couldn't get her hair and makeup wet. Despite wearing sky-high heels, she bolted past me to take cover under nearby scaffolding.

I was shocked when that quick clip started racking up hits on YouTube.

That success sparked an idea: why not purposely try to create a viral video? I convinced myself it couldn't be that hard if my effortless video had attracted so much attention.

Brainstorming the Next Big Idea

Racking my brain for concepts, I drew inspiration from the America's Cup World Series sailboat races. They were taking place in Newport, Rhode Island, and drawing a massive amount of media coverage.

I have an odd sense of humor, but every so often, other people find it funny too. And funny content tends to do well on YouTube.

Knowing a bit about the famous yachtsman Sir Thomas Lipton, I decided to shoot a comedic skit using a small model sailboat I had lying around the house.

My initial plan was to film at a local lake, but I quickly scrapped that idea when I realized the logistics were too complicated. Shooting on a basic Sony Cyber-shot camera meant keeping things as simple as possible.

An Unconventional Film Set

Thinking, thinking, thinking... then it hit me like a freight train.

I was in the bathroom, of all places, staring down at the water in the toilet bowl. The blue drop-in cleaner I used had turned the water a brilliant, vivid blue.

It was perfect! I would use the toilet bowl as a makeshift ocean.

To set the scene, I leaned a painting of a sailboat against the toilet tank and placed the model yacht right in the bowl. For an extra touch, I arranged a few tiny toy ships along the toilet seat. It actually looked surprisingly good!

I wrote a completely absurd script. Putting on my best Sir Thomas Lipton voice, I shouted dramatic yachting commands while slipping in a few historical facts for good measure.

The Verdict So Far

So far, the video is far from viral. It has a grand total of six views—though, to be fair, one of those viewers was all the way in Australia!

I've learned that some videos take time to build up steam, while others take off immediately. Hopefully, this one is just a late bloomer.

Check it out and enjoy!

The Day a Bikini-Clad Model Sprinted Past Me in Times Square

After YouTube expanded its monetization program to everyone, I made a conscious effort to start creating and posting good content.

I had absolutely no experience editing or posting videos. However, I figured my travels would naturally give me plenty of organic material to work with.

So far, I’ve had some decent success posting videos of airplane takeoffs and landings, especially in more exotic locations.

But my most successful video happened completely by accident.

I had just stepped off the subway in Times Square and was walking uptown when a light drizzle began to fall.

I don't mind the rain, so I didn't think much of it. Plus, I was completely preoccupied listening to my iPod.

Suddenly, a shockingly tall woman in a bikini sprinted right past me.

Naturally, this caught my attention. It’s not every day you see a woman over six feet tall dashing through Midtown in swimwear.

Strangely enough, she was running alongside a guy wearing a full tuxedo and sunglasses.

As it turned out, a professional photoshoot was underway right behind me. The model was running to escape the sudden downpour.

As she flew past, I could see her hair and makeup were completely flawless. She had clearly spent hours in a stylist's chair to look that way.

If her makeup got ruined by the rain, it would likely destroy the entire day's shoot.

With the YouTube monetization program fresh in my mind, I quickly whipped out my digital camera and started recording.

By this point, the model was ahead of me, booking it toward the shelter of a nearby construction scaffolding.

Once she reached the dry sanctuary, she found herself trapped in front of the massive crowds of Times Square.

Many of them were out-of-town tourists who were absolutely thrilled to see a real model in the flesh.

Everyone began snapping photos of the model and her tuxedo-clad sidekick. The duo just stood there uncomfortably, completely stranded by the weather.

That night, I uploaded the clip to YouTube and went to bed.

The next morning, I was shocked to find it already had 84 views!

While the traffic has leveled off since then, it remains my most popular upload—and a "viral" success compared to the rest of my channel.

The experience really reinforced my view that the most successful content on YouTube is often completely random and unplanned.

Believe me, whenever I'm walking the streets of NYC now, my eyes are always peeled for the next accidental hit.

Enjoy the video!