YouTube Shares Ad Revenue With Musicians, But Does It Add Up?

YouTube is well-known for videos, but a recent Nielsen study revealed 64 percent of teens and young adults go to it to listen to and discover music. The free website, which is owned by Google, has set up advertising deals to help musicians get compensated. But it’s not clear how they’re getting paid — or how much.

It’s a safe bet that many of San Francisco State University’s 25,000 students are music fans. Zachariah Bargouti says if there’s an Internet connection — even on the subway — there’s YouTube.

“It even works under the Transbay Tube,” he says, talking about the portion of the BART that runs underneath San Francisco Bay. “I still have 3G and I can usually listen to something on YouTube.”