It might seem hard to believe that you can upload a video to YouTube that’s four, six, even 12 hours long … and all it features is the sound of rain. And maybe a looped video of a rainy forest scene or something.
But before publishing my latest video, I looked into this extensively, and guess what? It IS possible. In fact, there are probably hundreds, or more likely thousands, of YouTube channels that are making money right now from this kind of content.
But if you comb through Google search results long enough, you’ll find various claims that YouTube is demonetizing, or removing ad revenue, from channels that upload looped rain and other sound effects.
So what gives?
Do this to earn money with rain videos!
Here’s the trick: You have to actually record your own sounds.
But how can YouTube distinguish the sound of gentle rain that you just grabbed from Epidemic Sound from the sound of gentle rain that someone else recorded with a Tascam DR-05x?
Well, I’m not sure they can. And that’s why a lot of “legitimate” relaxing sounds YouTube channels get caught in the net of YouTube’s automated system that goes around looking for channels that violate their no-reused-content policy.
The reused content policy I refer to is YouTube’s (Google’s) policy that prohibits monetization of channels that are built on downloaded content. And this doesn’t just apply to rain sounds. Lots of channels across different niches get mistakenly flagged for violating this policy, and through YouTube’s appeals process, they can regain their monetization and any lost earnings.
And that is exactly what has happened to numerous channels that supply the masses with authentic, personally recorded sound loops of rain, thunder, waterfalls, vacuum cleaners, you name it.
You can watch the video up above to learn more. See that? This blog is all about driving views and subscribers to my YouTube channel! Hey, at least I’m honest about it. But only subscribe if you’re interested in making money online and/or AI content. That’s the main focus of my channel.
And for the benefit of Google, I’ll paste my video script below.
Did your rain videos on YouTube get demonetized? This might be why!
If you’ve been searching YouTube for ways to make money online, chances are you’ve seen an endless parade of videos claiming that there’s big money in channels that feature rain, waterfalls, ambient sounds, and white noise. The basic idea is this: Use downloaded sounds and video clips to produce very simple but very long looped rain videos that typically run 10-12 hours, upload and repeat again and again, and before you know it, you’ll be making thousands of dollars PER DAY.
- Oh really?
Larry I’m not finished. Get outta here!
(clear throat)
In this video, we’re going to take an objective look at this wildly popular YouTube niche and sort out whether it’s actually still possible to make money with this kind of content. By the time we’re through, you will have a clear picture of whether or not YOU should launch your own relaxation channel, and the answer is not the same for everyone.
- Why are we making this video? It’s not related to AI, and also, it is obviously a load of shit.
Ok for starters, we’re calling it BULLPOOPY, and some YouTube moneymaking “experts” do advise using Midjourney and other AI tools to create this content. But as for the claim that relaxation channels can make thousands of dollars per day, that’s NOT entirely bullpoopy.
– Oh really?
Really!
There are indeed channels in the relaxing sounds niche that are monetized, they have huge subscriber counts, sometimes in the millions, and they get a crazy number of views. And the make money experts all like to point to these big YouTube channels and revenue estimates from social blade as proof that this concept actually works.
- BUT.
But there are some things the make money gurus don’t tell you.
- An important detail they often overlook is that Youtube does not monetize repetitive content. But more importantly for this niche, they also don’t monetize reused content.
That is muy interesante, Larry.
- Stop it, you don’t speak Spanish.
So Larry, can you give us some examples of what might be considered reused content?
- How about anything you download from here, here, here, here, here …
Ok I think we get the point. Downloading media and slapping it together into a 10 hour loop goes against YouTube’s policy, and rightly so. You have to actually create your content if you want ad revenue from YouTube.
- And then there’s Relax Sleep ASMR.
Yeahhh. Relax Sleep ASMR was started in 2015, so it’s been around for a while. And then, out of the blue, it was demonetized, REmonetized, and then demonetized again, and the channel never recovered. That was 2019, and to this day, no revenue.
The owner of this channel revealed all of this in a video that I found through Twitter
- It’s called X now.
Nobody calls it that. Anyway, I tried to get in touch, no response, but the owner of this channel was apparently going out to locations, recording sound and video
- You mean, actually working?
I know, right? This person wasn’t posting looped audio clips from Epidemic Sound. From what I can tell, it was unique content, but YouTube wasn’t having it.
And even though Relax Sleep ASMR didn’t get back in Youtube’s good graces, other ambience channels have. Shaanti, demonetized. Current status, monetized. Same with Randall’s Rest & Relaxation. Same with Immerse in Nature. Same with Stardust Vibes. The “one and only” Lucid TV, however, is still demonetized, so maybe that person was using downloaded sound effects.
- Wait what the hell is that
Watch your mouth please
WHAT THE F—-
So we’ve got an old channel that was demonetized despite posting hours and hours of original sound and video, and other channels that are newer and getting accepted into the YouTube Partner Program which is what we mean when we say “monetization.” And then several other channels lost their money and then got it back. So I think we can draw two conclusions here.
- YouTube is actively looking for channels that violate their repetitive and reused policy, which is not really a secret.
- Recording your own content seems to be the key here. Relax Sleep ASMR, dunno what happened there, but several other channels that do create their own stuff have regained monetized status.
- Before you start another one of your boring monologues, just get to the part people want to know: Should they start a relaxation channel or not?
Okok. As I stated in this video’s very dramatic intro, the answer isn’t the same for everyone.
- I’m doing it for the love of the game. I just love posting long, boring videos of nature. Should I start a channel?
Yes, if that’s what you love and it’s NOT about making money, then absolutely do it.
- I’m doing it for the money, but I’m going to actually work at it. I will record my own sound and video, and I will even sit there in the rain for 10 hours to do it. But it’s all about the money.
OK let’s just clear up one thing. You don’t have to sit there for 10 hours. I’ve seen several channels where they have lots of subscribers and many of their videos are between 1 and 4 hours. So it doesn’t have to be THAT hard.
And there’s nothing wrong with doing it for the money, so no judgement there. So if you’re going to do it the “right” way, then yes start your channel, but you’re still taking a risk. You might post hundreds of videos and not reach the subscriber and watch hour requirements. You might get burned out and give up after 50 videos. [Larry: or 3 videos] You might even just have your application rejected when you apply for monetization.
Also, Larry has some tips on how you can reduce that risk and also gain a bigger following.
- Try to connect with your audience.
- Sprinkle in some short videos where you’re on camera.
- Show your process and how you capture the sound and audio.
- Talk about your life.
- Say how much you love nature, even if you hate it.
- Don’t post the sound of you peeing for 12 hours.
(me) Also, try not to blurt out (I’M DOING IT FOR THE MONEY). These personal videos could save your channel if you mistakenly get flagged for demonetization.
So, as long as you understand these risks and want to take that gamble, then sure. Go for it.
- I’m just looking for easy money. I will get my sound and video clips online, loop a bunch of 10 hour rain videos, and if I make money then great. If I don’t, then I didn’t put in that much work so who cares.
First of all, creating these rain videos isn’t as easy as it sounds, and I know because I tried it last weekend. I was actually going to start my own relaxation channel as an experiment, but after one day of doing it the “easy way,” I realized that there was no way I could keep at it. Looping the videos to be 10 or 12 hours is the easy part. The hard part is waiting. It takes hours to export, the video file is like 100 gb not joking, and it takes hours to upload. It’s honestly a real pain, and you WILL get sick of it really fast. It’s incredibly tedious and boring.
But even if you do shorter relaxing videos and somehow reach the monetization threshold, I’d bet money that YouTube rejects you immediately. If you somehow slip through, it won’t be long before Youtube busts down your door and yells
- YOU’RE DEMONETIZED MOTHERFUCKER
Larry I said Youtube, not Samuel L. Jackson.
So if you’re after easy money and minimal effort, do NOT start a relaxation channel.
- You lazy buffoon.
OK Larry, you don’t have to call them names.
- It’s what I do.
All right, well to recap … yes do it if that’s what you love, do it for the money if you’re willing to put in the work
- But you might still get screwed in the end
Correct, you could still get screwed. And if you’re like me, lazy and just looking for a payday, put your energy into something you actually love doing. I promise you, YOU WILL FAIL if you try to do this the easy way, which isn’t all that easy.
And actually I just got this reply on Reddit today, like literally a few hours ago, from someone who says that he created one of these lazy ambience channels. Here’s what he had to say.
(read it)
So that basically confirms what I’ve already said about how this will go if you try to do it the easy way.
And for the record, I wish this were that easy. If it were, I’d be looping long, crappy rain videos right now. But it’s not, because no matter what other Youtube channels tell you, there is no big money hack that will take you from zero to early retirement without a lot of effort or risk in between.
- Wow, your lifetime of failure has made you so wise
And on that note, I hope you got something out of this video. If so, please comment and let me know if you want to see more content like this, or what you’d like Larry and me to cover in our next episode of Oh Really?
Yes, you can make money with this kind of a channel. But if anyone’s making $1000s of dollars every day, it’s the big channels like Relaxing White Noise. And if you’re just starting out, it gonna be an uphill climb.