Problem
An MCN claims commission on revenue from videos published before joining the network
Solution
Root Cause / Diagnostic:
Vaguely drafted MCN agreements often define commissionable revenue across all channel AdSense earnings generated during the contract term, regardless of when the underlying videos were produced. Under this predatory structure, the network extracts an immediate cut from the creator's historical back-catalog of evergreen videos without having contributed any production or promotional value.
Actionable Fix:
1. Redline the MCN agreement to insert an explicit "Catalog Carve-Out" provision exempting all videos published prior to the contract effective date from network revenue share.
2. Require the network to provide a formal monthly revenue accounting report separating catalog back-revenues from newly produced video revenues.
3. Dispute any retroactive commission withholdings formally in writing and demand immediate payment adjustment under threat of contract termination for material breach.
Pro Tip:
Never grant an MCN access to revenue generated by your existing catalog; restrict network commissions exclusively to videos produced and published during the active term of the agreement.
Vaguely drafted MCN agreements often define commissionable revenue across all channel AdSense earnings generated during the contract term, regardless of when the underlying videos were produced. Under this predatory structure, the network extracts an immediate cut from the creator's historical back-catalog of evergreen videos without having contributed any production or promotional value.
Actionable Fix:
1. Redline the MCN agreement to insert an explicit "Catalog Carve-Out" provision exempting all videos published prior to the contract effective date from network revenue share.
2. Require the network to provide a formal monthly revenue accounting report separating catalog back-revenues from newly produced video revenues.
3. Dispute any retroactive commission withholdings formally in writing and demand immediate payment adjustment under threat of contract termination for material breach.
Pro Tip:
Never grant an MCN access to revenue generated by your existing catalog; restrict network commissions exclusively to videos produced and published during the active term of the agreement.