Songwriter and producer David Choi joined YouTube in 2006, just months after the platform launched, becoming one of its first musicians to monetize content. Almost two decades later, after amassing over 150 million streams as a creator, he now runs a rights management company, Choi Music, helping creators recover revenue from their content catalogs.

“A common thing about artists and musicians or creatives in general is there’s a big distrust of big corporations when it comes to signing with a record label or big publishing company,” says David, who toured more than 1,000 venues, released five albums, and collaborated with major label artists. “They don’t trust these labels will take care of their catalogs.”

Founded in 2012 as part of David’s longstanding work in the music industry, his Los Angeles-based company specializes in rights management for both video and audio content, serving primarily music publishers, labels, artists, media companies, and songwriters with extensive catalogs. 

The company addresses a key issue David identified through his own creator journey: many creators weren’t receiving fair compensation for their work, not necessarily because the system was inherently broken, but because the companies managing their rights weren’t doing their job properly.

Friends and colleagues in the music industry frequently approached him for assistance with their catalogs, recognizing his ability to translate complex technical systems into actionable insights. “They knew that I could help… they could trust me,” David says. “I didn’t come from the business world; I came from the creator world.”

Understanding YouTube’s Rights Management

At the core of David’s company’s value proposition is its expertise with YouTube’s Content Management System (CMS) and Content ID tools. These systems determine how content is identified, claimed, and monetized across the platform.

“If a music rights holder or someone who created a video gives us permission to protect their songs and their video assets on YouTube specifically, and if someone uses your music or your videos without permission, we can monetize your assets on behalf of the rights holders and protect it,” David explains.

The complexity of these systems creates a barrier for most creators. “We are fortunate as a company because we have a tool that allows us to see all these things. But this tool is not accessible to the masses,” he says. Access to these tools is restricted, partly to prevent abuse; however, this limitation creates a dependency on third-party experts.

The technical nature of the work requires specialized knowledge. As David emphasizes, “It’s the equivalent of adding words to a dictionary. You don’t want to add the wrong definitions to a dictionary because that will mess up the whole ecosystem.”

The Audit Process

David’s process begins with a thorough audit of potential clients’ catalogs to identify revenue leaks. This audit often reveals notable discrepancies between what creators are earning and what they should be earning.

“Most of our clients’ catalogs look terrible when we do the audit,” David explains. “It’s just bad. And they don’t know it, nor do they realize it.”

These audits frequently reveal important revenue opportunities. David shares the example of a client who was earning only $10-20 per month from their catalog with another company. After switching to David’s company, that same catalog generated more than $200 monthly, a tenfold increase with no changes to the content itself.

According to David, such improvements raise serious questions about industry practices. The discrepancy suggests that the previous company was either “not doing their job or they were stealing.”

Transparency as Core Philosophy

Choi Music is committed to transparency, providing clients with clear insights into the status of their content and the revenue generated. This extends to showing the backend data that most companies keep hidden.

“We show our clients the data,” David says of the backend analytics. “Their royalties are held up, and they have no idea the company that they’re working with is doing nothing to address the issues. Some companies may also not be transparent because if they show too much, they’re afraid that their business may not do as well.”

In practical terms, this transparency entails providing clients with detailed reports that show which content is generating revenue, which claims are in dispute, and which potential earnings are being missed. It allows creators to make informed decisions about their intellectual property rather than simply accepting whatever payments come their way.

“Creators in general don’t analyze the data, don’t ask questions, and just collect the paycheck every month thinking, ‘Oh, I guess that’s just what I’m owed,'” David says. “But we say, ‘No, here’s the data.’”

Aligning Incentives with Creators

David’s company operates by taking an administration fee from the revenue they recover for clients. As he explains, “We take  a standard admin fee, but the fee can differ based on factors such as catalog size, revenue, etc.”

His company, in some cases, works on month-to-month agreements rather than long-term contracts. “Most companies in our industry will do one to three-year contracts,” David explains. “We do month to month with some clients, and that keeps us on our toes to make sure that we’re competing with everyone else out there.”

This approach carries risk, as clients could leave after David’s team has done the considerable work of ingesting and enriching their catalogs. However, the creator economy veteran views this as a mechanism for accountability, compelling the company to continually prove its value. 

David reveals that some clients who temporarily left for bigger companies are returning to him: “They either left or gave part of their catalog to a different company, and then they came back. They said, ‘Sorry, David, we’re coming back. They (the other company) didn’t do what they said they were going to do.'”

Payment Practices

Another way David advocates for creators is through prompt payment. While many companies pay two or three months after receiving funds, his company prioritizes quick disbursement.

“We pay our clients monthly. We try to pay as soon as we possibly can,” David explains. YouTube typically pays us on the 21st of each month, and Choi Music processes those payments, paying clients before the end of the month.

“I know what it’s like to have to wait for money, especially if you have to pay your bills and you’re relying on it,” David says, drawing from his creator experience. “We try to do it as accurately and as soon as possible.”

Balancing Growth with Quality Service

As his company continues to expand, David faces the challenge of scaling while maintaining the personal touch that distinguishes his business. This tension between growth and service quality reflects a broader consideration in the creator economy: how to build lasting businesses without sacrificing creator interests.

David’s solution is measured, thoughtful growth. “We’re not trying to do everything we can to grow as quickly as possible,” he explains. “I think we’re trying to grow at a pace that we can manage and that feels right, where we can provide the best service compared to any other company out there.”

This approach also extends to client selection. While his company works with individual creators, it focuses primarily on B2B relationships and considers catalog size when taking on new clients. 

Creator Needs in an AI-Driven Future

With the rise of artificial intelligence, David sees both challenges and opportunities for creator rights. “The more AI music that gets pumped into the industry, the less there will be for human songwriters,” he acknowledges.

Rather than resisting this shift, David advocates for adaptation and emphasizes the unique value of human creativity. “AI, the development of AI will make humans even more valuable. And the things that we do as humans will make us more valuable and will make us more human,” he predicts. “Actually, AI is going to make humans more human, in my opinion.”

For David, what makes human creativity invaluable is the genuine nature of experience. “One thing that AI cannot ever reproduce is human stories. Real human stories from an actual human. You can create AI stories that sound like a human, but it’s not a real person.”

David’s case demonstrates how firsthand experience as a creator can become an advantage when building businesses that serve the creator economy. His understanding of both creative work and business operations allows his company to address needs that larger, less creator-centric companies might overlook.

“My ultimate goal is to get songwriters paid through clear and transparent accounting,” David concludes.

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