Just noticed a "matched third party content" against a couple of my seasons entries. Is this something I should be concerned about?
Should I acknowledge?
Can I avoid it by not putting song title in video?
Anything else I should know?
Matched third party content is nothing to worry about. It simply means that someone, usually via an automated process, is claiming their copyright on the song either for themselves or, more usually on behalf of someone else.
Click on the link and it will tell you what your options are.
You have two courses of action. You can either acknowledge or dispute. If it is a recent song with a known author/composer, simply check "acknowledge" and that will be it. You may find that there are some ads when your video is played. That's nothing to worry about, it's simply one way in which Google can pay the royalties to the copyright holder.
If you are sure that it's either a song of your own or it's out of copyright and in the public domain, you can dispute when you will be taken to a page where you can explain the grounds for your disputing the claim.
I quite often get matched third party content notices on traditional songs. I challenge those and normally the claim is withdrawn. I did once have the dispute rejected and although I was pretty sure I was right, I decided to take the song down as I didn't feel I had strong enough evidence to further challenge, especially as the outcome of a failed appeal on a rejected dispute was a takedown notice and a black mark against your name. I am working on another version of that song where I will have the necessary evidence if the claim arises again.
A lot of people seem to think that avoiding the title of the song in the title of the video or putting in a "fair use" disclaimer will avoid problems with copyright claims. Personally I don't believe it has any effect whatsoever. The automated "bots" they use will pick up the song anyway. I'm from the UK and we don't have a fair use clause in our copyright act, so there's no use in a fair use disclaimer. By the sound of it you're from Australia so I don't know about your copyright act but even if the Australian copyright legislation has a "fair use" clause I doubt it will have much effect.
Mostly, I think copyright owners of songs don't mind their songs being recorded and put on You Tube. It gives them free exposure. I always think it's a courtesy to acknowledge the writers of the song in some way, in your video or in the description underneath. There are a few, however who are awkward - or their agents are on their behalf and will insist on take down notices, but they are the minority. Most don't seem to mind but would like some royalties.