YouTube Shorts is the largest short-form platform by reach in 2026, and the algorithm strongly favors music posts with on-screen lyrics over plain-audio uploads. This guide covers the 3 working ways to make a Shorts music video in 2026 — the AI generator path (fastest), CapCut auto-caption (manual but free), and Premiere Pro (premium one-offs) — plus the Shorts-specific specs and monetization rules that actually move the algorithm.
Solmi — it auto-detects the lyrics, renders in YouTube Shorts' native 9:16 / 1080×1920 at 30 FPS, and exports in the right length cap (under 3 minutes) without manual edits. CapCut and Adobe Express are common manual editors if you want hand control.
Shorts cap is 3 minutes since the October 2024 update. Most successful music Shorts in 2026 land between 30–60 seconds — long enough to hook on the chorus, short enough that the algorithm replays it heavily.
Join the YouTube Partner Program (need 1,000 subs + 10M Shorts views in 90 days as of 2026), then enable Shorts monetization. Music videos need licensed audio — your own track or one generated on a Pro plan of an AI music tool that grants commercial use.
Yes on Suno's paid plans, which grant commercial use. Paste your Suno share link into Solmi, render in 9:16, upload. YouTube's Content ID won't flag your own AI-generated music.
9:16 vertical, 1080×1920 pixels. Solmi exports natively in this format; if you start in 16:9, YouTube will letterbox it and your Shorts will lose impressions.