If you go to the front page of this section the title of the thread you want is "Can You Monetize Your Video?" Only forum members with VIP Membership can post links; I haven't bought VIP this month yet.
Pewdepie may well have purchased licenses for what he is using; he is said to be the first "YouTube Millionaire" after all. And the key here may also be that he sprinkles "little snippets" throughout face cam videos; what you want to do by contrast, is a full compilation with no original content of your own creation included. Even the music you want to use was created by someone else.
The other day, I posted the YouTube Help take on Fair Use; looks like I need to do it again.
"In the United States, fair use is determined by a judge, who analyzes how each of the four factors of fair use applies to a specific case.
1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
Courts typically focus on whether the use is “transformative.” That is, whether it adds new expression or meaning to the original, or whether it merely copies from the original. Commercial uses are less likely to be considered fair, though it’s possible to monetize a video and still take advantage of the fair use defense.
2. The nature of the copyrighted work
Using material from primarily factual works is more likely to be fair than using purely fictional works.
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
Borrowing small bits of material from an original work is more likely to be considered fair use than borrowing large portions. However, even a small taking may weigh against fair use in some situations if it constitutes the “heart” of the work.
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work
Uses that harm the copyright owner’s ability to profit from his or her original work are less likely to be fair uses. Courts have sometimes made an exception under this factor in cases involving parodies."
Your compilations would have the best of the original works as the heart of the new work. So by Rule number 3, Fair Use would probably not apply, even though you are not using the entire piece, but its best moments or the heart of the original as the heart of your new one.
