Is it safe to use copyrighted music in YouTube Shorts if I credit the artist?

Yeah, that's a super common misconception. Giving credit doesn't automatically give you the right to use someone's copyrighted music. Copyright law is about permission, not just attribution. The artist (or their label) owns the rights to the song, and you need a license to use it, even if you credit them. That's why you got a claim – the Content ID system detected the song and the rights holder decided to monetize or mute your video.

As for the claim vs. strike difference: a claim is just the rights holder claiming the ad revenue from your video (or muting it), but it doesn't hurt your channel. A strike is a formal legal takedown – you get a warning, and three strikes in 90 days and your channel is terminated. So claims are annoying but not fatal, strikes are serious.

For Shorts specifically, YouTube has a deal with many major labels that allows you to use their music in Shorts, but only if you use the song from the Shorts audio library (the 'Add music' button in the Shorts camera). If you upload a video with music that wasn't added via that feature, you're on your own. So always use the in-app music picker or stick to YouTube Audio Library – that's 100% safe. Also, check the 'Music policies' page in YouTube Studio to see how a specific song can be used. Hope that clears it up!