Does it matter if I skip sponsored ad segments in YouTube videos?
As in, would the channel be losing out on money? Because I don't want to take away from small creators if there is a retention rate for viewership of that exact segment, but I would prefer to skip any of the "but first check out this shitty mobile game".
The custom-made "sponsors" sections that are baked into the video are not paid per view. You can freely skip them without harming the content creator. iirc they get paid per video upload, not per view. it's only the "live" separate ads that appear prior to the video, mid-roll, etc. that they get paid per view (and would be missing if you block them).
I release music via distributor to all music streaming platforms including YouTube. When playing my music, youtube puts ads before and sometimes after the video. Does that mean I'm getting a share of that ad revenue by default? Or is it for specific content creators that have a minimum number of subscribers only?
If you're going through a music label then ask the company you're working with. They absolutely get paid per view (as per the pre-roll ads) if you aren't managing the uploads yourself. But what they pay you may be different depending on what they're doing.
Youtube content creators get paid via a few different methods:
Pre-roll and mid-roll ads. This is youtube's actual and intended monetization method. These are ads that play that are separate from the video and are personalized per-user. They often have a "skip" button you can click after a few seconds. Youtube pays creators per view for these ads. You should check youtube's monetization section on the channel settings to set this all up.
Sponsors. These are baked into the video where the content creator usually goes something like "Yeah I enjoy my switch, but do you know what I like more? raid shadow legends!" These are one-time payments made prior to the video's release, and are not paid per view. The view count on the video and whether or not people are actually watching the sponsored section is irrelevant.
Patreon and other patreon-like services. These are entirely unrelated to viewcount or ads, and are just people paying monthly on some other site (typically patreon or locals) to help fund the channel.
For music, I'm not sure at all how the youtube music platform works. But afaik youtube music is just youtube videos in a different format, so you'd be going with method #1 with the pre-roll ads.
Typically youtube's monetization model requires that you actually set things up, and in order to do so you need to meet particular criteria (particular subscriber counts, view counts, etc). I know musicians work with music labels, so that may work differently depending on what's going on for you. But if you're specifically managing a youtube channel where you upload videos, then #1 applies and just check the monetization section. I don't think it's "by default".