YouTube Explained (Update)

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YouTube is one of the most important platforms to grow a music career. By all means, there are 1001 features and angles to the popular video platform worth discovering. All of them are hugely important for every music industry expert.

Whether you work with YouTube as a Channel Manager daily or are simply part of the wider community that deals with it, this is your ultimate guide to all things YouTube. This one-stop-shop blog post has everything you need to know about YouTube.

Let’s get started without any more delay. We’ll dive right into it.

Table of contents:

YouTube Management 101

Social media has seen trends come and go, but YouTube was one of the first major players in the field. The company was founded in 2005 by three former PayPal employees: Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim.

Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006. It allows anyone to upload, view, curate, and comment videos (without time limits) and add them to playlists.

Did you know that anyone can easily upload a video to YouTube?

By subscribing to other channels, their new videos will appear prominently in your feed, making it easier to find them.

YouTube has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Nowadays, channels can accumulate enormous amounts of subscribers.

This biggest YouTube Channel right now is ‘T-Series’

The number one channel on YT is the Indian music channel called ‘T-Series‘. This is wild, since the first instalment of this blog post, nothing has changed! Now sporting more than 259 million subscribers. ‘T-Series’ is also a Multi-Channel Network, more of which later in the post.

Some of the most popular Channels belong to famous musicians and entertainers. Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Eminem, and Ariana Grande are just some well-known music figures.

YouTube has replaced MTV as a music television

It shouldn’t surprise you that YouTube has become incredibly significant for the music industry and its artists. It has brought an end to music television and the TV channel MTV. Nowadays, fans mostly watch music videos on YT.

But that’s not all, a whole industry has evolved around the Google company. There are now professional YouTubers who make a living from creating video content. You can find anything from Beauty Channels that offer make-up tutorials to DIY channels teaching you how to build anything yourself.

The possibilities for video content are endless

Let’s get back to talking about music on YouTube. Creating an official music video is not the only content you can produce on the platform. There are endless possibilities such as tour diary videos, lyric videos, question and answer videos, behind-the-scenes videos of the recording process, A-Day-In-The-Life videos, and live videos from the last tour. These are just a few examples of content you can create.

Video content is now ubiquitous on social media platforms, from Instagram Reels to TikTok’s short-form videos.

“Video marketing has become more crucial than ever before.”

It is worth noting that YouTube is currently the second-largest search engine globally. As Google owns it, the company has incorporated video content directly into its search engine. As a result, any uploaded video can appear in Google’s organic or paid search results, making YT an excellent platform for marketing and connecting with fans or customers.

When starting on YouTube, the platform’s size and number of participants can be overwhelming. However, keeping in mind some simple principles can make navigating the platform much easier.

Research your fanbase first before starting a YouTube channel

To begin with, it’s important to have an idea about your fanbase. Researching your target audience is a great way to get started with your YouTube channel. Having a clear understanding of the audience you want to reach through your content will assist you in creating a content strategy that is sustainable in the long run.

There may be differences in the types of videos preferred by different fanbases. For example, fans of Glam Metal might enjoy in-depth guitar solos while singer-songwriter fans may prefer lyric videos.

This determination will help you focus on the most effective type of video content for your specific case.

Formulate the ‘What’, ‘Why’ and ‘Who’

Formulate ‘What‘ your videos will cover, ‘Who’ your videos are made for and ‘Why’ you are putting them out there.

To help clarify the point, let’s take the example of a Glam Metal band. The ‘What’ in this case could be a tutorial on playing guitar solos by the lead guitarist, or it could be live footage from the band’s most recent show. The ‘Who’ refers to the band’s fan base, as well as their friends who might be interested in the band. The ‘Why’ is to promote the band’s new album.

After putting all the hard work into creating your video, don’t just rely on organic searches on Google to get views. Take the initiative to promote your video on all your social media channels. You can even consider adding it to your newsletter to reach a wider audience. Likewise, you could run some Google Ads on your videos to promote it to new people.

History of YouTube

YouTube has evolved from a platform for uploading videos to a music world with its own music streaming service.

Now, there is YouTube (the video platform), YouTube Premium (a subscription service to watch YouTube videos without ads) YouTube Music (a music streaming service), and YouTube Music Premium (a subscription music streaming service). This is wild, the good old Google Play Music has entered the eternal hunting grounds of the internet. That means Google decided to shut down Google Play Music and offered an easy transition to YouTube Music.

You can use YT Premium as well for YT Music. However, when you have a YT Music account you still watch YouTube videos with ads. I know it is a bit confusing, isn’t it? That is because YouTube developed over time and new features got added while others like Google Play Music didn’t stand the test of time.

YouTube tools to help you manage your YouTube channel

When managing YouTube a lot of professionals simply use the YT studio. However, once your channel has grown to a certain point, handling it all manually can be a daunting task. Fear not! Here are some tools that make your YouTube workload much easier.

YouTube Studio:
The first tool that will help you is arguably the YouTube Studio app. Here you can have access to your channel through the app wherever you go. It gives you a quick overview of all your videos. There is even a basic video editor available. As well as the subtitle function, for example. It is always a good starting point to get accustomed to the YouTube studio.

TubeBuddy:
This is a YouTube channel browser plugin. That means you can access it directly in your preferred internet browser. It is YouTube-certified and offers things like bulk processing. Here, you can edit multiple comments at once, for example. It also offers Video SEO. That helps you with optimizing your videos for them to be found more easily.

Browser plugins are super helpful tools for YouTube Channel management

AgoraPulse:
This tool started out as a social media management tool for likes of Facebook, Twitter and co. It now has included YouTube in its portfolio as well. Here you can work on comments as a team and use its CRM function to keep track of your subscribers.

SocialBlade:
This service offers a detailed breakdown of any YouTube Channel (it also works for Twitter, Instagram and Facebook). Just type in your channel or a competitor and check out the details to your heart’s content.

Canva:
With Canva you can easily create channel-art and thumbnails. That helps your channel to stand out and you can use this to create a coherent look. What is more, with this tool you can easily create cross-platform visuals that help your fans identify with you super quickly.

Canva is a great tool for creating awesome visuals in no time!

Wave:
This is an online tool for creating and cutting videos. One of the best features is that you can easily reframe your video to all different standards. There are a lot of templates to choose from whenever you are short of inspiration.

vidIQ:
Here we have another YouTube-certified tool. It helps you to identify the videos that work best on your channel. That in turn allows you to boost those videos and invest your advertising budget wisely. What is more, it has a built-in keyword tool. This enables you to find the keywords that will help your videos rank the best and show you other videos with those keywords.

Veed.io:
I love this tool for quick subtitles that get your videos to the next level. Also, you can easily edit your videos for different formats and lengths.

Here are more helpful apps for your digital work.

There is a high chance that when YT started, music and copyright weren’t at the forefront of the creator’s mind. It was made for ordinary people to upload self-made videos.

However, very quickly music got involved. Probably because it is such a major part of most people’s lives. I mean, who doesn’t love music?

In nowadays YouTube universe with record labels and musicians having official channels, music and copyright have become far more prominent.

YouTube reacted to this by introducing something called Content ID. It is a digital fingerprint system that Google developed to catch any copyright infringements.

What it does is that it compares all newly uploaded videos against files logged in the Content-Id system by copyright holders.

It is important to keep the Content-Id system in mind when uploading a new video. There is a tonne of royalty-free music pieces in the YouTube library for you to use in your videos safely.

How you can earn money with YouTube

There is a specific mechanic to the money flow within YouTube. When you upload a video and you’re eligible for the YouTube Partner Program you have three options. You can either choose to monetise, block or track.

When a video is claimed, the policy determines how one or more of these rules are applied: 

 Monetize: Allow the video to be viewed with ads.

 Track: Allow the video to viewed without ads; collect statistics about video views.

 Block: Don’t allow the video to be viewable on YouTube.

*source: Google

If you are thinking about Finance Management on YouTube you are talking about advertising revenue. To ride on the advert bandwagon, you have to fulfil certain criteria.

There are different thresholds that you need to unlock to earn money with YouTube

Route A:

​​​​​500 subscribers + 3 public uploads in the last 90 days. And then either: 3,000 public watch hours on long form videos in the last 365 days or 3 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days.

That will get you access to:

  • Channel memberships: to offer premium content and member perks to viewers who pay a monthly fee
  • Super Chat and Super Stickers: to offer your fans the ability to highlight their message within a live chat or to get an animated image that pops up in the live chat
  • Super Thanks: generate revenue from viewers who want to show extra thanks for your content
  • Shopping: if you have an online shop and you are eligible for the shopping function you can connect both and present your items within your YouTube channel.

Route B:

Have 1,000 subscribers and either: 4,000 public watch hours on long form videos in the last 365 days or 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days.

That will unlock the following perks:

  • YouTube Premium revenue: receive a share of the YouTube Premium subscriber’s subscription fee when they watch your content.
  • Ad revenue: receive a share of the ad revenue generated with your videos.

YouTube will keep a share of the income and pay out the rest to you. There is still no official breakdown of the share that YouTube is keeping.

In the YouTube analytics section, you can have a further look at your earnings. The revenue report states the different types of income streams, including YouTube Premium. The ads rate reports give you insight into which ad brought you the most income.

Advertising yourself on YouTube

For the launch of a successful marketing campaign, consider leveraging YouTube Advertising yourself. As previously mentioned, YouTube is the second largest search engine. All you need is a Google Ads account that is linked to your YouTube channel.

People are just so used to watching content rather than reading an ad or reacting to billboards on the street. There are many different ways of placing an ad on YouTube.

They serve different purposes just as your ad serves different propositions. You can customize your campaign ad in any way that suits you.

Here are the different ads in short:

*source: Google

YouTube Channel Management

Creating a successful YouTube channel requires not only frequent uploads but also engaging with subscribers.

Responding to audience comments creates value and fosters rapport. What is more, by adding subtitles and closed captions to your YouTube videos, you can open up your content to a larger audience, including deaf or hard of hearing viewers. Or if your band talks in an undefiable English country accent.

It’s already normal for big festivals to have an interpreter for hearing-impaired visitors so why not include such measurements on your YouTube Channel? Plus it is a massive video SEO plus to have subtitles. It helps the YouTube algorithm to detect what your video is about.

Live video is a genuine way to connect with your audience, build trust, and foster loyalty. It is also an ideal way to introduce yourself and promote your newly created YouTube account. Going live allows you to promote your upcoming tour or conduct a Q&A session, making it a perfect tool for interacting with your audience and promoting your brand.

Make sure the gear is good enough for off-track videos like a tour diary vlog. This does not mean breaking the bank, it could be as simple as getting a good audio recorder for $100.

It’s a good idea to organize your YouTube channel by creating playlists and featuring them on your channel’s main page. This will help your viewers navigate your content more easily and get a better understanding of your overall storytelling approach.

Upload frequency for a successful YouTube Channel

One of the most frequent questions I get as a digital consultant is: “How often should I upload new videos?”

Most of the time people expect me to name a certain number like, oh you should upload a new video x times a week. Here’s the thing, I’m never a fan of static rules that only stress you out. The best upload schedule is the one you can pull through for a long time.

The most important value is to be consistent with your uploading of videos. Having said that, there are many angles within YouTube that would like to be filled with regular uploads.

Here are the recommended frequencies for uploading to your YouTube channel:

  • Videos:
    Two videos per week
  • Shorts:
    Each day
  • Premieres:
    Whenever you have a new music video coming up
  • Live:
    Once a week, always on the same day and time
Here are more tips on how to master YouTube Channel Management.

YouTube Data Management

Ideally, you want people to watch your video to the end. However, that is far from the everyday truth of YouTube, and that’s ok.

Indeed, checking in on the ways your viewers consume your content is going to help you optimise your channel. YouTube Data Management is nothing else than YouTube Analytics. Similarly to Google Analytics, YT Analytics will give you important insight into the life of your channel.

There are various parameters that you can keep an eye on. No matter what the demographics of your audience are, where they watch your video, on what device that happened and what source brought them to your video.

However, there are a few key numbers to look out for especially.
Watch time will give you an overview of how long your videos have been watched. Audience retention tells you when people stop watching your videos. Views are gathered when your video is watched longer than 30 seconds.

Make sure to include those all-important info cards before the people stop watching your video. A retention report is a perfect tool for finding that sweet spot.

However, that does not tell you much in means of viewer engagement. You can use an easy mathematical calculation to gain better insight. Just divide watch time by views and you’ll get the average view duration (watch time: views = average view duration).

A high average view duration will boost your video on YouTube because it is a very important metric for the algorithm.

Multi-Channel Networks

If you don’t want to hassle the YouTube Partner program yourself, you can try and sign up with a Multi-Channel Network. MCNs are third-party service providers that handle the affairs of multiple channels. Those services can include audience development, content programming, creator collaborations, digital rights management, monetization, and/or sales.

There are MCNs for any type of content creators such as musicians and record labels. Affiliate channels are managed by an MCN but the rights still belong to the original owner. Owned & Operated (O&O) channels are owned directly by the MCN.

YouTube or Google aren’t endorsing MCNs directly. However, there is a list of trustworthy and Best Multichannel networks.

For example the MCN of Believe, the biggest digital distributor.

Video SEO

Traditional SEO for websites is working alongside the measurements for ranking on Google. YouTube search engine optimisations work the same.

Just for videos instead of written content on a website. There are a lot of tweaks and tricks you can try to make your video rank higher on YouTube.

There are many tools to help you with YouTube SEO

Remember some of the tools I introduced to you earlier? They come in handy now. Search for keywords that people use often on YouTube.

Incorporate them in video titles, the description and the video tags you can set yourself. That helps the viewer to reach your content quickly.

Use those tools discussed above and manage the comments your viewers and subscribers leave on your videos. That offers them a feeling of community and a sense of importance.

Engage in information management by answering all the important questions your fans might have. Don’t shy away from encouraging your fans to subscribe to your channel.

Encourage your fans to subscribe to your channel!

You can do so by a small overlay at the end of the video. It doesn’t have to be huge but viewers are so used to these questions anyways now that they even expect it.

Make your videos as sharable on other social platforms as possible. If for example, the music video you’re promoting is rather long and editorial, make sure to have enough snippets at hand for your fans to share.

This signals to YouTube that the content of your video is amazing and engaging. Always remember that YouTube is powered by a non-human algorithm and needs markers like that to measure what is ‘good’.

Make it easy for your viewers to click through your content

Organize your videos in a way that eases click-through by your viewers. Design popping and crabbing thumbnails or channel art and keep the look coherent.

Consider uploading longer videos to keep viewers engaged, even though this may seem counter-intuitive in a fast-paced digital age. Here’s the thing though, if a fan is really into something or someone they love to watch long content. This, on the other hand, boosts parameters like watch time and views, as discussed above at YouTube Analytics.

Make sure the video description is long and informative

It’s important to optimize the title and description of your video. To make your video more discoverable, ensure that the description is at least 5000 characters long and contains the keyword multiple times. Think of the description as a pinboard where you can always display the newest information for your fans. To keep the description fresh, you can use one of the bulk editing tools mentioned above.

Organize your videos in a playlist to keep your viewers longer on your channel. Distribute your videos on as many platforms as possible.

YouTubes Future

The landscape of YouTube is constantly evolving. What was once relevant and up-to-date is now outdated. However, one thing that remains certain is that YouTube is revolutionizing the entertainment industry in a way that no other platform has. Meanwhile, TikTok has entered the music industry and introduced a new set of standards. It has popularized short-form videos, which YouTube has quickly responded to with the launch of YouTube Shorts.

The outcome of the race between TikTok and YouTube is still uncertain. However, YouTube remains an ideal platform for creating and preserving music videos and a unique community.


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