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How to build community with YouTube

Official Artist Channels ‘pull it all together’

YouTube wants artists and musicians to build a home on their platform. And they’re telling you how to do it.

YouTube made a concerted effort to reach music creators with PowerPoint presentations at both Music Biz 2018 and Summer NAMM in recent weeks. The company is aware that both music creators and music listeners/viewers are increasingly seeing YouTube as a go-to music platform. In the presentation titled ‘Creating a Home for Music on YouTube,’ the company showed how artists and songwriters can effectively showcase their work and connect and engage with fans.

Benefits of your own Official Artist Channel

The key, according to YouTube’s Nathan Sheppard*, is building and maintaining your Official Artist Channel (OAC). Most music creators probably have some kind of presence on YouTube, perhaps even their own channel. But YouTube believes that your OAC can be your prime marketing tool – if you take advantage of all its possibilities.

Among the benefits of a fully-functioning OAC:

‘Direct to Fan’ features: Your OAC unites your full body of work under one banner. Your fans and followers now have a single place to subscribe.
Attribution: Visitors will see a music note icon next your name (or your OAC name) so they know everything posted here comes officially from you.
Search optimization: When visitors search for any of your output on YouTube, your OAC shows up at the top.

The parts of an OAC

As Nathan pointed out, an OAC isn’t a new channel. It is a new layout that can be used on any channel that is owned and operated by you the artist, your management or your record label. He showed the ‘parts’ of an OAC: Continue reading “How to build community with YouTube”

Billboard charts adding YouTube plays?

Rights owners not happy with YouTube revenue

Billboard is rightly recognized as the Authority when it comes to music charts, and now it looks like the magazine could be adding YouTube plays into the way they calculate their charts.

Several online news sources, including hyperbot.com, are reporting that Billboard is, at the very least, ‘considering’ blending YouTube plays into their ‘spins + plays’ calculation. And this could possibly include user-generated clips rather than simply official-posted music. However, as of today, it does not seem that Billboard and representatives of the major record labels have settled on what (if any) YouTube play data should be included in the charts.

YouTube’s ‘meagre payments’

The music industry is not exactly YouTube’s number one fan due to the meagre payments the online video giant pays out to recording artists, record labels and the owners of the songs’ copyrights.

In a report published by the GoDigital Media Group, a case is made for advertising-supported platforms such as YouTube paying a fixed CPM (cost per thousand views or streams) to rights holders. The report points out that Spotify pays approximately 75% more than YouTube for its advertising-supported model and 515% more for paid streaming.

Because labels (and many artists) feel they’re getting stiffed by YouTube, they don’t see much of a benefit in counting YouTube plays in the charts. Lyor Cohen, YouTube’s Global Head of Music, is apparently working hard to convince Billboard Editor John Amato that it’s a good idea despite rights owners’ reluctance, according to this posting at hyperbot.com.

The birth of Billboard

Billboard’s first issue, November 1, 1894

Billboard might seem like an odd name for magazine that publishes music charts, but there is a reason. The publication first appeared in 1894 and covered the advertising and bill-posting industry: in other words, ‘outdoor’ advertising or billboards. With the growing popularity of phonographs and coin-operated juke boxes, Billboard began to cover the music industry and published its first ‘hit parade’ chart in January 1936.

Now, in addition to the Hot 100 and the Billboard 200, the magazine includes numerous ‘genre’ charts, including Country, R&B, Latin, Gospel/Christian, Rock, Dance and Electronic. Billboard has modified or updated the way it compiles its charts over the years to reflect new music delivery platforms.

Logan Mize inspires singers, songwriters: Never give up

New video series: “Somebody to Thank”

If you’re a singer or songwriter and thinking that you should forget your dream and go get a ‘real’ job, take heart from Logan Mize’s story.

Click to watch Logan Mize’s new “Somebody to Thank” video

His new album, COME BACK ROAD, notched up a Top 20 debut on Billboard and iTunes’ All Genre charts, but his personal road has not been an easy one, filled with roadblocks that would have stymied lesser beings.

Logan, a native of Clearwater, Kansas, came to Nashville with the goal of becoming a success in the music business. But that success seemed to slip from his grasp at every step of the journey. He was turned down again and again by every music publisher and record label on Music Row.

To make ends meet, he took on day jobs, including driving a party bus and even a dump truck, while writing songs and playing club dates wherever he could snag them. Then in 2010, several years after arriving in Nashville, he signed a publishing and record deal with Big Yellow Dog Music, and a booking deal with a major agency.

Many artists would look at those contracts and figure they’d achieved their goal, but Logan knew that this was only the beginning. He spent the next seven years playing seemingly every venue in every town across the United States, building his fan base at every stop along the way.

Use the power of social media

Logan understands the power of social media. In 2016, he undertook a solo acoustic tour, promoted entirely via social media, traveling more than 20,000 miles in less than two months in a 1989 station wagon that he named ‘Glenn.’

He ran his own sound and lights at each show, performing 3-hour sets, before packing everything back in the car and moving on to the next venue. He knew that every stop along the way added to his fan base, and each fan was a potential buyer of his music and would probably spread the news to their own social media contacts.

Thankful to those who have helped

As well as knowing the importance of sheer hard work in developing his music career, Logan is also deeply thankful to those who have helped him along the way. He has now partnered with Budweiser to create a new monthly video series based around his song, “Somebody to Thank.”

“It is so important that we always remember and give thanks to those who helped us get to where we are,” he said. “Even the smallest gesture of gratitude can make a big difference in someone’s life.”

A new video will be released monthly via Logan’s YouTube channel and Facebook spotlighting the relationships built around the struggles, gratitude and opportunities that have helped shape Mize into who he is as a person, artist, husband and father. He hopes it will also remind everyone to always say thank you to those who were a part of one’s journey.

Persevere despite the setbacks

There are two lessons that can be learned from Logan’s story. Firstly, if you believe in your music, persevere. Keep going, despite the setbacks and treat each roadblock as a ‘learning experience’ while you steadfastly follow your dream. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen.

Secondly, take charge of your own destiny. Don’t put your career entirely in the hands of others. Certainly, seek guidance and develop business alliances with those who can help you, but understand that only you can make the decisions and take the steps to achieve your goals.

COME BACK ROAD includes the hit single “Ain’t Always Pretty” which has been featured on major playlists across digital streaming platforms garnering over 25 million streams on Spotify alone.

More information at loganmize.com and on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

ASCAP and YouTube Reach Multi-Year Agreement

ASCAP to combine database with YouTube’s Data Exchange

ASCAP and YouTube have signed a multi-year agreement, effective immediately, for US public performance rights and data collaboration. The mutual goal of this agreement is to work together to ensure that ASCAP members get paid more fairly and accurately for the use of their music on YouTube, according to an ASCAP press release.

As part of the P.R.O.’s negotiated, voluntary licensing deal, ASCAP will combine its database of 10.5 million musical works with YouTube’s data exchange. The evolution of the agreement between the two entities leverages YouTube’s data exchange and ASCAP’s vast database of musical works to address the industry challenge of identifying songwriter, composer and publisher works on YouTube, and demonstrates ASCAP’s commitment to building industry-leading data capabilities. This innovative collaboration will enable new levels of monetization and transparency for ASCAP and its members.

‘Higher compensation’ for ASCAP members

ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews commented: “This agreement achieves two important ASCAP goals – it will yield substantially higher overall compensation for our members from YouTube and will continue to propel ASCAP’s ongoing transformation strategy to lead the industry toward more accurate and reliable data. The ultimate goal is to ensure that more money goes to the songwriters, composers and publishers whose creative works fuel the digital music economy.”

“YouTube is dedicated to ensuring artists, publishers and songwriters are fairly compensated,” said Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music at YouTube. “As YouTube delivers more revenue to the music industry through a combination of subscription and advertising revenue, it’s great to see ASCAP take a progressive approach towards the long term financial success of its members.”

According to an article published on Billboard’s website, ASCAP and its counterparts BMI and SESAC still don’t have a choice about whether to license their music to YouTube or other licensees – they are required to grant interim licenses under the terms of their decades-old consent decrees with the Justice Department if they can’t immediately come to voluntary licensing agreements. ASCAP and BMI have been lobbying lawmakers in Washington to reform these consent decrees so that they can seek market rates for their music instead.

Other societies, such as Global Music Rights, have more freedom because they aren’t governed by consent decrees. GMR, founded three years ago by music manager Irving Azoff, does not currently license its works to YouTube because the two companies haven’t been able to agree on a price.

BMI has a direct license with YouTube and is currently discussing a new long-term agreement. BMI spokeswoman Liz Fischer said that YouTube has been “a good partner.” Read the full Billboard article here.

More at the ASCAP website and @ASCAP on Facebook.