32 MusicWeek 17.01.14 VIEWPOINT PATRICK WALKER DON’T GET LOST IN THE NOISE
How can emerging artists find their voice on YouTube? The global platform’s former senior director of content partnerships reveals his top tips for standing out on a crowded site
DIGITAL n BY PATRICK WALKER,
CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER, BASE79 Y
ouTube has transformed the playing field for aspiring musicians becoming a global platform for emerging artists to grow their
fanbases in a way that busking on a high street, or performing in the local pub, never could. Thanks to the world’s most popular video sharing site, a simple video can be all it takes for an artist to make the big time and reach an audience of millions. Whilst creating and uploading a video on
YouTube is very simple, it is almost impossible for artists to achieve success off the back of this alone. Thousands of aspiring artists have uploaded
their videos onto YouTube since it launched in 2005 and every day, countless videos are added. With so much music content being uploaded, it is increasingly difficult for emerging artists to find and grow their audience. A music video seen by the right person, DJ, or magazine can be the ticket that allows a talented musician to move beyond the webcam and into the recording studio, but how can talented musicians prevent their music from being lost in the noise? From my experience launching YouTube
throughout Europe, and developing its music strategy for the region, success on the platform should not be viewed in the same way as taking part in a lottery – just uploading a video and hoping for the best. There are tangible ways to ensure you are reaching the right audiences and steadily growing channel subscribers while earning money on the way. Artists should strive to create great content, both in quality and quantity but an understanding of the YouTube community is also essential. The artists who make it on YouTube are the ones who take the time to engage with their fans by making themselves a part of the community. Understanding YouTube is a social platform and
community is important, and at Base79 we work with hundreds of artists and labels to help them collaborate with one another to grow audiences. A great example of this is when The Brett Domino Trio were first starting out on YouTube.. We paired them up with Ministry of Sound who were marking their 20th Anniversary to film a Ministry of Sound medley at the club. This was co-promoted through both the Brett Domino channel and the Ministry channel, helping both reach a wider audience - collaboration and cross-promotion is key! You will also improve your chances of success if
you have a solid understanding of how the YouTube platform really works. Warning: it’s not easy and it changes constantly! Every day we work with artists to build and nurture their online fanbase through advanced audience development techniques. This includes help with all of the technical aspects on YouTube and improving revenue by employing staff specialized in ad sales dedicated to selling packages and sponsorship around an artist and labels content. If artists want to be successful you need a strong
ABOVE Patrick Walker: YouTube’s former senior director of content
partnerships joined video content network Base79 last year
“At the end of the day, the YouTube audience wants to connect with you personally, and know you are aware of their comments and reactions” PATRICK WALKER, BASE79
content strategy that focuses on growing your audience with variety of material uploaded regularly. If someone subscribes to your channel, give them a reason to come back again and again, or you may
lose them. Consider content such as live or off the cuff acoustic sets, behind the scenes exposés, interviews and videos showing your fans what you’re like as a person. At the end of the day, the YouTube audience
wants to connect with you, personally, and know you are aware of their comments and reactions. You must work to build this audience one fan at a time, and you will likely find if you get it right, that 10’s can turn to 100’s and 100’s can turn to 1,000’s in no time. The most important thing is to get started– your audience is waiting for you!
PATRICK WALKER’S TOP TIPS FOR MUSIC ARTISTS ON YOUTUBE
1. Upload regularly and consistently. Give people a reason to subscribe and come back to your channel.
2. Take time to engage with fans. Build up your subscriber base by responding to comments, liking videos, asking your fans questions and responding to them and their interests in your own videos.
3. Collaborate with other musicians and channels on YouTube with similar styles or audiences. Promote your collaborations on social media.
4. Keep your channel active. You don’t need to make new videos to have an active channel and gains subscribers - also subscribe to other’s videos and make playlists of videos you like.
5. Understand the platform; read the YouTube creator playbook to get a real understanding of how the platform works and how to optimise your videos for search discovery.
www.musicweek.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56