YouTube is becoming more important to the music community both in terms of marketing and revenue as well as sharing and engagement. The platform is often confused as being solely a video player. However, as YouTube grows and channel creators become more ambitious, relationships are becoming the driving force of this video machine. The traffic controller in this system is YouTube’s Content ID.
Content ID is what dictates copyright ownership and monetization around YouTube. For bands, this is what turns YouTube into a store. YouTube differs from every other digital retailers in that its core functionality depends on user generated content (UGC). This is excellent for sharing and community around the platform, but also opens the flood gates to copyrighted material and piracy (songs, music videos, movies, etc.). Without rightful ownership, the proper owner doesn’t get credit and compensation for the work. That’s where Content ID comes in.
Content ID uses technology similar to Shazam. The system takes pre-loaded audio files from bands and labels and compares them with other videos in the system. If there is a video on YouTube that has audio or visual content that matches this reference, Content ID makes a claim. This gives the copyright owner a chance to claim the content as theirs and monetize if they choose. Here’s how it works for both players in the Content ID loop:
Bands:
Sharing is a powerful tool in the music community. New bands rely on people sharing their music to expand the potential audience. However, they would prefer to get paid for unofficial uses of their music (if users can hear your songs on YouTube for free, why would they buy the album?). Content ID provides the best of both worlds in that it still allows YouTubers to use your music in their videos, but your band makes money from the ads that Content ID places on this video. Win win!
Official Video:
Fans:
Fans use popular copyrighted material in their YouTube videos for many reasons (and it’s not necessarily malicious pirating). In most cases, these users are legitimate, diehard fans that love the music their using. These are the best kinds of fans for bands. You have passionate, genuinely engaged users creating content for you (for free!). Why not keep it coming? By using Content ID to find these UGC videos, you can automatically track who is using your material and monetize it if you choose. Win win… win!
Videos are by far the most engaging form of social content. This isn’t exactly a new discovery, but there’s a lot of missed potential by bands that claim to have a YouTube presence. The common misconception is that your music videos go up on YouTube and you’re done. Although MTV style music videos can create a big draw, they don’t keep viewers on your channel for very long (hopefully these are actually on your channel).
Luckily for musicians on YouTube, there are some relatively quick fixes. The main thing most bands miss is the opportunity to actively engage with their fans. Viewers want to see those extra details; the behind-the-scenes, authentic interactions with the band that they can only get on YouTube. Bands should make a point to announce news and updates with their fans directly through a quick video. This helps in two ways: 1. Fans get the info right from the source, and 2. Video updates build buzz and traffic around your channel for when one of those big official music videos comes up.
Bands should program their channel in a way that fans can expect regular updates. Videos don’t need to be any longer than 30 seconds and can be taken anywhere with your phone. Get creative and consistent. No matter what type of content you decide to use, keep your videos original, exciting and genuine. Fans will feel closer to the music and you’ll have some authentic feedback from the people that matter most. Here are some quick ideas to get you started:
Hello all, it’s me, Beni Barca, now blogging for The Daily Rind. Today I’m here to talk about Music Videos… or more specifically, YOUR music video. What’s that? You say you have no music video? What a shame. You know how important they can be, right? Yes, I realize you’ve already got your song on YouTube, playing to a picture of your cats playing Scrabble, which I’m sure has already gained you many fans in the LOLcat sect of humanity, but I had something more, uh, traditional in mind. I know that the early stage resistance to this is generally the lacking of funds and/or creativity, but there are also a lot of people who don’t understand the benefits of an actual music video. I have come today to pull back the veil on that mystery!
First off, lets discuss WHY you need an actual music video. Music videos are, first and foremost, an excellent promotional tool. Pairing a song with complementing visuals can boost interest, explain an intention, or completely change the way people feel about a song. There have been many songs that only caught my attention once I saw the music video.
Secondly, a good video performance can help promoters and booking agents get a better feel for an artist/band’s personality and performance ability. This is especially beneficial to a new act that hasn’t done many live shows yet. Also, bloggers love to get their hands on music with a visual edge. Music bloggers receive lots of audio tracks, so an actual music video will help you to stand out in the crowd… and if the video is creative enough, many non-music bloggers may want to include it as well.
But it doesn’t end there…
Music videos are also a great bargaining tool to entice your fans to buy your ENTIRE album, instead of just your single and/or cherry picked album cuts. How does that work, you ask? Well, here are two words that can change your career: “Video Bundle.” As I’m sure you are aware, the majors have been doing this for years… and so can you! Giving away your creative and interesting music video is an excellent perk for purchasing the entire album. Fans LOVE freebies! I assure you, there are a number of albums in my collection that I have purchased specifically for the bundled video content… at least two of which I didn’t even preview before I purchased, LOL!
Now, let’s tackle that early stage resistance. First off, lets talk about cost. Gone is the era of industry standard six figure music videos. Even the majors rarely venture into that price bracket these days. Honestly, it’s not necessary. Much of the cost of shooting videos, back in the day, was the film. People still shoot on film, when they have simultaneously the budget and preference for that aesthetic, but most people shoot music videos digitally these days. Now, you COULD shoot on an F1, or a RED, or some other cinema quality camera, and that would be beautiful, but in all honesty, you can get excellent quality video off of many Digital SLR cameras, such as the Canon 5D.
Greg Nice recently premiered the video for “Motherfuck@” over at URB.com from his upcoming album, The Popcycle, due out October 26th via One Haven Music/Industry Rule 4080. The video features drops from A-Trak, Pete Rock, Lil Jon, Roxy Cottontail, Nick Catchdubs, and many more. Put this on, turn it up, and DANCE!
Stream and Post “Motherfuck@”:
http://vimeo.com/13528065
For More Information:
http://www.GregNice.net
The iPad has been in the hands of the people for a few months now. Whether it is the future of computing or not, it has made an impact on the world that cannot be denied. An infinitely configurable tactile interface, the touch screen provides an exciting and powerful new user experience. Developers can literally use every inch of the screen to interact with users, allowing for an immense selection of applications that can do almost anything. Naturally, the creative world has welcomed this new technology with open arms and the iPad is becoming a valuable and growing asset for anyone that works with music.
With the iPad you don’t even need a recording studio, and the pioneering Orchard artists from the Spanish band Jubilee have proven it. You need to check out their new video. They have recorded an entire multitracked, multi-instrumental song on just an iPad and headphones using StudioTrack by Sonoma Wireworks. “The Preacher” is one of, if not the first song of its kind, tracked only on the iPad. The gorgeous video lets listeners hear the surprisingly high fidelity iPad recording and see the band’s process of tracking the tune.
Formed by guitarist and songwriter Pedro Cantudo, Jubilee is a jewel of Spanish music. Featuring many instruments, drums are played by Pedro’s brother Javier, Manolo Gordillo on bass, Paco Varela on keys, and banjo and mandolin are plucked by Javier Beamuz. The band crafts melodic tones with dedication and affection, recording all of their songs live, using vintage instruments and gear of old. These guys rock, whether you’re listening to them on 180 gram vinyl, or watching futuristic iPad music videos, they’re sure to please. They are signed to Grabaciones en el Mar.
