Have you ever wondered what is the use of an Official Artist Channel on YouTube for? And how could you get one? If the answer is affirmative, you should continue reading because we are going to solve all your questions in this article. And if you don’t know about it, you should also read on to find out why you should have one.
What is an Official Artist Channel?
When we talk about an Official Artist Channel on YouTube we mean the official channel of an artist on the platform. It is relatively common for an artist to have several channels, all of them endowed with content. A decentralized situation that in many cases can harm instead of helping. For this reason, YouTube created the Official Artist Channel. A space that brings together absolutely all the content of an artist in a single channel. To recognize if a channel has this verification, there are two options: one, next to the name of the channel, there is a symbol of a musical note; two, all content is automatically organized on two new shelves: music videos + songs and albums.
What requirements must you meet to qualify for an Official Artist Channel?
Not all artists can be part of this program, it is necessary that certain requirements are met:
-Being the owner of a YouTube channel that represents an artist or group and taking care of its maintenance.
-Having at least 3 official releases on YouTube, made and distributed by a record company or music distributor.
-Not having violated any policy.
-Working with a YouTube partner manager, being part of the YouTube Partner Program, making the channel part of a record label network that works with a partner manager, or having the music distributed by one of the included music partners in music partner services. From all these requirements, it is only necessary to comply with one of them.
Tips for creating your Official Artist Channel
There are two types of channels that you can create. One has a single administrator and therefore a single username and password. Another has the ability to have multiple members. You can change it at any time.
–Name: use the official name of the artist, taking into account capital letters and spaces. Avoid adding too many words. The simpler it is, the easier it will be for fans to find.
–Image: make sure they follow the established guidelines and that they have high quality and resolution. YouTube will use them in all areas of the platform: searches, playlists, YouTube Music, banners… In addition, Google and even some third-party websites will also have access to them. And don’t forget to update them periodically.
–Biography: although it is true that you have a maximum of 1,500 characters, in YouTube Music the preview only shows 150. Keep that in mind. If you want to avoid problems, first take a look at the Community Guidelines and write a text that fits them. And again, don’t forget to update it. There is nothing that looks worse than an outdated biography.
You already have an Official Artist Channel, now what?
The first thing we recommend is that you get familiar with all the tools provided by this type of channel: Video Manager, Community, Artist Center, YouTube Studio app, etc.
The second thing is that you select the content that will occupy the highlighted space. This content is placed on the main page of your channel and is played automatically. Therefore, it should be one of your most recent creations or the one you want to attract attention to. In addition, you have the possibility to select it to be different between new and returning viewers. When uploading this content and all those that follow, keep in mind the importance of the name. Pay attention to the thumbnails and descriptions. Everything comes together to boost your career.
The third thing is the organization. We have already mentioned that once you have the Official Artist Channel, your discography is automatically organized into two sections: albums and songs / videos. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t create more. Playlists are one of the most important sources of music on YouTube and, in addition to making content accessible, they help increase viewers’ viewing time. Our advice is to take the time to create several and update them regularly. Of course, pay special attention that there is not excessive duplication between the sections that YouTube creates and those that you create.
And the fourth, and probably the most important: create community. From the Community tab you can create publications that allow you to interact easily and directly with your viewers. These are displayed both on their subscription walls and on their home and notification pages. Can’t think of what to do? Promote videos and songs, present collaborations, talk about your tours, run polls, post pictures in the studio, respond to messages, organize live shows, etc. YouTube recommends applying a continuous strategy over time, so use this tool often as possible, especially when you are between releases to keep your community involved.
Important: you can only have the community option if you have around 10,000 subscribers.
