Welcome to the gallery of reasons to get started singing on your own YouTube Channel. I know it can seem daunting. But obviously it’s something you’ve been trying to reason yourself into. I think this list of insights may prove useful in helping to dispel some of the inhibitions. So let’s get into why YouTube’s ideal for singers…
Youtube provides singers a community in which they may network with artistic piers as well as engage with a potential audience. In turn they provide the singer with the critical feedback necessary for revision and cultivation of both musical and social marketing efforts.
In the long term YouTube gives a singer a platform to build their audience. YouTube also provides the means for the singer to monetize the work.
In order to be as helpful as possible, I’ve compiled a number of recurring concerns and questions having to do with actionable steps towards starting a channel. I hope that this list may be of some use and encouragement to you and what you are striving to.
It Isn’t Difficult to Start a Channel
YouTube’s not only ideal for singers it’s also super easy to get started, especially if you have a Gmail account already. So assuming you do, login to YouTube with your Gmail account. Once you have, look for settings and then follow the prompts. After you are all set up you can post your first video.
The Basic Gear Is All You’ll Need
You really don’t need to worry yourself too much about this at all. What you do want to do is get going. keep this simple rule in mind. Doing something is always better than doing nothing. Whether it results in failure from which you can learn, or success from which you can build confidence. By doing something you have continued to create opportunity.
At the very minimum pick up your cellphone and begin. As you progress, your gear list can as well. A steady paced method of gear acquisition, will save you from breaking piggy banks. This way you become overwhelmed with too many new gadgets all at once. Little by little is perfectly OK.
Make a schedule to learn a new film or editing trick each week. Then include them into what you are currently working on. After a while you’ll have amassed a pocket full of tricks. Any of which you can use to showcase that angelic voice of yours.
When there is nothing more to learn from filming with your phone, you have probably earned yourself a gear upgrade. But if you still don’t have the spare change to purchase anything, don’t waste time feeling badly. Its better to just keep improving what you’re doing.
Grow Your Channel
One of the most important traits to have when creating a channel is patience. It is best to set aside expectations and desires for validation and focus all of your energy into taking action.
Work on something every day, even if it seems inconsequential. Little things add up and gradually you will build an audience with consistent posts and ever refining content. Over time you will find your niche more clearly.
Promote your brand across all platforms that you use regularly and explore more opportunities when immersing technologies emerge. Engage in the community of likeminded creators and contribute to their progression with generous and consistent interactions about their content.
Doing so provides them with useful feedback. It provides you with a connection to the community. That will help to legitimatize you and what you’re doing.
When you have a channel on YouTube, you’ll have a great chance to build relationships with people who have same goals and who are struggling with the same challenges. That camaraderie and support will be invaluable when hurdles do seem insurmountable. So do your best to engage with others in an authentic and meaningful way.
In addition to interacting with other YouTubers you should make every effort to reply and connect with the people who are engaging directly with your content. Do your best to create ways for them to interact and feel involved with you and what you are doing. Always be genuine and patient and always refrain from being confrontational.
Lastly plan your content in advance and post consistently. Once you are posting regularly you’ll quickly see for yourself that YouTube’s ideal for singers. In the meantime if you want a more extensive read about increasing views on your channel as an independent artist; we have you covered. Save The Link!
How To Choose Songs
You can sing whatever song you want to sing, and if you are not worried about what the potential audience wants that will be fine. But If you do not have a huge following and you are trying to grow your your audience then the best choices are songs that are currently popular or songs that are time-tested.
The more popular the song is the more often that song is going to be searched. When it does the search results could include your own rendition of the song. In that moment you are one step closer to being discovered by someone who wouldn’t have otherwise. So I suppose there is a pretty basic math to this one.
Getting Monetized
Building a channel and an audience, refining skill and honing a craft takes a very special kind of diligence. There is a lot of work to do before you are being paid anything for your effort. Eventually though if you are persistent, tides do turn.
In addition to any product endorsement income you can earn, you can eventually qualify to be included in advertising payouts from Youtube. Proving yet again that YouTube’s ideal for singers, because what singer doesn’t like to earn money.
But, before you can start collecting those checks your channel will need to meet certain criteria.Keep in mind that that meeting these criteria does not guarantee monetization. The criteria only serve as an indicator to when you are permitted to apply for monetization. Youtube has a limiting view of content they designate as controversial and should any of the material you have created fall within that your channel may not be monetized at all.
So if your end goal is monetization you may want to spend some time reviewing YouTube policies in advance of creating a channel in order to ensure that the content you are making does not contradict what they have designated as safe.
After you have a grasp on all of that you can begin building your channel towards meeting YouTube requirements. For more strategies on earning money on your channel as an independent artist; Use This Guide!
Being Eligible
Before being eligible to apply for monetization your channel will need to have had your viewers spend at least 4000 hours of watch time on your content. There is one addition caveat of that, those 4000 hours must occur within a single year.
In addition to all of that clocked watch time your channel must have also built an audience of 1000 subscribers. Once both of these criteria points have been met your Channel will qualify to be reviewed for inclusion into YouTube’s monetization program and as I mentioned before so long as you haven’t made a channel filled with objectionable content then you have a good chance of being approved. From the moment you have qualified expect it to take a few weeks for the review to be conducted.
All in all these criteria which may seem daunting when you are sitting at zero subscribers with zero watched hours certainly shouldn’t be seen as insurmountable. To help with perspective, If you have any ambition at all, these criteria should in the future be seen as the very early milestones you reached on your way to the long term goal.
That said if you’re dismayed by these obstacles, you probably don’t have what it takes in terms of mindset and fortitude to accomplish the task. YouTube’s ideal for singers but, if you are not serious enough about doing what needs done maybe you shouldn’t waste your time.
Copyright Claims
There are a lot of singers on YouTube who will sing cover songs. Those written songs are someones property, So technically we shouldn’t even think about recording those songs and posting them on to our own channel without having acquired the proper license to do that. If you do record songs without the license, Youtube will know.
Your video will be demonetized and you will receive a copyright claim against your site. The money earned from your video off of that “intellectual property” then goes to the rightful owner. Now, they may not pursue further action against you because they have collected their money and your video has earned it so it may be that your video is allowed to stay up.
- You do not have the right to earn from the video no matter what you tell yourself.
- You do not have the right to make a derivative work.
- You may be able to arrange an agreement with the rights holder for some split if you feel you have brought a significant value to them and they agree to it.
That is discussed more in the video below.
How To Sing Covers And Get Paid
But rather than collecting endless copyright strikes, and never getting paid for your work why don’t you just get yourself registered with one or two of the companies that manage online licensing specifically for content creators just like you. Then you can feel free to browse through their catalog and choose the songs that you’d like, perform them in your videos and get paid a percentage.
It can be a win-win when you do things legitimately. The writers get their song promoted and their due cut of earnings as do you. That is certainly better than walking away empty handed.
You won’t get the whole cookie but keep in mind that the fact is you’re leveraging your own career on the work of others so frankly the whole cookie is not yours. But don’t leave crumbs on the table. It’s far better to register and take the pay that you can especially if you are intending to upload videos regardlessly.
The services provide a license for original video recording of the song, so be sure not to divert from that description of use without expert legal guidance. Here’s a link to one company that can get you started; We Are The Hits. And, no this is not a paid referral. It is me being helpful.
Make Some Original Songs.
You may just decide to start to write some songs of your own. That would be a great Idea. By having original songs you could not only have an excuse to make content, You would also have content to sell. Here is the link to a guide about songwriting. It is one of many we have on our site. It Should Help!
If your songs start to get really good. You could even sell them to other artists. This could also be something that you could document the process of for your channel. If that is something that interests you can read more about why artists sell their songs here. Good Luck!
It’s Not Too Late
Some people have a lot of insecurities which they allow to inhibit them getting started. The thing is, you owe it to yourself to get past that. As far as we know we only get one shot at life and after we deal with all of the responsibility that goes into maintaining the day to day of that, it seems only reasonable that we give ourselves permission to explore one or two of the things that captivate our interest. If making a Channel to sing your heart out is high on your list of things you’d like to dabble in, then by all means get too it.
It isn’t too late to get started. There are not too many other YouTubers doing the same thing that you are. Keep in mind that for those consumers who enjoy browsing through YouTube, half of the fun is discovering different people and what they are doing. That is big part of why YouTube’s ideal for singers.
So it really doesn’t matter if that you’re just getting started. If you jump in and stay persistent long enough, eventually you will cross a threshold where which you have gained the attention of more than one or two people who are more than interested in tuning in and supporting your effort… So, not only do you owe it to yourself you it it them.
It Is Never Too Late.
Don’t waste time self censoring. By doing that you’ve only created arbitrary restrictions that keep you from experiencing wholistic means of self satifaction.
There is an audience for everything. And that is true on YouTube. There is an older gentleman whom I follow on YouTube who sings covers and writes and releases more music than I could ever dream.
In addition to admiring his effort and contribution. I can not help but take inspiration from him. You never know who you may inspire just by reminding one and other that life does not end at any particular age.
If you decide to create original music and music videos for that music; Here’s a link to an article about scheduling your music video shoot and release timetables. Read it!
Work on finding your niche, be communal and encouraging and people will appreciate what you have share. Go and experience for yourself why YouTube’s ideal for singers.