YouTube Creator Blog: August 2011

JasonMundayMusic is August’s On The Rise Star

Monday, August 29, 2011

Congratulations to JasonMundayMusic, who won August’s On The Rise poll after receiving the most votes from the YouTube community. Thanks to your support, Jason Munday (and his friends) will be featured on the YouTube homepage all day today.
As the self-proclaimed “nerdiest YouTube musician,” Jason’s repertoire includes songwriting, singing, producing, and sound engineering. His long history of musical projects on YouTube include hit YouTube bands Ministry of Magic and The Oceanic Six, whose songs were inspired by pop culture. Jason credits Ministry of Magic (a collaborative project with YouTube stars Luke Conard and Ryan Seiler) with opening the trio up to the potential of a YouTube music career with hits such as “Don’t Leave,” “On The Other Side,” and “This Town.” The band members have since chosen to pursue individual careers and Jason’s current solo project, Skyway Flyer, artfully combines the big arena sounds of the 80s with modern dance rock. Check out the video below for an overview of Jason’s work, past and present.

Here’s a word from Jason about his YouTube history, channels, and collaborations:

"I've been a YouTuber for several years, a musician for over a decade, and a nerd for as long as I can remember. Being a YouTube musician is now my full time job, and I'm proud to say that I've got to be one of the nerdiest! I started writing nerdy music with Luke Conard and Ryan Seiler over 4 years ago, and as Ministry of Magic, we were extremely fortunate with our online following and support. Thanks to our fans, I've been able to quit my full time job, move to Los Angeles, and pursue my dream of music and video making. I've since been able to focus so much more time and energy toward many different music projects and being out in LA amongst a vast ocean of music & film industry people, not to mention the growing YouTuber population, I've been able to network and make friends that are always looking to collaborate and even just help each other out. I always try to excel at whatever it is I'm focusing my efforts towards, and I find it fascinating to be able to look back at where I started and the place I've reached and simply look forward to where to future will take me. I'm inexpressibly grateful for all the good fortune I've had and as long as there are people enjoying what I do, I will continue to create it!”

If you’ve enjoyed monthly On The Rise blog series and want to see more rising YouTube partners, check out our On The Rise channel or look for our playlists on the browse page. Keep an eye out for next month’s blog post, as your channel may be the next one On The Rise!

Devon Storbeck, Account Manager, recently watched “"Ready For Anything" (Live!) - Skyway Flyer.”

YouTube Creator Playbook tips: the first 15 seconds

Saturday, August 27, 2011

This is the first of a series of posts sharing tips from the YouTube Creator Playbook, a resource full of best practices and strategies that you can start using on your channel and videos right away.
Ever notice how many of your favorite shows start with a great two-minute scene followed by the opening credits, instead of the other way around? How often has a great movie trailer caught your attention and made you want to go see the movie right away on opening night? With so many entertainment choices, all types of creators know how important it is to capture the attention of audiences early on. This same idea applies to videos on YouTube, and here’s how you can use this creative technique to attract and keep your viewers watching.

Make compelling content first...

Start off with something that will immediately grab attention, whether it’s what you say or a stunning visual

Make it clear what your video is about early on, so viewers aren’t confused about what they’re watching

Tease the rest of the video so the audience is intrigued to see where you take them.

...share your channel branding later.

A flashy intro may look cool, but it’s not the star of the video - let them see you, or your great content, first.

Make your branding compelling by making it entertaining or unique to each video.

The general concept of capturing the audience’s attention upfront applies to all types of content in different ways. Find what’s right for your channel. Check out these great examples: Toby, on Cute Win Fail, addresses the audience, makes a joke, and sets up the show all on the first 15 sec.

Want to keep your branding upfront but still use this strategy? The voiceover for College Humor’s Jake and Amir packaging changes with every episode. Need more ideas? For how-to content, such as cooking or fashion tutorials, the first few seconds of a video is a great place to present a “sneak peek” of what the finished product of the tutorial will be. This lets the viewer know what amazing thing they’ll be capable of making if they watch your video. FoodWishes’ cooking channel does a great job of this:

You can learn more about how to structure the first 15 seconds of your videos, and lots of other tips and strategies in the YouTube Creator Playbook. These suggestions were pulled together from YouTubers like you, and we’re eager to see how you’ll apply these tips in your own creative ways.

Ryan Nugent, Audience Development Strategist, recently watched “James Blake - Limit to Your Love”

This week's Trends: earthquakes, hurricanes, and portals

Friday, August 26, 2011

Each weekday, we at YouTube Trends take a look at the most interesting videos and cultural phenomena on YouTube as they develop. We want take a moment to highlight some of what we've come across this week:

We highlighted lots of videos and reactions from the East Coast earthquake as well as some instances of the quake caught-on-camera.

We saw how people were documenting preparations for Hurricane Irene.

We catalogued 10 of the most-viewed Minecraft song parodies.

We spotted some wild human pyramids in India.

We tracked some rising searches this week, which included Aaliyah and some airshow tragedies.

We shared video from a flash mob arrest.

We received video from Libya as rebels arrived in Tripoli.

We studied how Ken Block's new hit video was taking off.

We discovered how some fans/filmakers brought the game Portal into real life.

And ImprovEverywhere created another hit by asking people to "Say Something Nice."

www.YouTube.com/TrendsKevin Allocca, YouTube Trends Manager, recently watched "El Delorean de Volver al Futuro en Cabildo y Juramento."

Today is a Fairytale: Taylor Swift takes your questions on YouTube

Friday, August 26, 2011

From "Tim McGraw" to "Sparks Fly," Taylor Swift has won over fans worldwide with her vocal talent and songwriting skills. In addition to a tremendous fan following, Swift has racked up four Grammys, six CMT Music Awards, thirteen Teen Choice Awards and even the Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year award, joning the likes of Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and The Dixie Chicks. And now she takes your questions on YouTube!

Ever wonder what it’s like to become a major pop star before you’re out of high school -- on the strength of your own songs? Whether you’re cheer captain or on the bleachers, Taylor wants to hear from you and she’s agreed to be fearless in answering!

Starting today, submit written or video queries on Taylor Swift’s channel, and she’ll answer the most popular ones as part of our YouTube Presents program. You have until noon on August 31 to submit your questions and vote on the ones you’d most like to see her answer.

YouTube Presents is an ongoing program dedicated to bringing you live performances and interviews with your favorite artists. Upcoming YouTube Presents events will include artist interviews (with questions provided by the YouTube community), intimate performances at the YouTube offices, and live streams of music festivals.

Stay tuned for more YouTube Presents sessions this fall -- and watch the homepage to see Taylor’s Q&A, which we’ll post as soon as it’s uploaded.

Anna Richardson, Communications Manager, recently watched “Our Song.”

(New!) Improved resumable and recoverable uploads

Friday, August 26, 2011

Some new uploading options are available on YouTube that allow users of Chrome, Firefox 4 or higher, and Internet Explorer users with Silverlight to resume or recover aborted uploads. We welcome you to give it a try! (And if you have feedback, please leave it for us in the YouTube Partner Forum, here.)
1.Chrome and Firefox 4+ users can go directly to http://upload.youtube.com/my_videos_upload--Begin uploading your video--Interrupt your upload by closing the browser, killing your internet connection by pulling the plug, disconnecting, etc.--Resume uploading the same video, and watch your progress jump back to where it was.
2.Internet Explorer users can download silverlight (www.silverlight.net) and try the following:--Go to http://upload.youtube.com/my_videos_upload?restrict=silverlight--Feel free to disconnect/reconnect your network or kill the connection during the upload. Note that there is no long-term resumability, so don't cancel the upload or close your browser.--After interrupting the upload, grab them same file and try it again. You can interrupt it and retry as many times as you like.
Thanks for uploading!
Allison Bransfield, YouTube Product Specialist, recently watched "Journey to Bled.mpg."

This week's Trends: extreme sports, waterspouts, rare snow

Friday, August 19, 2011

We watched New Zealanders enjoyed their "once-in-a-lifetime" snow storm.

We dug into one of the more unique ways that people use YouTube to learn.

We posted the first in our series exploring different types of YouTube "one-man-bands."

We saw some on-the-beach footage from a waterspout in North Carolina.

We learned that we've been peeling bananas wrong all these years.

We enjoyed how one hostel employee's low-budget commercial went viral.

We viewed some very talented dogs.

And very popular driver Ken Block released an epic new stunt video with DC Shoes that quickly drew millions of views:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BmRvgDUxLE
Check back every day for the latest about what's trending on YouTube at: www.YouTube.com/Trends
Kevin Allocca, YouTube Trends Manager, recently watched "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Blu-ray Rant."

Introducing: Third Party Attribution to Reporting

Friday, August 19, 2011

Check out more information in the AdAge article!

YouTube.com/music is your ever-changing guide to music

Thursday, August 18, 2011

YouTube has videos across the entire spectrum of music, from current pop hits to classic tracks to obscure but wonderful sounds. But how do you find that next piece of musical gold? To help with this task we’re re-launching our YouTube Music page with a host of new features to help guide you on your audio-visual quest, and several guest curators to help out as well.

On YouTube.com/music you can now find:

recommended videos and artists based on the music videos you’re watching

local concert listings in your area paired with artist videos

the YouTube Top 100 - your invaluable source to the most popular music based on what the community is viewing

SPINViceXLR8RThe Needle DropRed Hot Chili Peppers’ Guide to RockDavid Guetta’s Guide to ElectronicaLady Gaga’s Guide to PopEminem & Royce Da 5’9”’s Guide to Hiphop

Creating new opportunities for publishers and songwriters

Thursday, August 18, 2011

YouTube has become a thriving music ecosystem and a place for established and emerging singers and songwriters to find an audience. Today, we’re happy to announce an agreement with two leading U.S representatives of music publishers -- the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) and its subsidiary Harry Fox Agency (HFA) -- that will help more music publishers, and the songwriters they represent, make more money from use of their compositions in YouTube videos uploaded by fans.

We already have deals in place with a number of music publishers in the U.S. and around the world, and today’s deal offers more choice for rights holders in how they manage use of their songs. Going forward, the 46,000 music publishers already affiliated with HFA will be able to license the musical compositions they represent for use by the YouTube community. When these publishers allow YouTube to run ads alongside user generated videos that incorporate their compositions, the publishers, and the songwriters they represent, can make money. We’ll also be working with HFA to invite other publishers to sign up, even if they’re not affiliated with HFA.

Our Content ID system allows us to identify the works of these songwriters whether the compositions appear in an original sound recording or in a cover version, using information provided to us by the publishers. This means that more songwriters will be able to share in more of the revenue that the YouTube community’s creativity yields. It’s simple for publishers to opt in to this licensing opportunity, and advances in our technology help publishers to find even more performances of their songs, providing the opportunity for more revenue. Content ID is used today by 2000+ partners including every major US music publisher, record label, network broadcaster, and movie studio.

While this deal is only with the publishers, it will also benefit recording artists and record labels. It’s been YouTube’s policy to run ads alongside videos with commercial music only when the copyright holders for both the sound recording and the composition have authorized YouTube to do so. We’ve long had agreements with all four major record labels as well as dozens of independent labels, and now that we are broadening our coverage with more publishers, we’ll be able to create more revenue streams for all of them.

With today’s deal and advances in Content ID technology, we’re continuing our recognition of songwriters for their artistic contribution by supporting them with an additional revenue stream to help their future creative pursuits.

Elizabeth Moody, Head of Strategic Partner Development for music, recently watched "The Joy Formidable - Whirring live at Lollapalooza, August 7th, 2011."

August’s On The Rise nominees

Monday, August 15, 2011

Each month, we identify four YouTube Partners who are growing their subscribers but haven’t yet reached the 100,000 mark for our On The Rise program. You vote for your favorite in the top right corner of this blog, and the winner will be featured on the YouTube homepage and the videos channel.

For August, we’ve got a mix of educators, creative folks and personalities. Check out the nominees’ videos below, and then cast your vote in the upper right-hand corner of this blog by August 22 at 6pm PT. We’ll announce the winner on August 29.

TheGeekGroup
The Geek Group describes itself as "a non-profit science and technology educational organization, creating a peer group and support network for anyone with a sincere and passionate desire to learn." These videos get you hands-on views of electronics, mechanics and even some retro technology.

JasonMundayMusic
Musician and producer Jason Munday weaves video games, Harry Potter and cartoons into his upbeat, dancey songs. From the Ministry of Magic Music to collaborations with other YouTubers to his solo works, Jason’s channel could be just what you need for those musical/gaming cravings.

RobynStamps
On her channel Robyn shares her love of stamps, all things crafts and the color pink. She has hundreds of videos with easy-to-follow ideas on craft making, as well as vlogs with family and friends.

MilTownKid
Casey aka MilTownKid brings you “random video creations,” ranging from deep thoughts to his martial arts passion. Expect to see vlogging on Milwaukee happenings, new websites to check out and interesting people Casey meets along his way.

Past winners like DestinWS2, CuteGirlsHairstyles and ThePianoGuys have since been featured in the news,performed at VidCon and more, all thanks to your support. If you’re interested in checking out more rising YouTube Partners, visit our On The Rise channel, which features nominees, trending partners and monthly blog winners. Look for more featured partners on the YouTube Browse page.

Devon Storbeck, Partner Support, recently watched “Mud is Interesting - Smarter Every Day 18.”

This week's Trends: riots, runners, and tiny houses

Friday, August 12, 2011

We looked back at the most popular Spike Jonze music videos.

We explained what that 'QWOP' thing is all about.

We saw how Disney's theme park marketing has taken advantage of popular YouTube fads.

We examined our recent fascination with tiny-home ownership.

We enjoyed a collection of human feats, as collected by What's Trending.

We saw some unfortunate drivers from around the world.

And we tracked the riots in London as they began and spread, and later found that "riot" searches hit an all-time high this summer. A number of specific videos, like this one of a man confronting looters, drew significant interest in the UK and abroad:

Check back every day for the latest about what's trending on YouTube at: www.YouTube.com/Trends

Kevin Allocca, YouTube Trends Manager, recently watched "Jay-Z & Kanye West - Otis.

Music Tuesday: Lollapalooza, old-school hip-hop and supporting East Africa

Thursday, August 11, 2011

This week we're recovering from Lollapalooza after three days and in the sun and storms of Chicago, IL. We also travel back to the birth of a genre in honor of one of those that made it great. And finally, we showcase a Bob Marley & The Wailers classic, re-released today in support of Save the Children's East Africa campaign.

You'll find all this and more on youtube.com/music, where each day we serve you up the tastiest morsels from the world of music video.

Lollapalooza 2011
Twenty years ago Perry Farrell founded the traveling circus of a festival that was Lollapalooza. Now with its roots firmly planted in Chicago, the three day extravaganza continues to grow, mixing the biggest names in music with a dizzying array of bright young stars. This year YouTube brought the festival to the world, live streaming 39 great acts from across the weekend including headliners Coldplay, My Morning Jacket and the Foo Fighters. Check out some highlights in the playlist below.

Old-School Hip-Hop
In music, you gotta know your history and appreciate the artists who laid the foundation for today’s tunes. Today isKurtis Blow’s birthday, which put us in mind of the golden age of hip-hop when rap battles on your front stoop, wheels of steel and gold chains were the rage. To celebrate an era whose influence is still resonating today, we put together a playlist of the best videos of the era from folks like the Fat Boys, RUN-DMC, Slick Rick and the Sugar Hill Gang. The music holds up, and trust us—so does the fashion.

High Tide or Low Tide
A devastating food crisis continues to impact millions of children and their families across East Africa. Today, Save the Children and the Marley family re-release the 1973 song 'High Tide or Low Tide' to raise funds for food, water and medicine. The project is supported by Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Justin Beiber and many others in the entertainment industry, and the video was crafted by Oscar winning director Kevin Macdonald.

Tim Partridge, Music Marketing Manager, recently watched "LisaNova Does Royce da 5'9 Tinie Tempah Foster the People, Ellie Goulding & Mayer Hawthorne."

New 30-Day Schedule for YouTube Ads Payments

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Hey Partners!
You probably noticed in the past that monthly YouTube earnings payments occurred on a different timeline (about 60 days after they were earned) than AdSense earnings payments (about 30 days after they were earned). We are excited to announce that, starting this month and moving forward, payments from both YouTube and AdSense will occur on the same, 30-day cycle.
What this means is that your YouTube earnings for July will arrive this month rather than next month as they would have under the former earnings payment schedule. Many partners will see a larger-than-normal payout in August since they will be receiving their June and July YouTube earnings, plus their normal (July) AdSense earnings. In September and beyond, both YouTube and AdSense earnings will be on a 30 day cycle and payouts will be back at normal levels.
For more information, please view our Help Center article.

Music Tuesday: Lollapalooza Week on YouTube, and more

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Can’t make it to Chicago this weekend to check out Lollapalooza on its 20th anniversary? We’ve got you covered. Starting at 11:45am PT this Friday, you’ll be able to watch four festival stages live on youtube.com/lollapalooza. The webcast will run all weekend long and feature a few bands you might have heard of: Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Muse, Damian Marley and Nas, Bright Eyes and many more. See the full list of bands participating in the webcasthere.

To celebrate, we’ve been featuring video premieres from some of the biggest names playing the festival/webcast. On Monday, the Foo Fighters unveiled their affecting “Garage Tour” short film, which follows the band as they play intimate shows in people’s garages across the country. (Warning: the first vignette might make you cry.) Today, we feature headliners My Morning Jacket. We’ll have more premieres from bands playing the webcast through the week; keep checking back to youtube.com/music.

My Morning Jacket curation
My Morning Jacket takes to the homepage today with a curation of some of their favorite videos. We’re still over the moon about the amazing clip from a Jim Henson short they chose, which is so beautifully edited it feels like music, even though it’s not. The band also shows a marked predilection for jazz and Marvin Gaye, which is hard to argue with. And in honor of their participation in the Lollapalooza webcast later this week, they premiere their video for “Holdin On To Black Metal” with us today.

Global Ghetto Music
In recent years, we’ve seen urban and electronic music circle the globe and shape-shift everywhere it landed. Miami Bass and old-school hip-hop headed to Brazil and became baile funk; house music headed to South Africa and became kwaito. Dance music trickled down to Angola and became kuduro. A few years ago, M.I.A. grabbed headlines for tapping into this rich vein of global funk. Today we showcase bands who are picking up where she left off, marrying their local sounds to hip-hop and electronic source material.

Toro y Moi “How I Know” video premiere
And last (but by no means least!), we debut a brand-new video from the genre-evading indie/psych/chillwave phenom Toro y Moi (aka Chaz Bundwick). “How I Know” is easily one of the best songs off of Bundwick’s lauded Underneath The Pines, a track that marries his gauzy vocals with damaged Burt Bacharach-esque pop and a palpable sense of longing. Put it together with a video that references movies like Goonies, Poltergeist, Ghostbusters and Victorian ghost stories, and you have pure genius. The video was directed by Jordan Kim, whose wonderful animation work you might know from the hipster kids show Yo Gabba Gabba.

Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently watched “Toro y Moi - How I Know.”

Love, fear and car keys

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

As the world is starting to see Life in a Day—the documentary distilled from 80,000 videos submitted to YouTube from 190+ countries—many people have asked us how the film is structured. Woven into the collage of videos from Australia to Zambia, from the heart of bustling cities to the remote reaches of the earth, are responses to three universal questions: What do you love? What do you fear? What’s in your pocket? Check out some of the answers to these questions in the Life in a Day trailer:

To celebrate the one year anniversary of Life in a Day’s filming date, we’d love to hear your answer to these questions. So tell us, what do you love, what do you fear and what’s in your pocket? Upload a video to YouTube, share a photo on Google+, tweet us with the #lifeinaday hashtag and invite your family and friends to join. Let’s spark a dialogue and continue the passion of Life in a Day by highlighting the things that connect us across the globe.

For more information about Life in a Day and where to see it this weekend, visit the Life in a Day channel.

Raymond Braun, Entertainment Marketing, recently watched “Life in a Day Teaser #1: Slim Up.”

Creator Blog

JasonMundayMusic is August’s On The Rise Star

YouTube Creator Playbook tips: the first 15 seconds

This week's Trends: earthquakes, hurricanes, and portals

Today is a Fairytale: Taylor Swift takes your questions on YouTube

(New!) Improved resumable and recoverable uploads

This week's Trends: extreme sports, waterspouts, rare snow

Introducing: Third Party Attribution to Reporting

YouTube.com/music is your ever-changing guide to music

Creating new opportunities for publishers and songwriters

August’s On The Rise nominees

This week's Trends: riots, runners, and tiny houses

Music Tuesday: Lollapalooza, old-school hip-hop and supporting East Africa

New 30-Day Schedule for YouTube Ads Payments

Music Tuesday: Lollapalooza Week on YouTube, and more

Love, fear and car keys

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