YouTube has changed the way we listen to songs, watch music videos, and how we discover new artists. Now you don’t have to wait for a weekly music video countdown on TV or go to a store to purchase a new single; you can just log onto your computer and access most music videos via YouTube. This has become especially popular among young audiences as it is an inexpensive, easily accessible platform to listen to music. If you are a new artist trying to get their career started, YouTube can be a great resource to give yourself some exposure. Here are a few steps you can take to kickstart your career using YouTube.
Perform covers
Covering popular songs is a good way to expose yourself to an audience. If you have similar titles and tags in your post, then your video will appear alongside the original when people search for it on YouTube. From there, people are more likely to click on your video, navigate to your personal channel, and start listening to your music. Pay attention to what is trending and cover popular songs you know people will want to hear so when they are looking for the original, your version will also appear in their search results or on their next playlist. One thing to keep in mind when performing covers; perform songs that fit within your genre. If you start covering songs drastically out of your genre, then your audience may lose interest; know your audience and perform covers they will like. One final piece of advice is, make sure they are songs you want to sing. If you lack passion or interest in the song, that will be translated on camera and your fans will recognize your apathy. Keeping them engaged is key, so performing songs that capture their attention will keep them intrigued and tuning in for more week after week.
Vlog
Since your profession is based on what people see and hear, a traditional written blog might not make sense. However, a video blog, or vlog, can be a great way to stay connected with your fans through a visual medium. Personal videos will help them understand who you are, your personality and what you hope to accomplish with your music. These can be posted on your YouTube channel, easily integrated into a personal website, and shared on social media.
Consistency
Adhering to a posting schedule is important so fans can anticipate new uploads and get into a routine of enjoying new content. For example, if you set a schedule of posting a new video every Wednesday, then fans will anticipate your new video, know to look for it and watch and share it with their friends. You can compare this to getting into the habit or watching a TV show at a certain time every week – you begin to anticipate a new episode and look forward to your weekly routine.
Collaborate
Reach out to other artists and perform some pieces together. Collaborating with other artists helps to expose yourself to their audience, in addition to your own. Also, try and collaborate with another channel and get them to upload your video to their channel. This will help if you are just starting out and do not have a large subscriber list yet as people will see your video appear on the channel they are following, and it might prompt them to visit your personal channel. There is a mutual benefit for both artists and channels through collaboration – they get new content, and you benefit from being exposed to a larger number of subscribers.
YouTube offers some useful, easy perks for both artists and audiences. Besides the benefits listed above, it is also a user-friendly platform that can be seamlessly integrated with Facebook, Twitter, and websites. This makes social sharing easy, and it is a great medium to showcase your music, brand, and personality to others. Many artists have launched their careers on YouTube, and if you start with these simple steps, you can give your career a powerful boost.
TAGS: BLOG, SOCIAL MEDIA, VIDEO, YOUTUBE