Most musicians treat YouTube as a kind of archive, a place to park their music videos whenever they get around to creating one. But that’s not YouTube should be used.
Youtube want you to think of your channel as a dependable destination where users come to engage with new content on a regular basis.
When you upload videos to YouTube on a regular basis, you:
- create anticipation and engagement with your subscribers
- build inventory on your channel
- boost overall channel views and watch-time
But realistically you’re probably not in a position to make a fully-produced music video every single week, right?
That’s where non-music videos come in, and your dedicated audience will watch, like, love, and share your NON-music videos almost as much as your music videos, so they provide a cost-effective way to keep the content rolling out!
What is a non-music video?
Music videos are great, and they can be made on a tight budget — but often the less money you spend, the more time is required in planning and execution (and that’s not gonna help you get one finished every single week).
Non-music videos can still contain your music, but they’re not trying to be the next Justin Beiber.
Examples of non-music videos include:
- Art Tracks
- Lyric videos
- Videos that use public domain or archival footage
- Auto-generated music videos
- Live performance videos or in-studio sessions
- Vlogs, interviews, behind-the-scenes, and mini-documentaries
- Short promo videos for upcoming releases, tours, etc.
They provide a low-cost way to build your videos.
Non-music videos can be promoted just like music videos
There’s no rule that a non-music video can’t have every bit as much reach as a fully-produced music video. You can do targeted advertising to share your Art Tracks, you can seek blog premieres for your lyric videos, you can do an email blast about your most recent interview video, and so forth.
Make your OWN Art Tracks
Although Art Tracks are automatically generated for you as part of your digital distribution through CD Baby, I still recommend you create your own Art Tracks that live within your channel.
When you upload your own Art Tracks you can customize them with End Screens and Cards to drive the specific action, AND (to really hammer this point home) they’ll boost your overall views and watch-time when they live on your own channel.
Lyric videos can be as compelling as music videos
Depending on your audience, lyric videos can be even MORE interesting than a budget music video for the same song. I’ve kind of fallen in love with making lyric videos and experimenting with ways to differentiate them from one another.
Explore auto-generated video options
There’s a service called Rotor that uses an automated system to create custom music videos for your songs.
You select some stock clips from their library, choose an editing style, and upload your audio track. Rotor does the rest, and you can preview the video before you pay to actually download the file, or upload it straight to YouTube and Facebook.
Non-music videos can still earn you money
If your non-music videos contain your music, you can still earn revenue from them via Content ID!