Bringing Your Music to Youtube: A Comprehensive Guide
With a vast community of music aficionados, YouTube is a favorite destination for both popular and emerging artists. As a music producer, you might want to ride this wave too. The journey of taking your music online via a music distribution service might seem daunting, but this guide is here to simplify it for you.
Once your music hits YouTube through a YouTube Premiere or on your Official Artist Channel, it reaches an audience spanning the globe. Unlike other streaming platforms, this video platform is accessible to everyone, free of cost, since the platform makes its money on delivering personalized content and ads to users. This unique attribute makes YouTube an unbeatable stage for different artists to share their music with billions of potential listeners.
Navigating the process of bringing your songs to your YouTube channel might seem a bit complex due to the platform's file type specifications. Yet, with a few simple tricks, you'll be uploading in no time. This guide will outline the benefits of bringing your music to YouTube, followed by a step-by-step upload process.
Check here for how to promote your music across all platforms in 2023.
The Advantages of Delivering Music to YouTube
Using YouTube on a laptop can open up a world of opportunities for artists.
YouTube Music
YouTube has launched 'YouTube Music' to enhance its appeal among music enthusiasts as the most popular streaming platform worldwide. Opting for a premium subscription offers ad-free music and continuous playback even when you navigate away from the app.
Even as it strives to create a music-centric platform, users can still enjoy all the music content without subscribing.
Comparing with Other Platforms
Platforms like Spotify and Apple Music can provide excellent exposure for your music. However, there are a few downsides to these when compared with your own artist channel.
- Cost: While Spotify and Apple Music have paid subscriptions that support artists, they also limit the scope of the audience.
- Accessibility: Due to a variety of music platforms, audiences tend to gravitate towards their preferred one, potentially limiting your music's reach.
YouTube is free of these constraints.
Making the Most of the Video Platform for Music
YouTube's services are available to everyone, regardless of their financial situation. This ensures universal access to the platform.
In 2020, the YouTube community swelled to 2.3 billion, nearly a third of the world's population. The opportunity to market your music to such a vast audience is invaluable.
Moreover, many artists owe their fame to videos on YouTube. The platform provides a free arena to promote yourself, regardless of your current popularity. Even some of the most subscribed channels belong to artists, showcasing the potential for music promotion on the site.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Uploading Music to your YouTube Channel
Understanding the Basics
It's clear that YouTube offers an incredible opportunity to artists. A promotional tool unmatched by any other. Now that you understand the benefits of YouTube, it's time to unravel the process of taking your music to YouTube.
Please note that this guide discusses bringing music to the regular YouTube platform. Uploading to artist profiles on YouTube Music is straightforward and accepts regular file types.
File Type Considerations
The primary challenge in bringing music to YouTube stems from its file type requirements. YouTube accepts only video file types, requiring you to make a few adjustments before your song is ready for upload.
The Video Conversion Process
Before uploading, you'll need to transform your song into a video format. This is a simple process using any basic video editing software. For Windows, the free Windows Movie Maker works fine, and macOS offers similar functionality.
Adding an Image
YouTube requires a visual element, so you'll need to add an image or video to serve as the background. When starting a new project in your chosen software, you'll see an option to add an image. It's crucial to have the necessary rights to use the selected image.
Importing Your Audio
Next, import your audio file. Similar to the image adding process, your software will have a function to do this.
Saving in the Correct Format
Before saving your project, you might want to add some text or effects to make the video more engaging. Once done, you'll have a video ready to upload. Ensure to save the video in a format that YouTube accepts, such as .MOV, .MP4, or .AVI.
The Upload Process
Finally, it's time to bring your music to YouTube. Log into your YouTube account (or create one if needed), select your file, and start uploading. Remember to set your upload to 'public' to make your song accessible to everyone.
Adding the Final Touches
While your track uploads, fill in additional information about it, such as the title and other relevant details. Appearing professional and providing background information can be a great way to engage viewers who enjoy your song.
Promoting Your Track
Now that you know how to bring your music to YouTube, it's time to promote it! Share your track on social media and encourage friends to do the same. The more views your song garners on YouTube, the more traction it will gain.
The Power of YouTube for Artists
We hope this guide has dispelled any uncertainties about bringing your music to YouTube. Though the process might seem intimidating initially, familiarity will make it a breeze.
Embrace the unique platform that YouTube offers to promote your music. With an enormous potential audience, your songs could reach corners of the world you've never imagined. Share your music with the world and see where your creativity takes you.
Interested in more insights? Check out our other guides: "Getting an Official Artist Channel on YouTube," "Sharing a YouTube Video on Instagram," "Earning Money on YouTube as an Artist." Let's take your music career to the next level!