The popularity of social media is due to the power it gives us to connect with people that we would never have crossed paths with under normal circumstances. Through social media our favourite artists are just a tweet, post or video away; and for those of us who are artists, it keeps getting easier to get our work out there, connect with fans, and build relationships. This is all possible thanks to social media platforms that keep on innovating in order to provide tools to promote the growth of the creative industry through the internet.
In keeping with this pattern, Youtube has come up with the Youtube for Artists initiative. So what’s Youtube for Artists? It’s a site that gives artists tools to create better connections with their audience, and promotional programs to assist artists in getting exposure and growth.
The site has tips on how artists can engage with fans beyond the videos, a guide to making money on Youtube, and lessons on how to sell merchandise and promote shows directly within Youtube videos. It also teaches how artists can get their fans to directly contribute money to the artists channel through fan funding.
In the spirit of constant innovation, Youtube is also developing a data tool that shows where the artist’s fans are located at city level. This will help artists decide where to promote their next singles, the best time zones to release videos, and routes for a tour.
And for the icing on the cake, in celebration of artists who have been an inspiration, Youtube will be hosting the Youtube awards on 23rd March at 10am pacific time (6pm Monday in Nigeria) where an exclusive collection of new music from 15 of the most loved and creative artists will be released on Youtube.
For more information on Youtube for Artists you can check the Youtube creators’ blog http://youtubecreator.blogspot.com/2015/03/helping-music-artists-make-most-of.html