Top Strategies for Electronic Music - Labels, DJs, Festivals Google Confidential and Proprietary Top Strategies for Electronic Music Table of Contents Electronic Dance Music is one of the largest and fastest growing music genres on YouTube. In Europe, Middle East and Africa, 5 out of the top 10 “YouTube has become a global focal point music channels are Electronic Music focused and include a range of labels, for electronic music lovers, representing events and DJs. Electronic Music fans are also some of the most engaged a huge shift in the musical and cultural music fans on and off YouTube -- they attend events regularly and share their landscape of our times. Electronic music is a experiences online. What Electronic Music channels have in common are very loyal audiences that want to engage directly with their music. visionary genre driven by digital natives and prosumers where performer and audience Whether you are a label, a DJ or an event producer, YouTube is the place for are often the same thing – YouTube absorbs you to release original content and engage with your audience. and encourages this culture into one destination and has helped put a picture This guide is designed specifically with Electronic Music labels, DJs and event to a historically faceless genre” producers in mind. It will help you understand and apply Electronic Music specific strategies so you can find success on the platform. Ben Turner Co-Founder, IMS (International Music Summit) In addition to highlighting some popular channels in the space, and & AFEM (Association for Electronic Music) explaining top strategies, we have also provided accompanying “ways to do it” to help you get started in building a large and sustainable YouTube presence. Google Confidential and Proprietary Top Strategies for Electronic Music Create An Identity: Channel Design Program Like a DJ: Playlists Let Your Fans Listen: Regular & Uncut Uploads Extend The Life of Live: Clipping & Packaging Give Backstage Access: Exclusive Content Develop Repeat Viewers: Audience Engagement Showcase The Experience: Live Sets & Festivals Expand Your Audience: Artist Collaborations Timing Matters: Publishing Schedule Tap Into Your Community: Off Platform Promotion Build Hype: Maximising Assets & Samplers Push Purchases: Tickets, Merchandise, Downloads Make It Discoverable: Metadata Google Confidential and Proprietary 1 Create an Identity: CHANNEL DESIGN Design a channel that is consistent with your brand and creates an aesthetically pleasing experience. Optimise your real estate to promote new releases, albums and events. Channel Icon /AnjunaBeats has a well Channel Banner crafted channel design with consistent branding and is updated to promote upcoming events and releases. InVideo Programming Featured Channels Welcome Video Channel Section Thumbnails Google Confidential and Proprietary 1 Create an Identity: Ways To Do It Channel Icon: Design a bright, high contrast avatar that reflects the brand and is recognizable in smaller formats like the channel guide. Channel Banner: Create a channel banner that is formatted for all devices , clearly articulates the label, DJ or artist’s name and promotes upcoming events. Welcome Video: Programme your most recent track or create an original preview video. Thumbnails: Design consistent close-up high definition thumbnails that reflect the title of the video and the content. Include branding that matches the channel aesthetic. Channel Section: Organize music videos into themed sections for easy navigation and listening. InVideo Programming: Promote your channel and feature a recent video or playlist across your entire library of uploads. Featured Channels: Feature channels from your label or promote other related artists. Google Confidential and Proprietary 2 Let Your Fans Listen: REGULAR & UNCUT UPLOADS Electronic Music fans tend to be dedicated listeners that want to come back to your channel often. Publish new content regularly and programme original track mixes to give them something to come back to. Views from Subscribers 300000 A popular US music channel began 250000 uploading at least one video per month in conjunction with their new 200000 album release. 150000 After the increase in upload frequency average monthly views from subscribers 100000 increased by 320%. 50000 Regularly uploading at least 1 video per month 0 1-Jan-13 1-Feb-13 1-Mar-13 1-Apr-13 1-May-13 1-Jun-13 1-Jul-13 1-Aug-13 1-Sep-13 1-Oct-13 1-Nov-13 Google Confidential and Proprietary 2 Let Your Fans Listen: Ways To Do It Publish Regularly: Publish content to the channel at minimum once a week and communicate this schedule to the audience. Upload Multiple Tracks: If listeners come back to the same tracks on repeat, make multiple versions of the popular tracks available on the channel to extend viewers watch sessions. Google Confidential and Proprietary 3 Give Backstage Access: EXCLUSIVE CONTENT Your fans are looking for exclusive videos. Produce behind the scenes content and clip footage to give them unique access to your artists and events. /ProtocolRecordings produce a series showcasing the Deniz Koyu shows the making of his track ‘Ruby’ on /Axtone TV. making of their music videos. Google Confidential and Proprietary 3 Give Backstage Access: Ways To Do It Create Original Content: Fans are looking for engage more with exclusive content. Produce original content that showcases the talent and the music in a creative way: Exclusive Tracks: Give your fans something to discover by releasing exclusive tracks and cuts to the channel. Tour Footage: Allow the audience to see what happens behind the scenes on the artist’s tour by publishing original tour footage. Artist Content: Let your audience get to the know the artist and hear directly from them by producing vlog content with the talent. Studio Sessions: Give fans the raw experience of how artists work and where tracks are produced by showcasing the creative process. Track Creation: Show your audience how their favourite tracks are created and learn from the talent directly. Google Confidential and Proprietary 4 Showcase the Experience: LIVE SETS & FESTIVALS Produce live content that captures the full experience of your event. Recreate the live feeling for your fans who can’t be there and for those who want to relive it. /Q-dance’s closing ritual of the Defqon festival video captures the event and receives viewership from the Netherlands, Germany, France and Mexico. These videos also see high view durations and engagement from Antigua and Barbuda, Caribbean Netherlands, Martinique and Sudan. Google Confidential and Proprietary 4 Showcase the Experience: Ways To Do It Get prepared: Live broadcasts may take more preparation than your typical video. Make sure you sufficiently test all the technical components well in advance of your live event. Let your fans know what is coming: Live events require much more promotion than VOD because you really want fans to tune in at a certain time. In the days leading up to the event, use spoken calls to action to direct viewers to tune in. It is also a great idea to use all your social media outlets to remind people when the live event is starting. Even a dedicated channel trailer about the live event can be a useful promotional tool. Pay attention to live comments: There are few ways better to build engagement than to respond live to your fans. Keep an eye on the comments and talk back to your audience. Use Timestamps: Help viewers navigate long content with timestamp links in the description field. Simply add ‘#t=1m50s’ to the end of a video URL. Google Confidential and Proprietary 5 Timing Matters: PUBLISHING TIMELINE Plan a timeline for creating and publishing your content to develop an engaged fanbase. Spinnin’ Records have experienced consistent view and subscriber growth through their regular publishing schedule: “We believe in consistency of good content. We upload daily and use 8-12 week timelines of promoting and premiering our videos which means theres around 50 timelines active at any given point in time.” - Spinnin’ Records Google Confidential and Proprietary 5 Timing Matters: Ways To Do It Album Announced Single(s) Released Album Released Events and Festivals Content Strategies Content Strategies Content Strategies Content Strategies • Album teaser/sampler • Lyric or audio video • Official audio streams • Don’t stop uploading! • Live-stream • Official music video for all songs • Record and upload live announcement • Behind-the-scenes • Google+ Hangouts performances in • Countdown to release • Livestream launch party longform and VOD videos • Release studio sessions / • Event trailer/teaser and album making-of’s lineup announcement • Experiential videos • Artist vlogs • Collaborative videos Video & Channel Optimisations Video & Channel Optimisations Video & Channel Optimisations Video & Channel Optimisations • Update channel branding • Update channel sections • Update channel branding • Update channel branding with release date to feature new content to reflect album release to reflect the event • Add release date and • Drive lyric video viewers • Update video description • Add event links to pre-order links to to official music video with and annotations to drive to annotations and descriptions annotations and annotation album playlist or purchase • Update channel sections descriptions • Begin playlisting videos with tour footage and • Enable In-Video interesting UGC Programming Google Confidential and Proprietary 6 Build Hype: MAXIMISING ASSETS & SAMPLERS Electronic Music tracks have