Video Content Ideas For Your YouTube Channel (3)

video content for YouTube3

Two weeks ago, I started this series on video content ideas for your YouTube channel. We saw that considering YouTube’s requirement for monetization, musicians need to upload more than just their music videos on their channel in order to meet up, hence the need for this topic. So far, we have seen 6 different types of videos. This is the third and final part of this series. So, let’s dive into it:

Interviews:

This is another type of video that affords your listeners the opportunity to get to know you better. This is because you would be answering questions about yourself and your music asked by your interviewer. All you have to do is request that a copy of the interview be given to you after it has been edited. Or you could have someone else stay with you during the interview and record the interview. You could then edit the video yourself and upload. It doesn’t even matter if the interview is for radio or TV, just get someone to record the video of the interview and inform the interviewer that you are recording a video for upload later, before you start, so they too could be prepared for a video. So, the next time you are going to be interviewed, even if it’s just a Red carpet interview, go with someone to record the video. It’s a great video content for your YouTube channel.

 

Story behind the song/ album:

This one is especially for musicians who write their songs themselves. In most cases, there is usually a story behind every song; it could be an event, a statement you heard, something you saw on the street or TV, a recent happening in your life, a memory, just something that inspired you to write the song. The idea is that you record yourself sharing that story behind each song you put out and upload it before or after the release of the song. This would even help your listeners further understand the message you tried to pass across in the song. ‘Story behind the song’ videos are also a good way of bonding with your listeners. And they are great video contents for your YouTube channel.

 

Live videos:

This is the last type of video content for your YouTube channel that I’ll be sharing. Live videos extend more than just live performances. You could decide to use it to air your opinion about an ongoing topic of debate and let your listeners know where you stand on such issues. Or maybe you’re having a birthday celebration, you could decide to stream it live. You could even decide to be more intimate and do live videos of your gym sessions or morning exercises. It’s all up to you. Just get creative with the videos.

 

This is where I would be wrapping up the series on video content ideas for your YouTube channel. I would like to hear from you. Which of these videos have you been using and which one stood out for you as you read through? Also, I would like to know if there are other video content types that some of you use that I didn’t mention in this series. Please use the comment box below. Thanks

Video Content Ideas For Your YouTube Channel (2)

Video content ideas for YouTube

Last week, I began this series on video content ideas for your YouTube channel. We saw that considering YouTube’s requirement for monetization, musicians need to upload more than just their music videos on their channel in order to meet up, hence the need for this topic. This is the second part in this three- part series and I’m going to be sharing three other types of video you can upload. So, let’s dive into it:

  1. Behind the scenes

This is one video content idea for YouTube that has proven to be very effective, over the years. This is especially because people like to know what’s going in the lives of their favourite artist. Behind the scenes are videos of activities you engage in before a live performance or major event. They could be videos of your trip to the venue for the event, or sound check before the main event, or prayer sessions with your team or red carpet, whatever. Anything that happens behind/ before you climb the stage to perform. They could either be selfie- style vides or you could have someone do the video coverage for you. Behind the scenes tend to make your viewers feel some sense of intimacy/ closeness to you and it also makes them feel like they are part of your life. So, take advantage of that and make your fans feel like they are part of your life; like they are your friends, not your fans.

  1. Rehearsals

Even though this might seem a little difficult because in some ways it feels like exposing your imperfections to the world, yet this is a powerful tool of connecting with your fans/ listeners. When you post videos of your rehearsal time, whether personal or with a group, people get to see that you are human just like everyone else. They see that you make mistakes too, that you do ‘trial and errors’ too and you learn. They see your humorous side, etc. All these makes them feel connected to you better. It makes them know that you’re not some strange, ‘super hero- like’ alien from a planet of musicians, but that you’re human just like they are, only that you are talented in music. Again, this could either be selfie- style vides or you could have someone do the video coverage for you. But just know the idea of uploading rehearsals is great video content for your YouTube channel.

  1. Live performance/ concert

I don’t need to write a lot on this one. Anyone who enjoy your songs would, most likely, want to see how you look when you perform live. And the reality is that not all your fans will ever get the opportunity to see you perform live. So, post videos of your live performances/ concerts to help them. If you are not the organizer, request for the video of your own performance from the organisers. Alternatively, you could ask a friend to help cover your own performance, if you notice there is no provision for video coverage by the organisers. Just make you get a clear video to post, even if it’s just a short clip. And this could even serve as a way for you to evaluate yourself as you grow.

 

So, that’s it for today. Next week, I would wrap up this series of video content ideas for your YouTube channel. And like I told you last week, stay safe and keep creating awesome content.

Video Content Ideas For Your YouTube Channel (1)

video content ideas for your YouTube channel

Today, we’ll be looking at video content ideas for your YouTube channel.

You would agree with me, that besides the fulfillment we get when people watch or listen to our work, every single one of us (musicians) would also like to earn some money from the content we put out. But part of YouTube’s requirements for monetization is that you must have at least 4,000 hours of overall watch time on your channel. Now, that might not pose any problem for someone whose YouTube channel is dedicated for video tutorials or comedy skits, but for a musician, that’s a lot of work. So, I’ve decided to share nine video content ideas that you can use for your YouTube channel in order to remain consistent and gradually reach the requirements for monetization. But since I would not want this article not to be too long, I split them into three parts and today we would we would just look at the first part.

  1. Cover videos:

This is the first video content idea for your YouTube channel that I’ll share. One of the advantages of YouTube is that it allows anyone to upload anything… Anything at all. This means that you can upload a cover of any song you like to your YouTube channel, just make sure you include that it’s a cover, not your original song. This is one type of video you can never run out of content from. I mean, there countless number of good songs out there. All you need is your phone to record yourself and maybe an acoustic guitar (if you can play one), but you could also sing acapella. You can get very creative with covers to the point that people might actually prefer your cover video to the original song. And cover songs, especially covers of popular songs, prove very effective in getting new artistes discovered by new people. So, make sure you make good use of it.

 

  1. Lyric videos:

This is another video content idea for your YouTube channel and it has to do with original content. We all agree that video content is the most effective type of content today. Turning your audio recordings (even older ones) into lyric videos, is therefore a very good form of investment for your music career. It’s like ‘using one stone to kill multiple birds’. Your audience learns your song, you have more content to put out, plus many other advantages (see other advantages of lyric videos). And the best part is that it’s not very expensive to make. Jeplune Music Studios is one sure place you can get professional lyric videos made for you at affordable rates.

 

  1. Music videos:

I’m pretty sure you were wondering when I was going to talk about this one. Music videos are the surest way to get more viewership on your YouTube channel. It has the most tendency to go viral than any other type of video you could put out. But you have to really think of a very interesting concept for your video. There’s no point spending a huge amount of money on a video if it’s going to turn out boring. So, take your time and plan this one very well. Making music videos shouldn’t be something you rush into, except you have a crew that works magic every time and you have so much money.

 

This is where I’m going to stop today, next week we will continue with this interesting topic, and I will be sharing more video content ideas for your YouTube channel. Untill then, stay safe and keep creating awesome content.

Essential qualities you need as a 21st century musician(2)

Essential qualities you need as a 21st century musician

Last week, I started a series on essential qualities you need as a 21st century musician. Today, I am going to share 3 more qualities with you. So, let’s continue.

 

1. You need Genuine Care for your Audience

Deep down in the heart of every musician is the desire to be heard. It doesn’t matter whether you write songs to pass a message to your audience, or to change an existing ideology, or just so that people will notice how talented you are and appreciate you. Whatever be the case, the truth still remains that we all want to be heard. But you need to recognize that the people you want to listen to your songs are real people who face real life problems. They don’t exist for you or your music career. You need to bear that in mind and actually care about them. Think about them as you write your songs. Ask yourself, “what impact will this song I’m writing make in the lives of my listeners?” Show them that you genuinely care about them and let your songs prove it. Don’t just put out content for yourself and expect people to listen. They will listen to your songs more when their lives are impacted positively by them. And this goes beyond your songs; it extends to your social media posts, your press interviews, etc.

 

2. You need Focus.

Let’s face it, becoming successful as a musician does not happen magically, with the snap of one’s fingers. For most musicians, it takes a long time before they can eventually hit commercial success. And so, as a budding musician, you most likely already have a day- job or business that pays the bills while you continue to work hard to succeed in your music career. This is why you need focus. Otherwise, you could get caught up in trying to survive that you totally forget music. This especially the case in a country like Nigeria. Many promising music careers have ended this way. As a musician you need to find a way to remain focused with your music career, even while you try to make ends meet with your job or business. So, yes, focus is an essential quality you need as a 21st century musician.

 

3. You need Consistency

This is another quality that is quite essential for 21st century musicians. We have already established that success in this industry takes time. And also, that there is a lot of competition in this industry, with millions of equally good musicians out there. You, therefore, owe it to your audience (fans) to be consistent with releasing new content on a regular basis, so as to maintain their attention.

Just in case, you haven’t got a clear picture of what I’m trying to paint for you, let me explain it further. The millions of good musicians out there are releasing tons of good music daily. As a result of this, songs now trend for a shorter period of time than they used to. So, in order for any musician to remain relevant, they need to be consistent with releasing content. Hope you get it now?

 

Okay. I’ll stop here again today. So far, I’ve been able to share 6 essential qualities you need as a 21st century musician. You can check the first 3 in the previous article if you missed it. Next week, I will be wrapping up this series, so stay tuned. Please leave a comment below, let me know which of these qualities have helped you in the past.

Essential qualities you need as a musician in the 21st century

Essential qualities you need as a musician in the 21st century

Today, I’m going to begin a series of essential qualities you need as a musician in the 21st century. These are not things you would be taught in music school, but they are absolutely essential. I’ve come to learn them myself over the past couple of years and I am still learning.

  1. You need to be patient

This was supposed to be the last one in the order in which I arranged this article, but I decided to make it the first, because of how important it is, and so that in case you don’t read this article to the end, you would have read this one first.

The fact that you need to be patient as a musician is pretty obvious. I mean, no matter how talented you are, a decent amount of patience is required for you to master your instrument (even if your instrument is your voice). You have to go through long hours of training and practice to be good at what you do. And that requires patience.

But, beyond mastering your instrument(s), you need patience to succeed as a musician in the 21st century. The music industry (and entertainment industry in general) is a very difficult and competitive one. There are millions of good musicians out there doing good music. It takes time to gradually build/ establish your identity as a musician as well as grow a huge fan base for your music. You need to be patient through the process and know that these things take time. There is no such thing as ‘overnight success’ in this industry (forget what the media tells you). You reap what you sow. So, if you sow years of dedication, you reap success in your career in the end. But if you get tired along the way and abandon everything, then that’s the end of your music career.

 

  1. You need to be Original

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you are not the only talented musician in your locality. As I mentioned earlier, there are millions of good musicians out there. All talented, and all very good at what they do, and working very hard (maybe even more than you do) to get noticed. You cannot stand out in this massive pool of talented, hardworking musicians in the world today, if you just copy what everyone else is doing. Yes, you would need to learn and maybe be inspired by other musicians, but don’t copy them; be original. And if in the end you don’t become famous, at least you’ll be fulfilled. So, originality is an essential quality you need as musician in this 21st century.

 

  1. You need to be persistent

I’m going to be very honest with you, the journey to success as a musician is a very long and difficult one. You would be faced with discouragement at various times. Some of the things you would try might not work out well (even after putting your best into them). You would feel like giving up. But you need to be persistent. It is very essential that you develop this quality as a musician, especially in the 21st century. It is only when are able to persist through the entire process that you finally reach your goal.

I’m going to stop here today. Next week I’m going to continue with other essential qualities you need as a musician in the 21st century. In the meanwhile, I would love to hear your thoughts on the qualities I listed in this article. Please leave a comment below.

STAY AT YOUR POST

stay at your post

Today, I want to encourage anyone who might be feeling discouraged right now; stay at your post. Today’s article is not meant for only musicians.

Why am I writing this?

Last week, I went to see one of my mentors. I was feeling very discouraged about a lot of things; ministry, business, passion… everything seemed not to be working and I felt like giving up. While we talked, he said to me, “Sometimes, the only sacrifice you need to make to move God’s heart is to remain/ stay at your post”. That statement felt like drinking a cool glass of water after wandering through a desert on a hot afternoon. I was encouraged, I was revived.

You see, as Christians, we have been called by God to be His ambassadors and messengers here. We are to use our art or vocations (or whatever creative ability we have been gifted with) to proclaim the message of hope to this hopeless world. That is our primary assignment or calling. You can call it your ‘post’. Each of us has a particular ‘post’ that we have been assigned to. And God expects us to stay at that post and be faithful. Theoretically, that sounds like an easy task, but in reality, it is a very difficult one.

It’s difficult, I know

It is difficult to keep doing the same thing, when it yields no visible material result. It’s difficult to remain at the same position and watch others go far, but you can’t join them because more than just a vocation, you see what you do as a calling. It is difficult to be the odd one. It’s difficult when people think you are just wasting your life and being stubborn (or stupid). The pressure from society, family and friends weigh you down. You keep asking yourself, “is this worth it”? You feel like succumbing to their pressures, turn around, and just go the way everyone expects you to go.

But,

But I just want to encourage you to stay at your post. The people pressuring you, are not the ones God gave the calling/ gift/ direct instructions (whatever it is) God gave you. In the end, it is you that God would require an account from, not them. Remember the parable of the talents? Each of the servants were required to give account based on the number of talents given to each of them. Remember also the fall of man in the garden? It was Adam God demanded an explanation from because he was the one that God gave instruction, not Eve. If you yield to pressures and abandon your post, God will not require an account from those people who pressured you, He would require it from you.

So, my dear brother or sister (whoever you are reading this article) don’t give in to the pressures. Stay at your post. Your King is coming and He’s coming with your reward. Be patient, be faithful, don’t give up, stay at your post.

Benefits Of Lyrics Videos

Benefits of lyrics videos

At the end of last week’s article, I promised that we would be looking at the benefits of  lyrics videos this week. That is exactly what we are going to do today. So why do you really need to have a lyrics video for your song.

 

Alright, so the first one is FANS LOVE LYRICS VIDEOS

Yes, you read that right. Now if someone has become a fan of your music, it means the person really loves your sound. This also means that he/she would want to learn the words of your songs so they can sing along while playing your songs. This is where lyrics videos play a very vital role. They afford you the opportunity of teaching your songs to your fans, ‘word for word’ without being physically present. And fans really appreciate it.

 

  1. LYRICS VIDEOS ARE LIKE ‘HOW- TO’ VIDEOS

It’s no longer news that the second most watched type of videos on YouTube are what we call ‘How- To’ videos (tutorial videos that teach how to do specific things). The most logical reason for this, we believe, is that people usually need to watch a tutorial more than once to fully understand it well. The same is the case for lyrics videos. There is no way a fan would learn the words of a song by watching it once; they would usually watch it more once if they really want to learn. This automatically counts as more views for you on YouTube. Of course, I don’t need to tell you that the more views you have, the closer you get to monetization your videos (or even getting noticed by a major label).

 

  1. THEY OFFER OPPORTUNITY TO ATTRACT MORE FANS

YouTube is the world’s biggest streaming site and where billions of people discover new music. Having your song on YouTube not only increases your chance of being discovered by new fans, it also increases the chances of your song popping up on google search easily if you use SEO rightly. But you need video to be on YouTube (and these days, your video needs to be of high quality to attract views). Since shooting music videos are very expensive (we saw that last week), lyrics videos prove to be very efficient as well. Which leads us to the last one…

 

  1. THEY ARE AFFORDABLE

It’s almost unbelievable that despite the numerous benefits of lyrics videos, they are still very affordable, especially when compared to the cost of shooting a music video. In fact, making a lyrics video for a song is cheaper than the amount spent on producing the audio of the song. How crazy is that? You can get all the benefits listed in this article and more and yet you don’t have to break the bank.

Now, I know you might be wondering where can I get lyrics videos, so I can access all these benefits? Jeplune Music Studios, makes professional lyric videos for artists at affordable rates. Chat them directly on Whatsapp now, to start your own video.

 

Well, that’s it. Hope you’ve learnt something new about the benefits of lyrics videos. Let us know in the comments what new thing you learnt. Or you could share other benefits of lyrics videos that we left out in this article.

What Exactly Is A Lyrics Video?

what exactly is a lyrics video?

Last week, we looked at 3 inexpensive things you need to promote your song. But some of you might be wondering, what exactly is a lyrics video? So, I decided to take time this week to educate you on this very important tool for song promotion, which surprisingly is not expensive.

So, what’s a lyrics video?

A lyrics video is a type of video which focuses on the music lyrics. The words of the song are displayed as the song is played and they could be animated in a variety of creative ways. The background of video could either be a plain or motion background that may or may not relate to the song. In some lyrics videos, the background changes at different sections of the song. For instance, a different background could be used for the chorus, while another used for the verses, etc. These days, lyrics video backgrounds could be very complicated, even as complicated as having special effects; it all depends on what the artist wants. Also, music videos which have the lyrics displayed, either at the bottom of the screen or at specific times within the video, are sometimes also classified as lyric videos. But lyrics videos differ from real filmed music videos. Usually, all it takes to make a lyrics video is a skilled video editor. In recent times, lyrics videos have been utilized by record labels to generate more content for their artists.

Now you may ask, “what’s the difference between a lyrics video and a music video?

Well, like I said, a lyrics video focuses on the music lyrics. A music video, on the other hand, is a short film, shot and edited specifically for a song. It could be either for promotional or artistic purposes. The process of shooting a music video is often similar to that of shooting a movie. The artist, together with the director, first develops a concept for the video. This determines whether or not extra actors would be needed for the video or whether the services of a dance crew would be needed, etc. The concept also determines the location(s) where the video would be shot. Shooting a music video involves a crew of skilled professionals such as the director, camera men, sound guy, make-up artist, editor(s), etc. In the end, the cost of making a music video is about 5 times that of a lyrics video and sometimes, depending on the concept and location, the cost could get up to 30 times the cost of a lyrics video.

So, which is better between the two?

Both lyrics videos and music videos are useful for promotion of a song/ album or the artist/ band. However, because of the huge cost of making music videos, music artistes and music bands often resort to making more lyrics videos than music videos and it has gotten them lots of fans. Country superstar, Tailor Swift, is one living proof of this fact. She released a huge chunk of lyrics videos a few years ago, and see where it got her today.

So, if someone asks you, what exactly is a lyrics video? you  now know the answer to that question and you can even differentiate between a lyric video and a music video. Next week, we would look at the benefits of lyric videos.

External links:

Three Inexpensive Things You Need To Promote Your Song

inexpensive things you need to promote your song

Today, I will be sharing three inexpensive things you need to promote your song in the 21st Century. I feel it’s logical to share this with you guys since I encouraged us last week to use what we already have.

First of all, it is worthy to note that prior to promotion, you must have produced good music. This is very important, because no matter how much you promote crab, people will not love it, except you have a huge budget for promotion. But my guess is that you are reading this article because you don’t have millions of Naira (or whatever currency you use in your country) kept specifically for promoting your music, so you have to work extra hard to bring out good stuff. I might probably dedicate another article later to write on this. But for now, let’s focus on the inexpensive things you need for promoting your song.

The first thing you need is quality graphic designs.

Let’s face it, the first thing anyone would see before they hit the link to listen to your song is your cover art. It’s your cover art that would determine whether or not they would hit that link. So, you really need to invest in getting a quality and attractive design for your cover art. Don’t just think you can do it yourself, except you’re a graphic designer. Thankfully, getting a professional design is not expensive. It would not even cost up to one-fifth of what you spent to produce the song. Katapult Design is one of the design firms that makes amazing designs and at affordable rates.

The second thing you need is a lyric video.

We live in an era where visuals is everything. Having something visual to accompany your song is very essential for promotion these days. And since my focus in this article is inexpensive things you need for promotion, lyric videos are effective alternatives to the more expensive music videos. In a later article, I will explain what a lyric video is and the advantages of having lyric videos. But for now, know that having a lyric video is essential for promoting your song. Jeplune Music Studios is one place you can get professional lyric videos at affordable rates.

The third thing you need, which in actual sense is not really a ‘thing’, is friends.

Yeah, you cannot effectively promote your song alone. You need your friends to help you. This is especially necessary since you might not have the budget to pay digital marketers/ bloggers. Even if you have the huge budget to pay bloggers/ digital marketers, you still need friends. Get your friends to post about your song, share the link and the (awesome) cover art on their social media outlets at the same time (if possible). This usually has a huge impact on people when they see the same design on three or more people’s story or timeline or status (whatever). You can also plead with them to do short videos with their phones singing along to your song, and make sure you repost as they upload such videos.

Finally, these things I mentioned in this article are not all it takes to promote your song, if you have a moderate or higher budget for promotion, there are a whole lot of things you can still do to get your music to a wider range of audience from across the world. This article was specifically focused on how to promote your song in the 21st century using three inexpensive things/ resources you already have. This is my own way of encouraging you to use what you have.

Am I doing well enough?

am I doing well enough

Am I doing well enough? This is something many creative people struggle with all the time and I would like to talk about it today.

First of all, I would like to mention here that this article is mainly for Creative people who are Christians. It was first written for JOGAMA Magazine’s 3rd edition in July, 2020. It was inspired by the famous ‘Parable Of The Talents’ by Jesus Christ (this can be found in Matt.25:14-30).

Remember when you were little, and you performed excellently in a test or competition that your teacher used you as an example to challenge other students? Or at home, your parents used your good behavior as an example for your siblings to emulate? Remember that feeling? Now think about how much more it would be like for the Creator of everything to affirm you before all creation. Can you imagine that? That’s the kind of affirmation Jesus was talking about in that parable.

The parable

Now back to the parable. A man who was going to be away for a long time, left talents of money for his servants. He gave five to one of them, two to another and one talent to the other servant; he shared the talents to them according to their ability. When he returned from his trip, the servant with five talents had traded with his and got five more as profit. The one with two had also traded with his and got two more as profit. But the one with one talent brought back the same talent he was given, unused. And made some mean statements about his master. Now, for the sake of this article, I would like to liken the talents in the parable to our gifts/ unique abilities as creative people. And, of course, the master is God, who gave us those abilities/ gifts.

For the Master, what’s most important is not quantity

You would notice that the servant with five talents, who produced ten, got the same amount of appraisal/ affirmation as the one who had two talents. This proves that in the Master’s mind, what’s important is not quantity, but faithfulness in service. Also, the Master does not (and would never) expect more from His servants than is commensurate to what He has given them.
Many times, as creatives, we tend to compare our achievements with those of other creatives and then begin to feel bad that we have not achieved as much as they have. We ask ourselves questions like, am I doing well enough?, Do I even measure up to the standard?”  We say, “if only I had ‘this or that’, I would have done ‘this or that’”. There might even be some of us (creatives) who could resort to not using our gifts entirely just because we feel we do not measure up to what others are doing (This is even worse). But God does not expect more from us than He has given us. We just need to be faithful in doing what we are able to do now and do it as best as we can. It is this (faithfulness) that God rewards.

 

In case you missed it: Treat people nicely

The Master’s expectation from His servants is faithfulness with what He has given

We also notice, from the parable, that the Master did not say, “well done good and famous servant” neither did He say, “… good and perfect servant”. Rather He said, “… good and faithful servant”. The Master’s expectation from His servants is faithfulness with what He has given. I would like you to pause, for a second, and ask yourself, “what has God given me?” That skill, those friends, that family, the exposure you have, that money (no matter how small), the education you’ve got, those life experiences, that audience you already have (no matter how little), the smart phone or laptop you already have, etc. He wants you to use them faithfully. That’s all He really expects from you. Forget about the connection you don’t have yet, or the bigger audience/ fans, or the money or the equipment you don’t have yet; just be faithful with the ones you already have. Last year, during the lockdown, I released a beat tape with just my laptop, a $200 DAW, and a pair of headphones. I know I could have done more with better equipment and funds for promo, but why wait endlessly when I can do something with what I already have. Now, one of the beats have been turned into a full song, and some others in the process. So just be faithful with what you already have.

Don’t let what you don’t have yet stop you from using what you already have

I would like to state here that I am not suggesting, in any way, that you should not work at improving or developing your talents to get better or that you should not get better equipment when you can afford them. By all means, try not to remain where you are; learn, improve, upgrade, but do not let what you don’t have yet stop you from using what you already have now.

So, the next time that question, am I doing well enough? pops in your mind, just tell yourself, “I am doing the best I can” and make sure you are actually doing the best you can.