SAN FRANCISCO (Hypebot) — YouTube launched Official Artist Channels last year to make it easier for fans to find content from their favorite artists by uniting official videos, live performances, individual songs and albums all under one channel. YouTube has now announced the mandatory consolidation of an artist’s subscribers under an Official Artist Channel.
If a fan is subscribed to an unofficial YouTube artist channel, they will now be subscribed to the Official Artist Channel and subscriptions to any unofficial artist channels will become inactive.
Today’s announcement also explains in part why YouTube has signed on to the global International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI) initiative which assigns an ID to every creator.
What It Means For Artists
For artists, uniting fan subscribers under one channel may mean more reach when promoting on the platform. It also gives the artist and their team more control and opportunities to engage directly with fans through YouTube features like Community Posts, Mobile Live and Ticketing.
The consolidation includes videos from VEVO and will eventually be mandatory. The latter could present problems for artists who have maintained an unofficial channel alongside an official label-controlled channel, particularly if they are no longer affiliated with the label.
Get More Info
YouTube will be rolling out of the new Official Artist Channels to artists on the platform over the coming weeks. Artists and marketers looking for more information on their Official Artist Channels can read more in the YouTube For Artists Help Center.
