Heads Up Music Lovers: YouTube to Create Streaming Music Service

When it comes to music, YouTube is said to be making a big move that might have Spotify looking over its shoulder.
Six million customers pay Spotify $10 each month to listen to any song in its library, commercial free, at home or on a smartphone. Now YouTube wants in on the on-demand action. The Google-owned video streaming service is said to be working on its own on-demand music platform that could compete with Spotify head to head.
The service, as Billboard reports, will likely let mobile users stream an unlimited number of songs, on-demand, for free. A premium paid service could offer users unlimited access to Google's subscription All Access music service, ad removal and an offline mode.
Spotify, in comparison, charges users $5 to listen to artist- or track-based radio stations commercial free. On demand access and offline mode costs $10.
YouTube's main objective, however, is to attract more users to advertise to. YouTube would remove the ads if you pay them, but that's the revenue they're really after. In contrast, Spotify hopes users will pay them to get rid of pesky ads, which interrupt free users after every 15 or so minutes of music play.
When contacted, YouTube declined to comment about its plans for a new music service.
"We're always working on new and better ways for people to enjoy YouTube content across all screens, and on giving partners more opportunities to reach their fans," a spokesperson said. "However, we have nothing to announce at this time."
For years, high school and college students have been using YouTube in just this way: streaming official and unofficial uploads of their favorite songs instead of downloading them from someplace like iTunes or even illegally. YouTube's new plan could make it easier to use the service in a manner people already enjoy.
Last month, YouTube announced plans to let users temporarily download video clips to be watched offline later. Both features could potentially give artists more exposure and revenue since fans will be able to enjoy their content more frequently and in more places such as airplanes and subways.

How to Customize Your YouTube Channel

         In his book Entrepreneur Magazine's Ultimate Guide to YouTube for Business, marketing and public relations consultant Jason Rich show you how to master the secrets of successful "YouTubers" and put your brand, product or service in front of millions of potential viewers. In this edited excerpt, the author shows you how to customize your channel to make it stand out from the crowd.
After setting up your YouTube Channel page, it will look pretty barren when you first access it. It will display your profile photo, name and a few details, like your latest activity, date joined, age and country.
Near the top-left corner of the screen is the "Channel Settings" button. Click on this to begin customizing your YouTube Channel. Here, you can fully customize the visual appearance of your channel's page. By default, the "Appearance" tab (near the top-left corner of the screen) has been selected. Click on the "Accept" button to confirm your selection after you're done making your customizations.
Under the "Background" heading, you can upload a digital photo or a graphic image you create or edit using Adobe Photoshop or another graphics program to serve as your channel page's background wallpaper by clicking on the "Choose File" button. Or simply choose a solid color background by clicking on the "Choose a Color" option, and then clicking on your desired background color.
When selecting a photo to use as a background, be sure you own the rights to the image or photo you'll be using. Otherwise, you could get into trouble for copyright violations.
As you're customizing your own YouTube Channel page, it's a good strategy to visit other popular YouTube channels to see firsthand how they're using wallpaper graphics or photos to enhance their channel's page.
Next, click on the "Info and Settings" tab that's displayed under the "Channel Settings" heading to add a text description of your YouTube Channel in the "Description" field. Your YouTube channel description should be short and to the point. Explain who you are, the channel's purpose, and provide a preview of your videos so that people will want to visit your channel and watch your videos. YouTube, Google, and other search engines will use this information when it comes to your channel's search engine optimization listings.
Below the "Description" field is the "Tags" field. Here, you should enter a series of keywords or phrases that best describe your YouTube Channel, as well as your product, service, company, or event. When someone performs a search on YouTube or Google, their search terms are automatically compared to the description and tags you've created for your YouTube Channel. If Google discovers a match or matches, your channel will be listed in the user's search results. This is a powerful tool for attracting traffic to your channel and increasing your views.
Below the "Tags" field is the "Channel URL" link. This is a unique URL for your YouTube Channel. Right now, the link is fully functional, but it's comprised of a long list of random numbers and letters. Click on the "Edit" button to create a much easier and customized URL for your channel.
Click on the "Create Channel URL" button to establish your custom YouTube Channel URL, which will take on this format: http://www.youtube.com/[your custom channel name]. After confirming your unique, custom URL, an "Overview" screen will be displayed. From here, you can edit your username and password, plus adjust a handful of other account settings, as well as turn on or off the YouTube functionality that allows you to display ads from other companies on your channel page and within your videos so that you can potentially earn revenue.
As you customize your YouTube Channel page, click on the "Tabs" option that's displayed under the "Channel Settings" heading to customize what options will be available to people who visit your channel's page. Click on the "Done Editing" button to continue. Click on the "Account Settings" page to customize the channel title, profile image, channel description, and channel tags so they're associated with your business/organization, not yourself or an individual.
For example, the channel title should include your company's name. You can modify the channel title at any time. The channel's description should include details about your business or organization, and the channel's tags should relate directly to your company or whatever the channel itself is being set up to promote.
You're now ready to start populating your YouTube channel with videos, and then promoting your channel to the public in order to solicit viewers and subscribers.

How to Develop an Ongoing Rapport With Your YouTube Viewers and Fans

In his book Entrepreneur Magazine's Ultimate Guide to YouTube for Business, marketing and public relations consultant Jason Rich show you how to master the secrets of successful "YouTubers" and put your brand, product or service in front of millions of potential viewers. In this edited excerpt, the author discusses ways you can more closely connect with your YouTube audience.
Once you get people to watch just one of your videos, you'll want to make it easy for them to watch your other videos as well. This can be done within the videos themselves, on your YouTube channel’s page, via email announcements of new videos, and announcements on Facebook, Twitter and other social media.
Remember, within every video you produce, it should contain some type of call to action—a request that your viewers immediately do something. This call to action should be accompanied by a reward. For example, say something like, “To save $50 off your first order, click here to visit our website.”
You can add a direct call to action within a video in a handful of ways:

• Add a message inviting people to watch your other videos.
• Embed easy-to-find links to your other videos within each of your videos and on your channel’s page.
• Encourage your viewers to like and rate your videos.
• Make it easy for people to share your videos via online social networking or email by enabling the “Share” function.
• Ask viewers for ideas for future video topics, so they feel like they’re part of the creative process.
• Pose specific questions, and encourage viewers to post their video responses. You can also ask survey questions or solicit feedback. For example, if you’re using a YouTube video to demonstrate a new product, ask people to post their thoughts about the product itself or their own ideas about how they’d use it.
• Ask fans, customers, potential customers or subscribers to send you questions via email, Facebook or Twitter, and answer the most common questions in future videos. When you do this, be sure to credit the questioner. For example, begin with, “Bob Smith from White Plains, New York, asks . . .”
• Encourage people to visit your website, read your blog, visit your Facebook page and follow you or your company on Twitter.

If you’re using YouTube video to communicate with your potential or existing customers, it’s essential that you publish your contact information in conjunction with your videos. However, only do this within your videos and/or on your YouTube channel’s page if you intend to actually respond quickly and, potentially, personally. Otherwise, simply ask your viewers, fans and subscribers to post comments related to your videos through YouTube, and make it clear that you read them all.
When it comes to your overall online presence, think synergy. Promote your YouTube videos and channel via your website, Facebook page, Twitter feed, etc., and at the same time, provide links and mentions of your other online activities within your videos and on your YouTube channel’s page, as well as within your videos. You’ll probably discover, however, that it’s easier and more efficient to interact with your audience through a Facebook page or Twitter feed.
One thing to avoid when interacting with your YouTube audience is engaging “haters” or “trolls”—people who continuously post negative or hateful comments related to you, your company or your videos. Responding to these people in either a public or private forum often leads to an escalation of their behavior. If you determine someone is simply trying to be a nuisance by posting negative information, delete their comments and do not respond to them.
Obviously, if one of your viewers, customers or potential customers has a legitimate gripe, address that on a one-on-one basis by phone or email. But be aware that there are many “haters” on YouTube who simply make a habit of posting negative and potentially reputation-damaging comments on the service for no good reason whatsoever.
Determine Who in Your Audience Has Influence
Using tools available online, such as a service called Klout or simply by reviewing the number of friends your viewers, fans or subscribers have in conjunction with their own Facebook, Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, you can see firsthand how much influence each person has over others in cyberspace.
As you’re working to promote your videos and YouTube Channel, analyze your audience, figure out who the influencers are, and try to cater to them through direct contact. At the same time, figure out who is producing videos that are similar in focus or content to yours, as well as YouTube channels that are catering to the same target audience, even if their content is vastly different from what you’re offering.
In addition to reviewing the video content, production quality and approach, pay attention to how they’re being promoted, what keywords are being used and who is their intended audience.
You can find similar videos using a keyword search on YouTube itself, or you can use a service like Pixability to help you find videos that are somehow related to yours, or that have a similar target audience.