Official Artist Channels offer you additional options for your channel layout and customization. In addition to standard channel sections, you can also include the following sections on your channel’s home page:

• Releases
• Discography - Music Videos 
• Collaborations
• Fan Shorts
• Watch Milestones

To customize your channel, head to the Customization tab in YouTube Studio. There, you can define your channel name and handle, upload an eye-catching banner, and ensure your Profile for Artists assets remain current.

The Customization tab lets you adjust your avatar/image, biography, and channel banner.
Meanwhile, the Profile section is dedicated to updating your biography and profile image on YouTube Music.

Learn more about managing your Official Artist Channel.

How to build your artist channel

If your releases or videos are missing or showing up incorrectly on your Official Artist Channel, you can fix them directly using the Releases tab in YouTube Studio (available on desktop only).

1. Open YouTube Studio:

Log in to YouTube Studio on a desktop computer.

2. Navigate to Content:

Click on the Content tab in the left-hand menu.

3. Select Releases:

Click Releases at the top of the page. From here, you can manage your discography and track the status of your removal or addition requests.

Here is how to resolve the most common issues:

• Missing from your channel: If your release is available elsewhere on YouTube but not on your channel, scroll to the bottom of the Releases tab and click the Let us know link to request it be added.
• Not your release: If another artist's music is appearing on your channel, select the release, go to ‘Request change’ and choose "This is not my release. Remove from channel."
• Don't want it on your channel: If it is your release but you want it removed from your channel, select the release and choose "Although this is my release, remove from channel."

If you remember the email associated with your YouTube channel, you can try to recover your account using the Google Account Recovery flow.

If you’ve lost access to the Google Account associated with your channel or your channel has been hacked, please follow the dedicated steps in the YouTube Help Center.

If you’re an artist manager and your artist is managed under an enterprise or label network, the network administrator or YouTube Partner Manager can also assist with manager transfers and access verification.

To check if your channel is monetizing, follow these steps:

• Go to YouTube Studio, or studio.youtube.com 
• Look on the left side and click on the “Earn” tab

Then, follow the steps on the screen:

• You’ll first need to accept YouTube’s Terms of Service.

• Then, you’ll need to connect an AdSense account. If you don’t yet have an AdSense account, head over to adsense.google.com to set one up. 

  • Keep in mind, Google  AdSense accounts can only be registered to an email address once, so be sure to use one that is solely yours.  

• Finally, your application will go into review. Applications undergo standard policy review within approximately 2-4 weeks, though review times may.  

Once approved, turn on features you want by heading back to the Earn Tab and clicking “Get Started.”

It’s important to remember that while YPP unlocks select features for OACs, artists with content owners may have limited and varying access. Reach out to your YouTube partner manager or label / distributor if you have additional questions.

Follow these steps to start earning and grow your business.

1. YouTube Partner Program (YPP) The first step is to join the YPP if eligible.
   

2. Advertising
   Create a Google AdSense account. You will need this in order to collect revenue from your channel. There are more instructions in the Earn tab once you join YPP.

   a. If you have a Content Owner (CO), you do not need this step as your CO will collect revenue.
   

3. Monetizing Content 
   Enable monetization on all monetizable content, including long-form videos and Shorts. Make sure to enable all ad types to take advantage of all ads to make the most of your revenue.

4. Merch
   Connect your channel store to start selling merch on YouTube.

5. Ticketing 
   Connect your BandsInTown account to start letting your fans on YouTube know when they can experience your live show.

If your content gets a Content ID claim and you have a valid reason it was claimed in error, you can dispute the claim directly in YouTube Studio. Learn more on how the dispute process works here.

For copyright takedowns (strikes), if you believe your video was removed by mistake or qualifies as fair use, you can resolve the strike in three ways:

• Wait for it to expire (90 days)
• Request a retraction from the claimant
• Submit a counter notification. More details are available here.

Ads on YouTube are managed through Google Ads. Make sure to set up a Google Ads account and link it to your YouTube channel.

• Go to the Settings tab in YouTube Studio 
• Go to Promotions
• Click “Link account” and enter your Google Ads account information. 

You can advertise through Google Ads or directly in YouTube Studio with Promote.

Starting a Campaign with Google Ads

• In Google Ads, click (+) New Campaign
• Choose your campaign objective (e.g., "YouTube reach, views and engagements") your desired campaign type. 
• Select your budget (daily or campaign total), target demographics, locations, and interests. 
• Paste your YouTube video URL, choose your ad format (e.g., Skippable in-stream, In-feed video, or Shorts ads), enter your headlines/CTAs
• Launch Campaign! 

Starting a Promotion with YouTube Promote: 

• Mobile 

  • Go to Channel Profile 
  • Tap Your Videos
  • Select a Video or Short 
  • Tap three-dot menu and select “Promote”
  • Enter your campaign details and launch! 

• Desktop

  • Go to the Content tab in YouTube Studio 
  • Go to the Promotions tab
  • Enter your campaign details and launch! 

Approval & Appeals: Google reviews all campaigns for policy compliance within 1–2 business days. If your ad is disapproved, check the "Status" column in Google Ads for the policy violation, modify the ad to comply, or submit an appeal directly in the platform.

Communities are a dedicated space for you and your audience to connect with each other right from your channel. In your Community, your subscribers can make posts and start discussions about your videos, share pictures and other activities that create more engagement about your videos. You can choose whether or not you want to make a Community available on your channel.

To set up your community:

On YouTube, go to your channel's Posts tab. Click 'Turn on my Community'

Make a welcome post for fans to see when they enter or set Community guidelines.

Learn more about how to moderate your Community.

Posts that you or your viewers create from your Community are shared only to your Community, and will not show on the Posts tab. Community-only posts may be recommended to viewers on their homepage, subscriptions and watch next feed.

Note: Viewers must be subscribed to your channel for a minimum amount of time before they can post. You can adjust the period of time in your Content controls settings.

Learn more about Community eligibility here.

YouTube Shopping allows you to showcase your merch directly on your channel. First you will need to connect your store:

1. Use a computer to sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. In the left Menu, select Earn.
3. Click the Shopping tab. This tab will only surface if your channel is eligible.
4. Click Get Started if you haven’t already connected YouTube with a Shopping retailer or platform. Otherwise, click Connect new store on the product card.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to link your official merchandise store to your YouTube channel.

Once your store is linked, you can manage which products appear on your channel home page or beneath your videos by visiting the Shopping section of the Earn tab in YouTube Studio.

For a step-by-step guide on connecting your merch store to your Official Artist Channel, click here.

To edit or update your concert dates, make changes on your Bandsintown profile, as YouTube Studio doesn't let you update concert dates directly.

1. Check your channel eligibility

To be considered for ticketing features, you must:

• Have a YouTube Official Artist Channel
• Have a music attraction ID with any of the supported ticketers 
• Have upcoming concerts in any of the supported countries where viewers of your videos can see the ticketing shelf (listed below)

2. Add your tour dates to a supported ticketers website

Opt in or out of ticketing features

All eligible OACs are opted in to ticketing features. If you think that you're eligible, contact your YouTube Partner Manager or send feedback.

To disable ticketing on your Artist Channel:

• Sign in to YouTube Studio.
• In the left-hand menu, click Concerts.
• Next to 'Sell tickets through YouTube', toggle the ticketing option off.

To add ticketing features back to your channel, toggle the ticketing option on.

Learn more on concert tickets on YouTube here.

Growth on YouTube starts with a consistent content strategy on your channel. Supporting videos and Shorts can help drive traffic to your music videos while expanding your audience and reach on YouTube.

Additionally, you can utilize video optimization best practices with direct fan engagement tools to maximize your video’s reach. For example:

• Design High-Impact Thumbnails: Use clear, vibrant, high-contrast images with minimal text that are easily readable on mobile screens. 

• Optimize Search Metadata: Craft titles that combine your artist name, song title, and keywords. Add social links and a clear "Subscribe" call-to-action in the top lines of your descriptions.

• Leverage YouTube Shorts: Upload short, vertical clips of your music and music videos. Shorts are fed directly into the highly active Shorts Feed, providing an excellent gateway for new viewers to discover and subscribe to your channel. 

💡Shorts Pro Tip: You can use the Related Video feature on Shorts to bring fans back to your official music videos.

Official Music Video Remix allows you and your fans to create Shorts using clips directly from your music video.

• Cultivate Fan Engagement: Pin an engaging comment on your video, heart and reply to fan comments, and use posts to create polls or text updates to keep your fans engaged and in the loop.

YouTube equips artists with tools to help create content directly on the platform.

Give new life to your music video using the "Remix tool": Use YouTube's built-in Remix tool to quickly edit up to 60 seconds of your existing long-form videos into Shorts. The Shorts player automatically links back to the original video, driving traffic to your back catalog without any extra filming.

Edit Mobile-First with "YouTube Create": Edit high-quality videos on the go with the free YouTube Create app, which is designed specifically for fast mobile production. The app provides completely free royalty-free music, automatic captions, and audio clean-up features to save you time and editing costs.

Engage via the Posts Tab: Keep your channel active in your subscribers' feeds in seconds using the Posts Tab to post images, text updates, and interactive polls. This keeps your audience engaged and maintains channel visibility during gaps between your major video releases.

Alternate Visuals: If a full music video isn't possible for release day, try looping visualizers, lyric videos, performance videos, tour recaps, or studio footage.

Looking for Inspiration for new content? 

Check out the Inspiration tab in the Content tab on YT Studio.

In Analytics for Artists, go to the Audience tab to see what else your audience is watching.

Foundry is YouTube Music’s global artist development program. Foundry serves the independent music community, giving artists access to resources to help them thrive on YouTube and build careers on their own terms.

Artists selected for Foundry receive grants, dedicated partner support from YouTube, on and off-platform promotional levers and educational opportunities.

Foundry Rising is a global developing artist program under the umbrella of Foundry, focused on activating earlier stage artists. Read on for more on this program.

Learn more about the Foundry and Foundry Rising Program here.