Learn to monetise YouTube, warns industry players

ZJ Chrome is advising industry players to own their own YouTube channels, so as to benefit from the fruits of streaming.

YouTube.com, which started in 2005, has become one of the leading sources for music and can be an asset to recording artistes and producers, yielding millions in revenue.

However, according to Chrome, Jamaican artistes are often late to the 'technology party', including the current streaming wave, and believes they have been blindsided for years by YouTube 'uploaders', who post songs without the permission of artistes, collecting revenue on their behalf.

YouTube currently pays popular channels based on the frequency of traffic, streams, subscribers and Google ads.

Chrome believes streaming is the future of music, but first encourages the music industry to at least tap into the opportunities presented by YouTube without relying on uploaders.

Daddy Biggs, CEO for distribution company Platinum Camp Records, also conceded that Jamaican artistes are lagging behind. Biggs, who has deals with Pandora, Spotify and YouTube, said artistes should get their business right.

"When I brought digital distribution to many Jamaican artistes, they laughed at me. They didn't understand how the music was gonna change, but you have to realise that music has been evolving with the generation," he said.

Biggs said it was important that artistes get credible distribution for their work.

"Some artistes will find the resources to record, mix and master. However, the main thing, which is to distribute and promote, they will say they can't find the funding to do. The YouTube uploaders will only be able to benefit from those persons who have no credible distribution deals and have their music all over the place," he said.

YouTube uploader Krish Genius has over 180,000 subscribers on his channel and has been uploading videos for over eight years.

This is his second channel after he was deleted by YouTube for copyright infringement in 2010. He told THE STAR that he no longer uploads videos for some artistes.

"However, there are young artistes and producers who pay us to put their music on our channels and promote them on social media. I also started doing my own production in 2013 and I have no issues with people re-uploading my music because it's more promotion for me," he said.

He confirmed that YouTube uploaders are no longer able to benefit from the work of artistes once there is copyright.

Acts like Spice, Alkaline, Vybz Kartel, DJ Frass, Popcaan and others have opted to use their own channel for YouTube uploads in recent times.