YouTube Music is launching an array of new features as it celebrates 10 years in business, designed to connect artists even more with their fans, and ultimately to solidify YouTube's position in the crowded music engagement space. To kick things off, users will begin to see fan badges like "First to Watch" and "Top Listener" to encourage users to publicly display their affinity in gameplay-like formats. This gamification will, of course, move passive streaming to active engagement to not only make fans feel acknowledged for listening activities that may not have been deemed as value-adding with traditional streaming apps, but also to create a sense of commonality amongst listeners who can demonstrate their fandom while providing advantage to artists in the way of sold, organic engagement.
Milestones, Achievements, and Artist Growth
On a separate note, YouTube has provided even more with their active, milestone-based achievements for artists with fan engagement and consideration. For example, it's shown official music video nears 100,000, 1 million, or 1 billion views, this causes an alert that notifies listeners they could contribute to the milestone and perhaps be a part of helping the artists reach them. But the alert and encouragement does not solely focus on numbers, but rather humanizes the relationships by letting fans feel they are part of an artist’s success. YouTube, now more than previous engagement modes, considers the fan experience as a collaborative experience; one that also matters and is amazing. Ultimately, this system also offers support to musicians by providing the chance to build on this momentum for their biggest supporters and for their biggest supporters to feel more connected in investing in the artist and in their own journey of success.
Live Shows, Playlists, and Future Strategy
YouTube partnered with Bandsintown, a live music ticketing service, to promote concerts and other fan-specific events in their local area. Fans can now learn about any tour announcements, new merch drops, or album announcements without ever leaving the YouTube app. Of course, the whole reason they forged this partnership in the first place is so fans can create and maintain the music aspect of their lifestyle—a place where music fans never miss a beat! All priorities aside, this move signifies where YouTube has its sights set—specifically, TikTok and Instagram. Social media has made music discovery an integral part of the overall social media experience. So instead of only focusing on generic, short/viral clips, they're making the YouTube ecosystem avant-garde to allow for comments on an album, discussions on playlists, and taste-matched playlists that help identify songs that elevate your vibe. Nevertheless, collectively, these efforts could note the one-time "Google Music" approach, while riding the present behaviors of today's global music audience toward the future!
