As some of you might know, I became a YouTube partner at the beginning of this year. It was a big thing for me after putting many hours into learning and developing a whole host of new skills from songwriting to recording, guitar playing to how to use a video camera etc, etc.
For those of you who don't know... Youtube has a partnership program for creators of video with original content. There are a few benefits to being a partner including collecting a share of revenue from those ads you see on the Youtube videos. Partners also receive some other small goodies like the ability to place a customer banner with links at the top of your channel. These little things set you apart from the crowd and can give you a professional persona.
I look up to people on Youtube like David Choi and Tyler Ward who consistently present good video on a regular basis as well as being good musicians and songwriters. These guys and lots of others are leading the way when it comes to being creative, independent musicians and entertainers. I think musicians who have ignored this medium are doing so to their own detriment. You literally have a potential audience of millions. How many bar or cafe gigs do you need to play to match that kind of accessibility? I'm not saying that having a Youtube channel should be your whole career as a musician, but it should be one of the arrows in your quiver.
One of my biggest problems is creating video that is authentic, entertaining and varied. I have a lot of video with me just playing an original song in front of the camera and these are popular with people who like my writing and singing, but I have also experimenting with green screens, stop motion and other video effects. I think most times my "video spectaculars" come off looking amateurish, but on Youtube that is not a problem and may even be seen as a sign of authenticity by some. I see every video as a learning opportunity and as time goes by, I think I will only get better.
Recently, I have contacted Derek Shelley a local minister and amateur actor and director to help out with a new "music video". Derek and I had lunch and I found out that he was very interested in casting and directing a video. One of my new songs "Angel's Wings" will be the subject of the video. I have yet to record the song, but I've passed on lyrics to Derek. I've also asked one of my old acting buddies (Bob Stone) to star as the main character. Bob said he'd be happy to help out.
This video will be more complicated and involve more people than I have previously used before, but I'm looking forward to the challenge. It's another creative side path on my to ... who knows where.
