youtube music business plan

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A step-by-step guide to developing a music business plan

June 17, 2021

Why you need a music business plan

Where to start, the main components of a music business plan, the importance of multiple income streams, subscribe to greenlight by thimble..

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Making a living in the music business is the ultimate dream of every serious musician. But out of the countless individuals with a passion for music, only a select few will make a profitable business out of it. That doesn’t mean reaching your goals is impossible. If you want to earn reliable income from your music career, you need to treat it like any other business. That means making a detailed blueprint that will take you from passionate hobbyist to successful professional. This step-by-step guide to developing a music business plan will set you on the right path.

Whether your goal is to have a career as a professional musician, recording artist, producer, or music teacher, documenting the path you’ll take with a music business plan will be helpful to your cause. Your business plan outlines your goals, identifies the practical methods you’ll take to achieve them, and lists the resources you have and will need.

Not only will a concrete business plan keep you on course, it will also demonstrate your credibility in the eyes of others. Potential clients and business partners will see you as a professional and not another starving artist. If you ever need to take out a business loan or raise money for investors, a business plan is a must-have.

Crafting your music business plan isn’t something you can do in one sitting. You’ll need more than an afternoon to get this right. Take your time, bite off piece-by-piece, and chew your thoughts over thoroughly.

Our first piece of advice is as old as time:  know thyself.

You need some clarity of purpose before you can craft a useful music business plan. Ask yourself:

• Who is my audience?
• What is my ultimate goal?
• Why do I want to do this?

Having this understanding will make it easier for you to explain your vision to others and convey your enthusiasm. It will also establish the framework for your music business. This step is crucial if you’ll need people to buy in to help you reach your goals.

The content of your music business plan will vary depending upon whether you’re aiming to start a music school, be a producer, or work as an artist. But the fundamental components are the same either way. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Mission Statement
• Executive Summary
• Audience Analysis
• SWOT Analysis
• Marketing Plan
• Financial Considerations

Let’s look at each of these in turn.

Mission Statement:

This can be as short as a few sentences, as long as it adequately describes who you are as an artist or a musical entrepreneur and what you’re trying to accomplish. While this might sound simple, think things through a bit before you try to draft your statement. Everything that follows here will hinge upon it.

Executive Summary:

The executive summary is a one-page synopsis of your plan. It should include an introduction as well as a description of your endeavors. Details about the funding you already have and what you’ll need in addition to a brief accounting of your plans for putting all of it into play are important too.

Most experts recommend saving the drafting of this part for last. It’s essentially a digest of all the other parts of your plan. Doing it last allows you to draw upon the information you’ve drafted for all of the other steps.

Audience Analysis: 

Here’s where you’ll demonstrate your understanding of your target audience. If you’re already performing, teaching, or producing on the side, think about what traits the people who follow you have in common.

If you’re just getting started, find someone doing what you want to do whose style and circumstances are similar to yours, and analyze their target market. Create a demographic sketch of your target audience based on gender, age, location, musical tastes and favorite venues.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats:

Think about the qualities that make you unique. List everything that comes to mind, from technical mastery and creative spark to teaching older demographics and networking. Your skills might not seem extraordinary on an individual level, but combine all your best qualities and you’ll find there isn’t anyone quite like you on the market.

Don’t forget about your weaknesses. Identity these not as qualities to promote, but as areas to work on in the future. Being aware of your shortcomings will also help guide your decision on potential business partners in the future. Let your inner critic loose, but realize that this is an exercise in personal growth, not tearing yourself down.

Had enough reflecting? Let’s take a look at the marketplace. Think about potential gaps in the industry you can exploit. Perhaps your competitors are overlooking a key value and you see a way to provide it both efficiently and effectively. These are your opportunities.

Threats could include technological shifts, cultural changes, the emergence of new artists, competition, and new trends. The music world moves fast, and today’s hot act can end up as yesterday’s news before your can say “more cowbell!” Brainstorm any roadblocks you picture yourself facing over the next few years and strategies you can use to overcome them.

Marketing plan:

Your marketing plan will detail how you’ll spread the word about yourself. Consider how much money you can reasonably invest into marketing and work out how you’ll spend it to reach as many of the right people as possible. Think about how you’ll grow your online presence—including social media, a press kit, and publicity materials such as a logo and photography.

Get a full account of your current cash flow situation. List how much capital you currently have and estimate how much it’ll take to get your operation up and running. When in doubt, overestimate. Studio time, engineering talent, transportation, legal fee, copyrights and trademarks are all important considerations when projecting your budget.

Measuring your progress:

At what intervals will you go over the financials to see how you’re advancing? What are the milestones by which you’ll mark your achievements?

You’ll also need a method for measuring your impact on the market in terms of the reputation you build. Social media outlets provide analytical tools to help you track these metrics. They can also help you pinpoint the demographics of your audience.

Establishing your key performance indicators (KPIs) can help you set the standards by which you will gauge your success. Sharing this information with others makes you accountable because they can look at your projections and see how much progress you’ve made toward achieving them.

Summarizing your music business plan

As we mentioned above, once you have all of these areas covered, you can then condense the information each section contains to create your executive summary. After all, how will you know what to put in it until you’ve examined all of these other areas first?

Success in the music industry takes a lot of work and a little luck, but you can stack the deck in your favor by building multiple income streams. That way, if one area slows down, you’ll have another one in play to keep you rolling until the next opportunity presents itself. Revisit your strengths and opportunities and start brainstorming ideas. If you get stuck, here’s a quick list to get you started:

Give music lessons. Chances are if you’ve got the chops to play paid gigs, you’ve got enough skills to pass on to some novice students. Giving music lessons can be a great way to add some extra recurring income.

Start a YouTube channel. With over 2 billion active users, YouTube might just be your biggest source of untapped attention and potential. 1 The platform offers users a chance to learn or be entertained, and as a musician you’re well-positioned to offer both. You could upload instructional videos or footage of yourself performing. You’ll get to keep a portion of any ad revenue your videos make. And if the right person sees your content, it could open the doors to even greater opportunities.

Explore the marketing world. If composition is your thing, you might be overlooking a potentially huge money-maker—marketing and advertising. Brands are in constant need of good video content to market their products, and those videos need music to truly capture attention. If you’ve got a knack for putting together atmospheric instrumentals, creating music for ads could seriously help stabilize your income.

Open your own studio. If you have the capital to invest and live in an area underserved by recording studios, you might want to consider opening your own. While you’re not using it for your own projects, you can rent it out to other local musicians and producers. If there’s enough demand, you could cover the costs of equipment and rent and even have a little profit left over.

Explore session work. Sure, your band is your baby, but if you’ve got time on your hands and musical versatility to boot, why not offer your services as a session musician? Session work is an effective way to boost your income, make new connections and get your name out there as a legit professional. If an artist is truly enamoured with your work, they could invite you to join them on tour.

Another important consideration in your music business plan is protecting your livelihood from the consequences of unintentional accidents. General liability insurance is key to helping you stay focused on your business. Carrying a policy also demonstrates to potential clients that you are a serious professional — whether you’re a musician, DJ , or another kind of entrepreneur in the entertainment industry.

• Hootsuite. 25 YouTube Statistics that May Surprise You: 2021 Edition .

Written on April 19, 2021 | Last updated: June 17, 2021

Our editorial content is intended for informational purposes only and is not written by a licensed insurance agent. Terms and conditions for rate and coverage may vary by class of business and state.

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Organizations and Advocacy Groups of the Music Business

The YouTube Guide for the Music Business

Why we wrote this guide.

YouTube is enormous! The network spans all corners of the earth, is generating healthy revenues, has more people listening to music on it than all other music services combined...and it’s growing exponentially!

Given the scale and multitude of relationships that exist between rightsholders, data distributors, collection organizations, and creators it is obviously very complex. This unique mixture creates incredible opportunities and challenges for all.

To take advantage of the full power of YouTube, one needs a strong foundational understanding of how the music business and YouTube work in addition to the small, yet important, details.

That is why we wrote this guide - to empower one with the building blocks to stay informed.

Who is this guide for

This guide is written for the following:

• Music Publishers and Record Labels who are curious about how to include YouTube in a broader effort to fully exploit the copyrights they control.
• Writers, composers , and artists interested in a more elaborate understanding of how their musical works generate exposure and revenue.
• YouTube Creators eager to gain a deeper understanding on how music can be included in their videos and channels.
• Students and/or artists who are just starting to learn how YouTube might play a role in their music business.
• Attorneys, managers, staff , and the like that work ancillary to the music business.

Ultimately our goal is for the reader of this guide is to walk away feeling confident in their understanding of how the moving parts of YouTube and the music business work together.

Guide Contents

The YouTube Guide for the Music Business is the most exhaustive resource on the subject that exists.

It is recommended that the reader takes time to fully consume all of the information offered in order to take full advantage of all that YouTube has to offer.

Read time - ~ 2 hours

One will also find links to tools and additional resources that can be utilized to further one’s education and get the most from the network.

Finally, as questions and ideas arise, please do not hesitate to reach out to Exploration for clarification. We are here to help.

Table of Contents

History of youtube, music industry basics, how youtube works, managing metadata, vevo and youtube.

YouTube Tools

YouTube Law Cases

YouTube was created in 2005 by Chad Hurley, Steven Chen, and Jawed Karim as a way to easily view and share video via the internet.

It experienced explosive growth and was then acquired by Google in 2006 for $1.6 billion.

In 2007, Viacom and other content providers sued YouTube, alleging that the company should be held liable for copyright infringement for hosting thousands of infringing videos uploaded by users between 2005 and 2008. The lawsuit sought more than $1 billion in damages.

They settled out of court. A resulting provision stated Google needed to provide a tool for rightsholders that was “efficient” and “effective” for them to manage their rights.

In 2011, Google acquired the company RightsFlow. RightsFlow had amassed an enormous catalog and developed software to aid in the identification, reporting, and payment of royalties associated specifically with music publishing licenses. Google took advantage of RightsFlow’s efforts and rolled the technology and data into what would become Content ID Content Management System.

On January 1, 2012, the Content Management System (CMS) was launched and made available to select music publishing rightsholders. The CMS had already been made available to record labels and film/tv companies.

Using the tools, rightsholders started to add and edit asset metadata on copyrights they controlled. Initially, rightsholders often exercised the policy to block or takedown any content that contained their copyrights. However, as the opportunity to monetize and generate exposure through User Generated Content (UGC) became a viable option, the trend has changed to track and monetize. Several thousand music publishers, record labels, PROs , and administrators now contribute to the CMS worldwide.

YouTube makes money by selling advertising that is displayed in association with uploaded videos and via subscriptions to viewers for ad free content, offline access, and exclusive content through YouTube RED.

AdSense was originally created as the advertising network to serve Google.com. It has since become the world’s most sophisticated advertising sales platform, providing advertisers with incredible control over their messaging and analytics. YouTube’s connection with AdSense has presented a unique opportunity to advertisers by offering them access to advertise on YouTube videos.

YouTube ultimately splits its income from advertising and subscriptions with rightsholders. To date they have paid rightsholders in excess of $3 billion. YouTube has since greatly increased the scope of their offerings. They’ve increased the capability and capacity of Content ID, added access to new tools, and built recording facilities. They continue to forge strategic partnerships and create new ways to monetize content across the globe.

Before moving too deeply into how YouTube and rightsholders work together, it is important to have at least a basic understanding of the relevant parts of the music business.

It all starts with copyright and for the purposes of this guide we will be referencing the copyright law of the United States. Copyright law protects and allows those that have created and/or own musical works to receive attribution and remuneration (money) for the uses of these works. This is important, because rightful ownership of a particular musical work is foundational to how all of the interested parties ultimately work together. Relative to YouTube and the music business, there are 3 types of copyrights that are important to consider:

Composition – The song. A composition is comprised of the words, notes, melody, and arrangement of a particular musical work. Compositions are owned by a music publisher. A writer or composer writes a song and then an artist or band performs it (sometimes the composer and artist are the same person, hence singer-songwriter). Other people may interpret a song in their own way after the initial performance. This is referred to as a cover. The same composition may be used in multiple different sound recordings. A cover must be licensed from the publisher just as the original recording is done.

Sound Recording – The recorded audio. A sound recording is the actual music that has been created as an interpretation of a composition. A sound recording is owned by a record label. It may include vocals, drums, strings, horns, electronic sounds, or any other types of audio arranged into a single master recording. Master recordings originally got their name from the days of records being produced. The recorded version would have been the master, thus making all copies the slaves. A sound recording may be embedded in multiple different videos, and will have only one composition embedded in it.

Music Video – The audio-video. A music video is video that has been synced to audio, for the purpose of interpreting the music in a visual medium. A music video is most often owned by the same record label that owns the sound recording. It might be a high budget choreographed production or something as simple as a recording of a live performance. Note the usage of the word sync, as we will see this again later. In its simplest terms, this is a reference to when audio is synced to a visual component, such as in a music video, tv, film, game, or sports broadcast...but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. When discussing a music video here, we are not talking about any random video that might contain a particular musical work, only the official music videos. A music video will have a sound recording embedded in it and the sound recording will have a composition embedded in it.

In summary, a composition is the written song and it is owned by a music publisher. A sound recording is the actual recorded audio, which has an embedded composition, and is owned by a record label. Finally, a music video is visual imagery synced with a sound recording and is usually owned by the record label as well. Each are unique and distinct copyrights.

Copyright law recognizes certain rights exclusive to the creators and owners of a song. These include the rights:

• To reproduce in copies
• To prepare derivative works
• To distribute copies
• To perform the work publicly
• To display the work publicly

For YouTube, there are primarily two of these rights at work, which require that one obtain licenses. They are the right to prepare derivative works, which relates to a sync license, and the right to perform publicly, which relates to a performance license.

Performance License

A performance license is one that dictates how music publishers are paid when works that contain their compositions are performed publicly. This license type was originally created to insure that composers were compensated when their written songs were played during concerts and other live performances before records, cds, and the internet existed. Radio airplay in the United States and music playing publicly, say for instance on the speakers at the local restaurant or mall, are both examples of a public performance.

Performing Rights Organizations or PROs, whom in the United States are ASCAP, BMI, & SESAC, collect royalties from public performance.

Performance licenses are mandated by the government for ASCAP and BMI. Performance licenses are negotiated independently by SESAC. The revenue generated is usually referred to and categorized as a performance royalty.

Performance licenses and YouTube are related to music publishing. In order for YouTube to allow users to upload videos containing music, they obtained from performance license from the PROs - ASCAP, SESAC and BMI. Performance licenses are needed any time a song is played publicly (ie - radio, live performance, broadcast, and online video).

YouTube successfully negotiated a deal with the PROs for use of their repertoire in the form of a blanket deal. YouTube pays the PROs for use of their entire catalog, via a flat fee that is then distributed to all writer/publishers of songs the PRO controls.

Sync License

A sync license is one that dictates how music publishers and record labels are paid as a result of their music being featured with a visual component. This may include film, TV, games, broadcasts, commercials, and web video. Sync licenses are individually negotiated independently by and paid directly to music publishers, record labels, or their representatives. The revenue generated is usually referred to and categorized as a sync fee or sync royalty.

Relative to YouTube, sync royalties are generated via advertising. They are the lion share of the monies to be collected on the network. The royalty amount is directly tied to the viewing analytics within the YouTube system. It’s important to note that not all views generate the same amount of money, but we’ll get into this in more detail later.

Music synced with any visual media demands two sync licenses, one for the publishing and one for the sound recording. Permission from both the music publisher and record label are required in order to use someone else’s sound recording in their video. If a YouTube user uploads a cover, live performance or any other video where only the composition is used, then only a sync license from the publisher is required.

YouTube does not facilitate or negotiate sync licenses on behalf of its users. Instead, publishers and sound recording owners have the option to make a claim on any video that is uploaded that contains their copyrighted works, if permission has not already been granted.

Music Video License

A music video license is one that dictates how record labels are paid for the use of their official music videos.

They work in a similar fashion to sound recording licenses.

International – Ex-United States

In all markets outside the United States, both of the music publishing royalties, performance and sync, are bundled together and paid via the local PRO and then on to the music publisher or sub-publisher. There is not currently an opportunity for foreign music publishers to work directly with YouTube, only through their respective local PRO.

Record labels are able to collect directly from YouTube or via their distributor for worldwide exploitation.

Here’s a quick summary:

A composition is the written song and it is owned by a music publisher. It is embedded in a sound recording. Multiple different sound recordings can contain the same composition. It generates a performance and sync royalty on YouTube. In the United States the performance royalty is paid to the PRO of the writer/publisher and the sync royalty is paid direct to the music publisher or their representative. In all territories outside the United States both royalties are bundled together and paid via the local PRO and on to the sub-publisher.

A sound recording is the actual recorded audio and is owned by a record label. A composition is embedded in a sound recording and a sound recording is embedded in a video. Multiple different videos can contain the same sound recording. The money it generates is combination of performance and sync royalties. Record labels are paid directly from YouTube.

A music video is a visual representation of a sound recording. It has the sound recording embedded in it and typically owned by the same record label that owns the sound recording.

Content Management System (CMS)

The YouTube Content Management System (CMS) affords rightsholders an opportunity to manage the copyrights they control. It is comprised of Content ID, Video Manager, Channel Manager, AdSense, Analytics, and Content Delivery modules. The CMS is a complicated and powerful tool, so we are going to start with its most basic parts and then bring it all together.

An asset on YouTube is a container of intellectual property containing all of that copyright’s respective metadata. There are many types of assets in the CMS. Relative to the music business there are two primary types, composition and sound recording.

Composition

A composition is comprised of the written words, lyrics, and melody of a song. It is usually owned and managed, partially or in whole, by a music publisher. An indie composer, arranger, or artist may act as their own music publisher for the purposes of collecting their royalties.

Required metadata for compositions includes a custom ID (assigned by the owner), title, writers, publishers, ownership splits, territory of control, and related ISRC or related asset ID.

While not required within Content ID, is recommended to include the International Song Works Code (ISWC) associated with a particular composition. ISWC’s are issued by ASCAP in the United States.

Compositions are connected to sound recordings via a related International Sound Recording Code (ISRC) . This connection denotes a composition being embedded in a sound recording. In order for a composition to make money or generate analytics via the CMS it must be connected or embedded in a sound recording.

Music publishers typically have territorial specific rights to collect royalties. They defer collection outside their jurisdiction to sub-publishers via local PROs.

Sound Recording

A sound recording is the actual recording of a song. It is owned by a record label. Indie artists and bands typically act as their own record label for the purposes of collecting their royalties.

In the CMS a sound recording has a corresponding reference file, which is a unique digital fingerprint. It is used to programmatically identify video that might contain that sound recording.

Required metadata for sound recordings includes Title, Artist, Record Label, Territory, and ISRC.

An International Sound Recording Code (ISRC) is assigned to a sound recording when it is being prepared for distribution and is used to identify it on YouTube and beyond.

Record labels typically hold exclusive worldwide rights to sound recordings allowing them to directly collect all royalties.

ISWC and ISRC in the Music Business

International Song Works Codes (ISWC) used to identify compositions and International Song Recording Codes (ISRC) used to identify sound recordings are not exclusive to YouTube. They were created decades ago to identify compositions and sound recordings across all aspects of the music business.

Functions of Content ID

Audio/Video Matching

The primary matching algorithm of Content ID utilizes a digital fingerprinting system that identifies videos that may contain copyrighted work. All uploaded videos to YouTube are compared against its library of reference files. Upon a successful match, the system automatically makes an ownership claim and applies a use policy to the matched video.

Potential Claims

Potential claims are made available within Content ID to rightsholders when it has been determined that there is a high likelihood that the video contains copyrighted material, but isn’t 100% certain. These claims are presented in a queue that must be reviewed manually on a day to day basis.

Manual Claims

Manual claims are done manually by searching for videos that might contain copyrighted work. When matches are identified, the rights holder can claim ownership on the video, in addition to applying a use policy.

Claim Disputes

If a video owner who has had a claim made on their video believes it has been done so in error or illegitimately, they can dispute the claim. The rights holder is made aware of the dispute in the CMS console. They then have 30 days to either remove the claim or uphold it.

Rights Management

Content ID makes available the ability to add, edit, and manipulate asset ownership and metadata. Asset metadata includes writers, artists, publishers, record labels, unique identifying codes, and reference files. Composition, sound recording, music video, film, TV, game, sports, broadcast, and other web video assets all contain unique asset specific metadata.

YouTube Ownership Conflicts

Conflicts within YouTube come as a result of multiple CMS partners placing more than 100% ownership on a single asset in a territory.

When in conflict, an asset will continue to generate revenue, however royalties will not be paid out until the conflict is resolved. When an asset goes into conflict, the owners are made aware via the CMS console. They are encouraged to connect with each other to achieve resolution.

YouTube Use Policy Control

Upon claiming ownership of an asset with Content ID, YouTube allows four policy options. These are listed in order from least to most stringent. This is important. When multiple parties have different use policies applied to a particular asset, the most stringent policy will take precedence.

Monetize : Opt to have ads placed before, during, after, and adjacent to the video in effort to make money from its viewing.

Track : Opt to prevent ads from appearing in association with the video, however will retain the ability to preview viewing analytics. This policy will be effective when no policy is chosen by an owner.

Block : Opt to block a particular infringing video, such that it is not viewable on the network. It’s sort of a slap on the wrist, effectively saying, “Hey look, don’t use our stuff!”

Takedown : This is an official copyright strike and constitutes a legal action to remove the video, as a result of it containing copyrighted work. A channel owner will have their channel banned after receiving takedown notices on 3 videos. Three strikes and you’re out!

Connecting AdSense

In order to monetize content on YouTube one must sign up for and connect to AdSense, Google’s advertising platform. Connection of YouTube and AdSense is achieved within the CMS. Royalties are paid monthly via direct deposit. Extremely granular analytics are also provided.

Google splits royalty payments at source, meaning that publishing royalties are paid directly to publishers and their representatives, while sound recording royalties are paid directly to record labels.

Additional Interested Parties

There are some other entities involved with YouTube that aren’t necessarily the owners of a copyright. They are managers or representatives and can include:

• MCN (Multi Channel Network)
• PRO (Performing Rights Organization)

Multi Channel Network

A Multi Channel Network or MCN, works with channel owners to build and grow their channels. They often provide tools to help creators easily produce content that can be marketed in unique ways.

An MCN may have preferential relationships with select advertisers, allowing them to keep the small margin between what is collected and paid to the creator and YouTube.

By design, MCN’s aggregate many channels and have the ability to cross promote each of their creators’ content.

Aggregators are companies that manage, monitor, and audit assets and videos for particular right’s holders. rightsholders typically call upon aggregators once they have reached a point in their career that their media is infringed upon and shared across YouTube. Aggregators help with data management, application of use policy, claiming, conflict resolution and analytics analysis.

Performing Rights Organization

Performing Rights Organizations or PROs administer the performance rights associated with copyright law, particularly collection of royalties between music publishers/songwriters and parties who wish to use copyrighted works publicly.

In the United States, there are four PROs:

• SESAC - Society of European Stage Authors and Composers
• ASCAP - American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
• BMI - Broadcast Music, Inc.
• GMR - Global Music Rights

A composition is uniquely identified via an ISWC or International Song Works Code. PROs calculate performance royalties as a function of the views a video accumulates that is associated with a particular ISWC.

In the United States, YouTube has blanket performance licenses with each of the PROs and pays out only the performance royalty associated with views on YouTube. This is separate from the sync royalty or fee.

Currently, in every territory outside the United States, a music publisher does not have an opportunity to work directly with YouTube and must collect royalties via their local PRO. Furthermore, in territories outside the United States, both performance and sync royalties are bundled and paid together.

Ex-US PROs are also responsible for paying royalties that are generated as a result of viewing from that particular country, regardless of where the rightsholder resides.

Here’s an example: The viewing of the Jailhouse Rock video in France generates some money owed to the music publisher and record label. The music publisher will be paid by their sub-publisher in France via the French PRO, SACEM. The record label will be paid directly from YouTube.

Music metadata is all of the detailed information that identifies a particular piece of intellectual property. For a list of the minimum data needed for proper YouTube functionality, please reference the sample Catalog Metadata Template .

The most valuable thing a music publisher and record label can have is well organized catalog metadata. The more clean metadata the better, if one wants to get paid.

With a clean and thorough catalog one can get the most from YouTube. It will also allow one to maximize efforts in all music industry aspects including physical sales, streaming services, touring, and radio airplay.

Metadata Specific to YouTube

An asset on YouTube is a container of intellectual property. There are two primary types of music assets, composition and sound recording, containing all of their respective metadata.

Composition asset. Metadata required for composition assets include, but are not limited to:

• Title - required
• Writer(s) - required
• Publisher - required
• Percentage control - required
• Territories of Control - required
• HFA Song Code
• Related ISRC Code - required
• Custom ID - required

Sound recording asset. Metadata required for sound recording assets include, but are not limited to:

• Artist(s) - required
• Record Label - required
• ISRC Code - required

Because one’s music has global exposure outside of YouTube there are a few more data points to consider:

• Album Titles
• Where your sound recording is released
• Type of genre of the sound recording
• Release Date
• Asset Labels - Labels help one organize assets into custom categories. Music publishers and record labels often use labels to divide their catalog by writer, sub-catalog, sub-publisher, etc. Asset labels are free form and as many as needed may be added to an asset.
• Catalog metadata can be found via the US Copyright Office, PROs, the Mechanical Licensing Collective, Harry Fox Agency , Music Reports , Sound Exchange , other streaming services and you guessed it...from within the YouTube CMS. Other rightsholders may have already added a large portion of music metadata.

A note on YouTube Metadata

RightsFlow amassed the initial metadata database and created the technology that ultimately became the YouTube CMS. Then the NMPA (National Music Publishers Association) and Harry Fox Agency, in their settlement deal with YouTube, added their databases to YouTube, in one of the first large data dumps. Many parties have since added their own metadata to the YouTube data set.

YouTube now has the most robust and largest collection of music rights information that exists.

With all of this in mind, the data contained and accessible within the CMS is not perfect and contains errors. The good news that rightsholders have the powerful ability to edit and confirm the data pertaining to the copyrights they control.

Delivering Metadata

Metadata can be edited and delivered to YouTube a few ways.

• An individual asset's metadata can be edited via the CMS.
• Asset metadata may be edited and delivered in bulk to YouTube via the browser uploader located within the CMS, via the YouTube ingest spreadsheet or via Dropbox.
• Select CMS partners are granted API (application programming Interface) access to build proprietary software that interacts with the YouTube system, to manage large amounts of metadata.

What is VEVO?

Vevo is a multichannel music video network that started in 2009. It is a joint venture between Universal, Sony, Google and Abu Dhabi Media. VEVO serves official music videos exclusively, to attract premium advertising. Some live performances and exclusive content featured, but rarely. There is no User Generated Content (UGC) on VEVO.

VEVO uses all of the same technology as YouTube, including the ad sales platform, but is a separate company.

How to Get a VEVO Channel

The general public cannot sign up for channels like they do on YouTube. To get a VEVO channel one must be considered a record label or work with one. Some aggregators and third party services can help one get a VEVO channel.

Relationship with YouTube

VEVO videos and channels are controlled via VEVO. However, they display the same and are mirrored on YouTube.

All royalties for music videos and sound recordings are paid to record labels for viewership on VEVO. Music publishers who own the underlying compositions are now paid directly by YouTube.

YouTube Creator Academy - Learn how to use YouTube.

It is recommended that anyone working in music today, whether you’re a music publisher, record label, artist, composer, or manager take the time and go through the Creator Academy. It’s a free online resource. It’s specific to YouTube but the lessons learned can be used throughout one’s music business.

• Build your fan base and engage with them
• Access to tools
• Collaborate with other creators and artists

YouTube Playbook for Music - Learn how YouTube works for Music

YouTube Artists - Analytics and information on select artists

It provides some extremely granular analytics specific to artists and bands. One can understand what/when/where music consumption is. This is great for planning a tour.

YouTube Analytics - Learn how YouTube reports information

YouTube Analytics are accessed within the CMS or should be provided in raw form from YouTube through your monthly reports.

Viewer metrics and revenue is reported monthly.

The data and tools may also be utilized to mould and sculpt one’s music business. It can be used to nurture one’s fan base, plan a tour, or sell specific merchandise.

AdSense - Google’s advertising network

YouTube Space - World class recording and production studios

YouTube has built world class recording studios in several major metros across the globe. They contain full sets, professional equipment, and have enjoy the attendance of many creators that are keen to collaborate.

One’s channel must reach a subscriber threshold in order to be invited to take the Unlock the Space course and subsequently access the facilities for free. They also host tours quite frequently to the general public.

Content ID Application - YouTube Partner application for rightsholders

Live Performances

A lot of times, a record label will own a specific sound recording that gets released on the album or made available for download and streaming. They may not necessarily own recorded versions of live performances. If an artist goes on tour and gets filmed and uploaded either by fans or their own crew, the band or artist may hold rights to that specific recording and can make a claim on it. In any case, a music publisher may make a claim on the video via the embedded composition, unless the uploader has obtained the proper sync license to record and distribute the live performance.

If somebody covers a song, the composition or the publisher will be able to make up a claim on that cover. When a user creates a video and uploads it, they may check a box that says they own all of the rights to that video 100%. Should an owner surface at some other time that has a claim to it, then they’re obligated to relinquish rights to that particular video.

If I did a cover of Jailhouse Rock myself, Content ID wouldn’t pick identify me as Elvis because obviously I don’t sound like Elvis. However, the writers of that song, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, still have the rights to the underlying composition. So if Leiber and Stoller were to find that video, they’d still be able to make a claim on that composition. If I had my own label, I could own a new master recording, but the publisher, Leiber and Stoller, would still be able to claim ownership of that composition.

Other persons that might be owning something on YouTube are the broadcasters like ABC, NBC, CBS, The News, Saturday Night Live, ESPN or any sort of broadcast network. It’s the broadcaster or production company that’s going to own their particular media and they’ll be able to claim ownership to that and receive any money that it generates from YouTube.

Many times people may put together their own “cut” or “clips” of a tv show or film, either for tribute or just to break it down for others. If they use music for this “remix” of a TV show or a film, then the Sound Recording or the Composition owner may have the right to make a claim on the video along with the clip owners.

Play footage of video games is very popular on YouTube. And it’s important to note that while music may be licensed by the video game maker, that license rarely includes the right for game players to upload footage to YouTube. Therefore the sound recording or composition owner could also make a claim to some user videos which contain video game footage.

Live Events with Background Music

Any event uploaded by any YouTube user which may have music playing in the background is still a sync use, even if the music is incidental. In a lot of these cases, the composition or sound recording owner may still make a claim on these types of videos.

Viacom International Inc. v. YouTube, Inc.

June 23, 2010 No. 07 Civ. 2103 , 2010 WL 2532404 (S.D.N.Y 2010)

Case holding Google's motion for summary judgement was granted on the grounds that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's "safe harbor" provisions shielded Google from Viacom’s copyright infringement claims, but was later overturned in part, and the case remains pending.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viacom_International_Inc._v._YouTube,_Inc.

Lenz v. Universal Music Corp.

September 14, 2015 801 F.3d 1126 (2015) - affirming 572 F. Supp. 2d 1150 (2007)

Copyright holders must consider fair use in good faith before issuing takedown notices for content posted on the internet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenz_v._Universal_Music_Corp

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

FAQ1 : My song was played at a halftime during an NBA game and that broadcast ended up on YouTube. Do I get paid for it? NBA or any sort of sports property is going to license that work completely from the label or music publisher and therefore have the ability to do whatever they want to do with it. It’s all written by the contract between the broadcaster and the music owner, label or publisher. The broadcaster needs to get permission in order to do that and there’s going to be a contract in place when that appears. The stipulations of that contract determine whether or not the publisher or label will be able to make a claim to that video. The video on YouTube should be claimed by a TV asset from the broadcaster or the league in question (NBA, NHL, MLB, etc)

FAQ2 : Does YouTube compensate the copyright of the sound recording equally with the copyright of the composition? No, there is a difference in the rate that is paid for a sound recording and a composition. The specifics of which cannot be disclosed publicly because of an NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) we have with Google but we would be happy to answer you in a private consultation.

FAQ3 : In what territories are licensees able to process a sync license via a PRO without approval of the master owner and/or the composition owner? YouTube has agreements with the PRO in foreign territories to use the compositions for YouTube users based on views and you as a YouTube partner can specify if you want to block uses of a composition. You can change these policies on your assets if you don’t want people to be able to use your composition or your sound recording.

Some sound recording owners will use block if they feel like something might get leaked in advance. They will get that sound recording up into the YouTube content management system early and they’ll set it to block until a few weeks after release in order to draw traffic to a specific channel and they’ll release it to where people can use the sound recording and they’ll monetize other uses after that.

Sound recording agreements of record labels with YouTube states that people can use sound recordings but owners can block, monetize, track or take it down as they see fit.

FAQ4 : How big a record label do you have to be to get access? There are a few criteria. One is that one has completed at least audience growth and advanced digital rights certifications within YouTube. It’s sort of the chicken or the egg kind of situation because you have to have access to the CMS in order to get invited to do that and that comes via a company that is YouTube certified.

Another criteria is that your music and your media are being shared and spread across YouTube on the web in a way that would necessitate your need. My assumption would be that given the power to go and then claim anything on the network with Content ID that (1) you need to know what you’re doing when you go in there because if you put an ownership claim on somebody else’s assets that you don’t own, you’re effectively putting your hand to the pocket and then (2), there’s a need for that. If you have one or two tracks and they’re not getting shared, copied and re-uploaded and people are not infringing on your copyright, you don’t need it and so you probably would suffice by just using YouTube as an end-user.

FAQ5 : How can I monetize my artist’s YouTube channels of unofficial video, i.e. clips with music and some without, if my artist belongs to two different record labels? Basically, we’re talking about an artist’s channel where that artist has some degree of distribution either through a direct label or a distribution agreement. The sound recordings are going to be controlled on YouTube, and likely to figure into that distribution agreement or record label agreement.

For instance, my artist is signed to Warner Brothers Records so all his music videos are up on his official channel. But I’ve got a lot of interview footage and behind the scenes footage with him running on the beach with a dog and all kinds of footage like that that I don’t want to put on my own personalized fan channel so to speak. When you monetize those things, you monetize them as a frontend user. You would sign up for a channel for your artist and then you would decide these are the kind of videos you’re going to put up, and you’re going to monetize those videos on this channel and those videos on that channel. You do need to be aware and you do need to communicate with your record label and your distributor if you intend to use any of the artist’s sound recordings in those videos either as background music or some kind of alternative version of a music video or a lyric video because at that point, the sound recording that’s being controlled by the record label could make a claim on your video and change the monetization from directly to your artists to the record label because of the use of a sound recording.

FAQ6 : In order to ingest into YouTube CMS, do people need to use a third party company like Exploration? YouTube currently has a hold on new agreements for Sound Recording and Publishing CMS instances. However, they are planning to open those up again sometime during 2019. To be considered for your own CMS a lot depends on what thresholds and what sort of criteria they use for choosing folks. But in order to upload into the CMS, one would need to go through a distributor or someone that had a direct relationship with YouTube.

FAQ7 : Do video creators need a sync license? A video creator should have a sync license whenever he or she uses a sound recording as the background music for a video. However, it is not absolutely required in YouTube because of the agreements copyright owners have with YouTube.

When you upload a video to YouTube, you will need to agree to their Terms and Conditions that says when you upload material to YouTube, you warrant that you own all of the material in that video and that you have all the copyrights. If you do not, when and if the right’s holders do come forward, they can make a claim on that video and claim. They do not take ownership of your video, the claim made with an asset just redirects any monetization to the owners of the assets.

Also, if you find a video on YouTube using your sound recording, you can still issue the DMCA “take down” and put a stop to it or reach out to the channel owner and say, “Hey, you’re using it. You need to get a license for it or you need to take the audio out.” This can be done if you have a CMS, a third party YouTube administrator, or if you are just on your own.

FAQ8 : Huh? What am I supposed to tell our artist when they ask us how their rates are calculated? That’s a question for Google. Extensively it’s because they’ve done different deals with different folks, but the explanation that I give when someone says how much is a play worth is that it’s a moving target because it’s based upon advertising and subscribers. The amount of money that gets paid via advertising fluctuates based upon region, the demand, the number of subscribers, and the market share.

It changes literally by the second based upon how much demand there is for a particular asset. A very basic estimation for a video on YouTube is a dollar per thousand--this is a general number used for estimating purposes by several labels, publishers, and third parties. It’s best used when trying to formulate a range for what royalties are expected to be since it’s not currently possible to calculate what an advertiser has actually paid at the moment of a view. You may hear someone talk about CPM (Clicks per Thousand) and/or then PPC (Pay per Click). Those are the two modalities that Google uses to sell advertising. But those rates fluctuate and it’s an auction process on the advertising purchasing side and as that moves and changes on the purchase of the advertising, the royalty fluctuates as well.

FAQ9 : How are music libraries handled? Music libraries and sound recordings are pretty simply ingested as reference files into the system. Everything that is ingested into YouTube gets compared against those reference files. The one caveat I would say is there’s quite a few royalty free production libraries and in those instances, one would want to disable Content ID for those assets so that no claims are made on videos. So if I’ve got royalty free music and lots of people have been using it for their music videos or their indie films or whatever, I would want my video to automatically claim ownership of their video on a royalty free asset.

An additional hiccup is that some library artists/writers work with multiple libraries at the same time. And some libraries change titles between the same sound recordings. If a library uploads a sound recording which has the exact same fingerprint as one that already exists in YouTube - you will get a reference file overlap and the two libraries will have to work together to determine who should represent it on YouTube.

FAQ10 : Can you explain ownership and territories? Did you say that there is only one owner of a channel or meta in North America/UK? On the sound recording side, there can only be one owner per territory. On the publishing side, there can be multiple owners based on the publishing splits. We’re the backend database and not the channel. Here’s an example, Aaron and I both own separate sound recordings and a few we own together. I’m going to own my sound recordings in the territories that I represent. Aaron is going to own his in the territories that he represents. For a sound recording that we own together, we have to come to an agreement and say I’m going to take the US and you take Europe and then we’ll throw darts to the map for the rest of the territories to divide the map. Or we have to agree that one of us will administer the sound recording on YouTube entirely and pay the other one.

FAQ11 : What is the percentage pay for the performance license? This is coming through ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. We do know that ASCAP, BMI and SESAC have a blanket deal for their entire repertoire and they are paid a fee from Google. The system for payout of these royalties is not publicly disclosed by a PRO and it’s recommended that you reach out to your PRO to ensure the most accurate information.

FAQ12 : What would be the best approach in order to help an older artist who is not adept with YouTube but has a user-generated content that gained hundred of thousands of views? How do they know if they have any money generated from those videos? The first line of communication would go to the publisher or label that represents that artist and/or composer and have a dialogue as to what to do when you find a media out there that features your song. Some artists would say, “No, absolutely not! I do not want any of my music on YouTube. I don’t care if it’s at a concert or not.” For a lot of other bands, their position is, “You know what, I don’t mind if a fan takes a video of my concert or of my performance. I want it to be out there. They’re clearly a fan, but I prefer that they not make money on it. Maybe I want to track it and just see the analytics of that so that I can learn where people are consuming it via the viewership of that particular video.” The vast majority of folks would say, “Look, if somebody wants to put it out there, terrific, good for them. I want to monetize it because I am the rights holder.”

There isn’t really any way of telling how much they’ve generated specifically, but I don’t believe that it makes sense to try and recoup that money. I think that the best idea is to install or put in place whatever your position if it’s to track, to monetize, to block and then move forward and to keep that policy moving forward.

FAQ13 : Is PRO Work ID a necessary data point to include in the composition asset? Any piece of metadata that you can aquire should be tracked. Just add another column to the template and keep track of it because every single data point adds value to your catalog in the long run.

In terms of necessity, the ISWC is absolutely critical not only for performance in the United States, but also attribution for foreign views because it’s paid out via foreign PROs. The reciprocity that takes place between domestic, United States PROs and foreign PROs are using the ISWC which is issued by ASCAP in the United States.

In Google, there are some custom fields where you can add some additional metadata, a PRO Work ID isn’t required, but you could include it.

FAQ14 : If a home-grown artist sings a song I wrote and uploads it to YouTube, how do I find it since the sound recording isn’t registered by label? That comes via manual claiming. There are two ways to claim a song within YouTube. One is the automatic matching where Content ID uses the reference file/fingerprint that record labels upload. The fingerprint is unique to that specific sound recording. When another artist sings your song, it wouldn’t be picked up because the artist singing doesn’t sound exactly like the original. So what do you do? It didn’t pick it up via the automated system. You can use what’s called manual claiming which is actually another level of authorization within YouTube CMS. When and if you do have access to the manual claiming, if you find videos that weren’t picked up by the automatic matching service, there’s the ability to manually claim that and attribute it to a particular sound recording and/or composition asset depending on the type of use.

FAQ15 : What happens if there’s an owner conflict about an asset, but one purported owner doesn’t respond to contact attempts? We all respect that sometimes we get busy and it can get hectic keeping up with notifications. I would say if you’re using the Content ID system or you’re using the CMS system to contact them, going outside of that system would be the first thing I would do and see who in that company do you know. Pick up the phone and call--, “Hey, I’m trying to work out this conflict so both of us can get paid and both of us can get this worked out.” Keep reaching out, use other avenues other than just to say we have a conflict.

Be proactive. Do you know somebody at the company that you’re in conflict with? Did you reach out and attempt some human interactive contact? That usually helps to solve the issue.

But if they don’t respond or they can’t be found, whatever the case might be, you can change the policy on the video, reach out to other parties to see if someone knows someone at the conflicting company.

Communication, organization, and patience are key for resolving conflicted assets.

FAQ16 : Would subscriber benchmark be eligible for YouTube-Google Studio or maybe the YouTube Space? The last time I checked in the United States or in Los Angeles, the YouTube Space threshold was 10,000 subscribers. In New York, I believe, the last time I checked, was 5000. I believe it may have even been 2500 in London and 2500 in San Pablo.

FAQ17 : Does YouTube pay name and likeness rights in addition to master publishing and video rights? No.

FAQ18 : Our publishing company carried direct agreement with YouTube in December of 2015. Our affiliated record label secured their direct agreement 3 years prior thousands of back revenue for sound recordings through the distributor. How soon are we going to receive the back money from the publishing side via their adjusted reports? You will see backpay of any kind via the adjusted reports. It does take two to three cycles from when you put on ownership, resolved conflicts, or any other type of resolution, before you start to see the adjusted earnings come through. Make sure that you have found any pre-existing assets that are already in the CMS database because unless you find those assets that have already been generating money, they’re not going to know that that’s yours and will keep holding on to it.

In terms of cycle, YouTube pays monthly. If one were to start and upload all of their metadata on January 1st, one would accrue money through the month of January and then about the third week of February, YouTube reports and pays that royalty. Moving forward, it’s every single month in that capacity. About February 23rd or 25th, one would get the analytics and the royalty payment from Google for the month of January.

FAQ19 : How do you claim a sound recording on YouTube if the distributor keeps uploading the entire catalog even though I’ve opted it out of YouTube? If you got a distributor and you’ve opted out, it’s communication with them. You’re going to have to get with them and tell them to stop uploading this catalog. Certainly, if they continue to keep uploading your sound recording or continue to keep making claims on your composition, get in touch with them directly. That’s the only way to ultimately solve it. Anything you do up until that, it’s just going to keep being a Band-Aid on the issue.

FAQ20 : ISWC numbers aren’t always assigned to registered songs. What should we do if there aren’t any assigned? I would assign them. I would go to the database over at ASCAP for the ISWC in the United States. ASCAP is the designated PRO in the United States that assign ISWC.

If they assign you a particular sequential order of ISWC, you can be rest assured that those aren’t going to be given to somebody else. Therefore, they’ll be unique to your catalog and then you can use that to disseminate to all the different places that you might need it.

For ISRCs, your distributor can assign them, or you can purchase a bank of ISRC codes yourself and assign them.

Authors: Rene Merideth & Aaron Davis

20 October 2017

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Music Business Plan Template

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 5,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their music businesses. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a music business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What Is a Music Business Plan?

A music business plan provides a snapshot of your music business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Music Business Plan

If you’re looking to start a music business or grow your existing business you need a music business plan. A business plan will help you attract investors and raise money, if needed, and plan out the growth of your music business in order to improve your chances of success. Your music business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Source of Funding for Music Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a music business are bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your music business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable, but they will want to see a professional music business plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a music business.

The second most common form of funding for a music business is angel investors. Angel investors are wealthy individuals who will write you a check. They will either take equity in return for their funding or, like a bank, they will give you a loan. Venture capitalists will not fund a music business.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

How to write a music business plan.

Your music business plan should include 10 sections as follows:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your music business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your executive summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of music business you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a music business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of music businesses?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the industry. Discuss the type of music business you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target audience. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team, and offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of music business you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types:

• Recorded Music – This type of music business sells music that has been recorded in a studio.
• Music Licensing – This type of music business licenses music for films, TV shows, video games, advertisements, online videos, etc.
• Live Music – This type of music business sells tickets to live concerts and tours. They might also operate a school that teaches people how to become successful musicians, or they might sell memorabilia such as T-shirts and posters.
• Music Publishing – This type of music business is in the rights business; they represent songwriters. If someone wants to use a song by a songwriter that is represented by the music publishing company, they need to get permission and then pay a royalty.
• Music Production – This type of music business provides a service for musicians and recording artists. They might produce and record an album and then provide marketing services such as radio promotion and public relations.
• Music Business Consulting – This type of business is in the business of providing advice to musicians on how to become successful. For example, they may offer consulting on how to promote your music and how to book gigs.
• Music Artist – This type of business operates as an individual musician or music group. For example, they might be solo artists, bands looking for a record deal, or groups of musicians hoping to become successful together.
• Music Education – This type of music business offers music lessons, either in-person or online.
• Retail Music Store – This type of music business sells instruments, sheet music, and other music-related items.

In addition to explaining the type of music business you operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to questions such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include sales goals you’ve reached, new store openings, etc.
• Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the music business.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy particularly if your research identifies market trends. For example, if there was a trend towards more people purchasing music online, you may want to focus your marketing efforts on digital platforms.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your music business plan:

• How big is the music business (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your music business. You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your music business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments for a retail music store:

• Adult beginning guitar players
• Teenage/college-aged students who want to learn how to play the electric guitar and will commit time and money to do so
• Middle-aged adults who want to learn how to play acoustic guitars for their own enjoyment
• Vintage guitar enthusiasts who are looking for specific instruments that are considered rare or valuable.

The following are examples of customer segments for a music education business:

• Parents who want their children to have a well-rounded education and believe that music is an important part of that
• Children who want to learn to play an instrument because they enjoy music
• Adults who want to improve their skills at playing an instrument they already know how to play

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will greatly depend on the type of music business you are operating. Clearly, baby boomers would want a different atmosphere, pricing, and product options, and would respond to different marketing promotions than millennials.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, including a discussion of the ages, genders, locations, and income levels of the customers you seek to serve. 

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers or clients.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other music businesses within the same niche.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t direct competitors. This includes physical stores, online stores, and even locally owned retail shops that sell instruments.

Here are some examples of indirect competitors within the music education niche: 

• Local music store selling instruments
• Online retailer selling musical instruments
• The public school system offering a music program to students in grades K-12 or college offering a music ed program as a minor.

You need to mention such competition to show you understand that not everyone in the market is your direct competitor. Furthermore, including a SWOT analysis of your business in this section will demonstrate how you plan to compete against them.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

• What types of customers do they serve?
• What products/services do they offer?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to reach out to customers of your competitors and ask them what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide superior services?
• Will you provide amenities that your competitors don’t offer?
• Will you make it easier or faster for customers to book your own studio?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a music business plan, your marketing strategy and plan should include the following:

Product : in the product section, you should reiterate the type of music that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products you will be offering. For example, in addition to selling instruments, you may also offer music lessons, CD recordings of the lessons, and other merchandise related to your business.

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections, you are presenting the options you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your music business. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your music business located in a commercial district with a lot of foot traffic? If not, will you offer delivery or online sales?

Promotions : the final part of your marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertising in local papers and magazines
• Reaching out to local bloggers and websites
• Partnerships with local organizations (e.g., partner with vendors to provide recording packages at a discount over a la carte services)
• Local radio stations advertising
• Banner ads at local music venues
• Social media advertising

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your music business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your music business such as serving customers, cleaning, ordering supplies, and so on. This section should list the specific tasks that will need to be completed each day and who will be responsible for them.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to serve your 25th customer, or when you hope to reach $X in sales. It could also be when you expect to hire your Xth employee or launch a new location.

Management Team

To demonstrate your music company’s ability to succeed as a business, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a music business.

Ideally, you and/or your team members have direct experience in the music business. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act as mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in music and/or successfully running small businesses.

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statements.

Income Statement : an income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, how many customers will you serve? How much does it cost to provide your service/product? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets : While balance sheets include much information, to simplify them to the key items you need to know about, balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. For instance, if you spend $100,000 on building out your recording studio, that will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $100.000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your music business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a music business:

• Location build-out including design fees, construction, etc.
• Cost of equipment like studio gear, instruments, amps, inventory, etc.
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your studio design blueprint or location lease.

Music Business Plan Summary

Putting together a business plan for your music business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the music business, your competition, and your potential customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful music business.

Music Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my music industry business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily complete your Music Industry Business Plan.

What is the Goal of a Business Plan's Executive Summary?

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of music business you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a music business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of music businesses?

How Can I Generate Multiple Income Streams In My Music Business?

Whether you are a band, artist manager, recording producer, record label, or music store, if you can learn how to take the best advantage of both live and recorded revenue streams, you may be able to beat competitors at the music game. Your music business plan should describe your strategy of utilizing these two sides of the music industry.

Live concert tickets can be sold for hundreds of dollars for popular groups, while up-and-comers may need to play for just tips at bars and small venues. However, there is a place for every type of musician on this spectrum, and almost all musicians maintain a live performance schedule even as they become successful recording artists. Live concerts offer an opportunity for the group or artist’s music to be exposed to new audiences in a visceral way, sometimes driving direct sales of CDs at the concert itself, and leading to word-of-mouth inspired sales down the road.

Live concerts can be a significant revenue stream for a successful music artist, but they must play at venues large enough to cover the fixed costs of production (marketing, ticket sales, equipment rental, and set-up, travel, wages, and venue rental) leaving a net profit. If venues are too small and cost too high, concerts may have to be considered just a promotion method for other revenue streams, like recording sales.

Recorded Music

The sales of CDs or mp3s of the group or artist’s music, on the other hand, leave much more potential for huge returns. The profitability of selling recorded music increases significantly as the number of CDs or mp3s increases, as the cost of producing and selling each additional CD (and especially mp3s) approaches zero. Recordings can also help promote concert sales to a certain extent, through the release of singles and promo CDs. This can be through giveaways and through radio promotion of those songs.

If each revenue stream is significant on its own and also reinforces the other, you can build an extremely profitable business over time.

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your Music Industry business plan?

OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You

Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.   Click here to see how a Growthink business plan consultant can create your business plan for you.

Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

How to Build a Music Career With YouTube: 6 Tips

Trying to make it as a musician isn't easy. With YouTube, you have the opportunity to kickstart your music career and get your music out there.

Do you have a full-time job and are looking for a great side hustle? Or perhaps you're a student looking to take a leap of faith with your musical talent. No matter your reasons for seeking out your passion, if you have thought about the possibilities of starting a music career with YouTube, you need to know how to build one effectively.

1. Create a Business Plan

Like with anything, you need to have a plan. What do you envision yourself doing for each video? Do you want to teach people how to make their own music, or do you want to create pop remixes or background tracks for an audience to download? You're still free to expand on whichever niche you choose, but it's smarter to start small at the beginning of any career.

Next, create a budget. This could be weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. What kind of musical equipment will you be using? You may want to invest in a high-quality microphone, a DSLR camera, hard drives, a MIDI keyboard, or a faster laptop. Will you need to pay for a subscription to use Adobe Audition, or will you use programs like Reaper? How much will this cost you?

Tracking all of these small expenses can give you the leeway you need to focus on building your brand. Don't have much experience tracking those digits? Here is how to track your expenses using Google Sheets .

2. Collaborate With Other Musicians

Have you uploaded your first song and are anxious about the number of views you're getting? Don't stress! Artists supporting artists is not only a courtesy in the music industry but can be incredibly helpful when trying to expand your music career. Make use of social media platforms such as Twitter or Instagram and start tagging, tweeting, and reposting.

It doesn't matter how well-known the artists are, what matters is slowly getting your audience to grow. With enough dedication, the right person may spread the word. So, ask that artist to appear on your channel, and you may be surprised with the results.

3. Research Your Audience

With any business idea and especially with YouTube, you want to know who your competitors may be, as well as the ideal audience you're aiming to reach. If you're wanting to write pop music, for example, you want to look at the most popular songwriters on YouTube. What kind of content are they creating, and how can you make yourself stand out in that category?

Music is very competitive, but extensive research can be the key to uncovering a need in the music field of YouTube that you can fill. If there aren't enough piano tutorials, you could use this as your niche.

If you're new to making digital music in general and don't know where to begin, here are some things you should know when buying your first MIDI keyboard .

4. Make High-Quality Content Regularly

Once you've figured out your competition and uncovered what music videos you want to make, content planning is the next important step.

What will you be contributing weekly? How often do you want to be posting content? What will the average viewing time be? You don't want your videos to drag on for too long either, so keep that in mind.

With YouTube, viewers value consistency, passion, and overall high-quality content, but it's also important to set your hours and allow time for work but also for relaxation. You don't want to burn yourself out.

Remember to make content you're good at, it will establish authority in your niche, whether that be producing electronic music or providing piano lessons. And it's also a good idea to make yourself familiar with good video recording and editing techniques, this will level up your videos.

5. Increase Your Engagement

One of the most important things when building an online business of any kind is engaging with others, fans and non-fans alike. With YouTube, this can be done in a variety of ways.

Firstly, you want to nail your thumbnail, and you can do this by piecing together a clear, catchy image along with bold text to make it pop. This can make you and your brand more identifiable. Here is how to make the perfect thumbnail for your YouTube videos to impress your audience.

You can also use a multitude of tools to assist with your YouTube channel engagement. Use programs like Hootsuite to track your analytics such as performance over time; this can make it easier for you to understand what your audience wants.

Don't forget to create social media accounts that will link back to your channel as well; Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram can make a world of difference when it comes to getting people to your pages. And remember to interact with your followers, reply to their comments and DMs as much as possible.

6. Market Yourself and Your Music

Social media is a great tool for marketing your YouTube channel and assisting with your music career, but there are many other ways to do this:

• Use hashtags on all of your social media posts.
• Write a good video description.
• Write engaging YouTube video titles.
• Promote other creators on your channel.
• Run a small contest or giveaway relating to your brand.
• Create a playlist to organize your content and make it easier for viewers to sift through.
• Do live streams of you playing or producing your music.
• Reach out to sponsors and advertise their products that relate to your brand.
• Use an organic YouTube growth service to help get your content to your target audience and increase your viewership.
• Increase your ranking with SEO strategy.

Jumpstart Your Music Career With YouTube

Although it can sound like a daunting journey, building a successful music career with YouTube is possible as long as you are dedicated and passionate about making it work.

Whether you've decided on composing music or making professional video reviews of instruments, it could potentially turn into a full-time gig. So, take out your tripod and camera and start recording.

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Music producer business plan: How to write it from zero

Every musician wants to make money by licensing their songs in the industry. It first enables you to earn significantly more money, which in turn enhances your life and enables you to seize new opportunities. You should start treating your work like a real business in order to generate a stable and high revenue. This demands a lot of work, from planning to managing all operations. Today, we’ll talk about how a music producer might advance in his field and establish himself as a legitimate businessperson. To do this, we’ll start by creating a business plan.

Let’s outline the necessity for a second plan as well as its objectives. With the help of goals and opportunities, you outline your course in this paper and give them a numerical description. The producer can decide what steps to take to accomplish the goals with the use of the business plan. Also, if you have such a document, you will be viewed more favorably by potential customers, future business partners, and notably investors if you need to raise capital for your venture. By the way, an investor will undoubtedly desire to invest in such a successful organization if your plan flawlessly proves its success.

You must ask yourself why you are writing, who you are writing for, and what you hope to accomplish before you begin. If you can succinctly respond to these inquiries, you will have a solid foundation upon which to construct a more elaborate plan.

What does a music business plan include

Whichever route you take—recording studio, production, or something else—there are fundamental issues that must be resolved and thoroughly explained. Below, we’ll go into greater depth about them. Also, I want to say a few things concerning the “base.” It’s critical to briefly summarize your mission since, in addition to financial success and business growth, this crucial goal serves as the foundation for everything else and provides you with a unique energy that distinguishes you from other producers.

Research on your target audience should come next on your plan. If you’ve been in business for a while, consider who and what your consumers have in common. If you don’t have adequate knowledge, you should hire an expert who is in your field to conduct an audience analysis so you can learn how to structure your company to satisfy customer needs.

Analyze your uniqueness

Each of us has qualities that can give us an edge over rivals in the workplace, but we also have flaws that need to be fixed to lessen their negative effects on your company. Everyone is different, and the best parts of you already form the core of your distinctive market offer. Remember this, especially when you begin promoting, but we’ll get to that in a moment. Keep a close eye on your shortcomings as well. Improve yourself and consider these shortcomings before selecting a partner or beginning discussions on a new project.

There are external influences as well as your internal factors, such as your strengths and shortcomings. These are typically beyond your control, but you can use knowledge of them to provide a special solution that addresses a specific client’s issue while taking into consideration market and industry-specific conditions. And that gives them a competitive edge. Aim to be dependable. Learn more about the common challenges that music producers must overcome as they build their own businesses. Create a strategy for when one of these unforeseen events occurs.

Your marketing actions

How effective your advertising campaigns will be and how many customers you might be able to attract will depend on the specifics and actions based on this criteria. It’s critical to immediately record your advertising budget and strategy in writing. These acts have a significant impact on how your business plan will be implemented. Work cautiously, and if necessary, acquire guidance from a seasoned marketer or request the creation of a marketing plan. An expert will develop an appropriate solution for you by taking into account the particulars of your company, your goals, and your budget.

How are you doing with money?

It’s likely that you intend to invest your own money in the beginning of your firm. Create a list of every expense you’ll have to pay. Determine whether you currently have the financial resources necessary to launch your firm.

Metrics and analytics for your business

You need to routinely assess the key performance indicators to comprehend the efficacy of your task. They include website traffic analytics and graphs from your campaign dashboard, among others. Setting a goal that you should achieve is also important. Analytics will help you identify where you need to make more modifications to restore your business to normal if your performance has dropped. You’re prepared to begin developing your own music producer business plan once you’ve completed all the necessary research and writing.

A few words about diversification

Even while a company can always adjust to market changes, there are also instances where the changes are so significant that they seriously harm the company. It’s critical to have alternate sources of income that can temporarily offset the uncertainty in the primary business. There are a ton of other alternatives for music producers nowadays to make a good life. Here are a few illustrations.

Opening a producer school or developing your own course is one of the first possibilities because it is a given that a producer has experience to share. In a school, each student will need a lot of time and attention, and the course can be offered many times.

Let’s add the formation of a YouTube channel to the prior suggestion. You can add a link to the courses or school, publish some free content on the channel to attract traffic and clients, in addition to making money directly from the platform. A channel with valuable and high-quality material can earn an extra few thousand dollars each month, so don’t forget about monetization.

To conclude the article, we would like to tell you about another opportunity for music producers to generate income: creating tracks and selling them on a platform for ghost producers. You don’t need to work with a customer, you have no deadlines, you can fully realize any musical idea you consider necessary and do a lot of experiments. You have complete freedom to create. After your track is bought, you get your share of the revenue from the sale. If you are interested in this way of earning money, we invite you to become a ghost producer and create an additional or even main income for yourself!

Listen to Dj Mixes from the founder of “I am Ghost Producer” - Anatolii Vered

How to Write a YouTube Channel Business Plan

Since  62% of businesses use YouTube to post video content , you probably don’t want to miss the opportunity of using this booming platform.

Writing a business plan for your YouTube channel can be huge guidance in your journey to turning your channel into a real business .

Anytime you feel lost, you can go back to your original plan and find the guidance that you need.

But for that to work, your business plan has to cover every aspect of your channel.

Use this guide to go step by step through everything you need to write a YouTube channel business plan.

Table of Contents

1) Write down the ultimate objective of your Youtube channel

2) define your target audience, 3) planning the products you’re going to sell, 4) choosing the format that will connect better with your target audience, 5) equipment budgeting, 6) hiring budget, 7) filming locations, 8) create a system to find new ideas for your videos, 9) recording routine, 10) promotion plan, 11) defining a strategy to keep the audience for the long term, 12) funnel and product building, 13) plan your marketing, 14) scale and expand plan.

Knowing WHY you’re doing this will keep you going when things don’t go right.

It has to be a really strong why to be able to keep pushing through the tough times and the  hundreds of videos you’ll have to record.

There are probably better ways to make money than YouTube, so there must be a better reason why you want to do this with this video platform.

For example:

• Do you like helping people with their problems?
• Do you enjoy connecting with other real people through the magic of video?
• Do you want to make an impact in the world?

As long as it’s a strong desire beyond money and your plan makes sense, you’ll be successful.

Hint:  if you don’t like recording videos, this type of business might not be the right for you.

Think about different potential subjects that can attract a lot of people, and write them down.

Use the following questions to help you choose the perfect idea for your channel:

Will it be a single-person YouTube channel?

YouTube is very similar to having a job.

You HAVE TO show up constantly.

It’s not like  having a blog , where things are more passive since an article will attract people for years.

Videos on YouTube do that too, but  they periodically start attracting fewer and fewer people if you’re not active :

And that’s just because of the way the algorithm works.

So when it comes to defining your target audience — and consequently, the subject of your videos —, you need to choose something you really like doing.

Think about it:

You’ll have to record HUNDREDS of videos.

Do you see yourself talking every day for years about the same subject?

Just look at how long the biggest YouTuber has been doing this:

This is vital if you’re doing everything on your own.

Or Will it Be a Team YouTube channel?

If instead, you want to hire a team to do the videos with you, then just go for the type of videos that get tons of views.

Subjects extremely popular like makeup, business, health and fitness, or entertainment are an excellent choice for a YouTube channel business.

The wider the audience and the bigger your budget, the more people you’ll be able to attract with the power of video.

Create a Buyer Persona

When defining your target audience, you must be extremely specific about who you’re targeting.

What age, where they’re from, what are their pains, hopes and desires should be defined as clearly as possible.

Your Persona is a semi-fictional character that will represent your audience.

It should be like describing a fictional character in a novel, and even giving her/him a real name and face will help you remember your ideal audience:

Remember this person every time you’re planning your next video and make the videos specifically for them.

You’ll be able to connect with people that watch your videos much more easily this way.

From the target audience ideas you wrote down before, choose 3 ideas and research the products that are being sold to that audience.

What types of products are being sold to those audiences?

Are they digital or physical? 

• Go to YouTube and study where your competitors are sending their viewers to find the sales funnels they’re using:

Is there a strong pain point in your target audience that allows you to create a product for selling?

• How are your competitors talking to their audience to persuade the purchase?

• Finally, study their prices determine how profitable each niche might be.

Take those prices and define:

• Profit goals
• Possible profit margins
• Revenue if 0.5% of people that watch your videos buy one of the products.
• How many views you’ll need to hit your profit goals
• How you’ll raise awareness about your products

Define alternative monetization methods

Besides selling your own products, what other income methods are you going to use?

Some of the popular ones for YouTube: 

• Affiliate marketing: helping sell other people’s products and get a commission.
• Sponsor videos : getting paid by big brands to mention or show their products in your videos.
• Crowdfunding: opening an account on Patreon can help you get direct support from your most loyal viewers.
• Ad revenue : money YouTube will pay you directly for every 1,000 views.

It’s important to not depend on a single one of these.

The best strategy is to have your own products where the profit margins are the highest, and also use different methods mention above to diversify.

Remember the buyer Persona you defined earlier?

Here’s where you’ll use that persona to define the best type of video that will connect with them.

You have to create videos that provide  value  to your target audience if you want to get any attention.

If they’re Gen Z , focus on content that makes them laugh:

If they’re Millenials , news and human interest stories will keep them entertained:

If they’re Baby Boomers , try online tutorials to teach them new skills:

Don’t use a format made for  Boomers with a Gen Z audience , or you’ll never be able to deliver value to your audience.

Surprisingly enough, you don’t need to have a professional crew to record videos that people want to watch on YouTube.

One of the beautiful things about this platform is that normal people can grow a huge audience, even recording with a simple smartphone .

Because of that, carefully evaluate if you really want to spend a big part of your budget on video production.

Also, bear in mind that you don’t only need a camera, there is also other equipment you’ll need :

• Teleprompter
• Editing software
• Thumbnail creation software
• Computer for editing

Besides your equipment budget, you also need to define the budget for hiring a team — if that’s your approach.

You can approach your YouTube channel in two ways:

• You can do it all yourself
• You can hire others that can do a better job

In case you want to delegate to others the things that you don’t know how to do very well, make sure you take into account every job:

• Project manager
• Scriptwriter
• Camera crew
• Marketing team
• Product development team

You might want to hire someone only for the jobs that you struggle the most with if you want to save a bit of money.

Now you need to define where you and your team will record your videos.

Setting up a studio

It’s better to build a studio at home or office so everything is always set up and ready to start recording:

Set your lighting, camera, and your background so it looks appealing and it’s consistent in every video that you make .

That’s the best approach to create tons of high-quality videos in a short time.

Planning filming locations

However, if you want to do it outside and constantly change the location, you need to plan very carefully the locations you’re going to use:

• Do you need permission to record in said location?
• Is the weather proper for recording?
• How are you going to handle transportation for your team and equipment?

Generally, setting up a studio for video recording is the most efficient way to create videos at the lowest price.

How are you going to constantly come up with new refreshing ideas for your videos?

You need to be constantly innovating if you want to captivate your audience for a long time.

Some of the most common methods to come up with ideas:

• Track what your competitors are doing that is popular right now.
• Do keyword research and find outdated or boring videos that you can produce better.
• Carefully study your channel’s analytics to see what videos are performing the best in terms of watch time and engagement — and make more similar videos.
• Ask your audience what they want to watch next.

How will the usual recording day look like?

Is the teleprompter the first thing you’re going to set up, and then you’ll get ready with your makeup?

Or is it first makeup and then a bit of practice before recording?

Come up with a system that allows you to record more videos in less time.

The more efficient you are, the more videos you’ll be able to publish and the faster your YouTube business will grow.

The ideal system will allow you to record more than 1 video per day without too much stress.

If you already have some following in other platforms, or you have a long list of clients, define how you’ll make them aware of your new video content.

Some options are:

• Targeted Instagram or Facebook ads
• Email outreach
• Direct telephone calls

If you’re using YouTube instead to attract new customers (which is the best way to use this platform), then you don’t need to promote outside of YouTube.

This video platform has over 2 billion visitors per month .

You don’t need to look for more people outside.

In fact, most of your views will come organically from users that are already on YouTube:

Instead, you need to know how to reach your target audience that is already using the platform constantly.

For that, you’ll need to learn something called Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

YouTube is a search engine that recommends videos automatically to people that its algorithm thinks will like them.

You need to learn to communicate to the algorithm with good SEO so YouTube knows whom to recommend your videos to.

A good SEO strategy includes the following aspects:

• How to write titles with the right keywords and that also attract people to click
• How to design thumbnails that attract clicks.
• Use the right tags to tell YouTube what your video is about.
• Uploading your scripts to each video so YouTube knows exactly what it’s about.
• How to get more likes and comments in your videos to increase engagement.
• Using cards to link to other relevant videos for your audience.
• Knowing when to stop production a video format that isn’t working.
• Knowing how to double down when something is working.
• What hashtags to use in your videos to make them more discoverable.

These are all things that you should know about before starting your channel or you’ll find it really hard to get eyeballs on your content.

We offer a free course about this. Click here to sign up if you want to learn more.

You don’t own the audience that is subscribed to your channel on YouTube.

That’s why one of your main concerns has to be how to keep them in case your channel is terminated or YouTube suddenly stops promoting it .

Most YouTube channels simply send their viewers to another social media platform like Instagram.

However, you don’t own that audience either.

The only real way to own your audience is by collecting their email addresses or phone number.

Email marketing is the most popular way to go about it, and it’s also the most effective marketing strategy.

Here’s how to collect email addresses from your audience :

First, put a link in your YouTube channel banner and in the description of your videos to send people to an opt-in page:

In the opt-in page, offer your audience something they’d want to get for free and that isn’t complicated to make (a checklist, a report, etc) in exchange of their emails:

Then, set up an automated email response when they join.

You can take advantage of this by asking them right away what their main struggles are.

Use that data to come up with good product ideas that may solve the problems of your audience.

Once you’ve built the base of your email list, you’ll want to come up with your final product idea.

To know if it’s the right idea, simply ask your subscribers if they’d be interested in buying a product like that :

Test different prices until you find the perfect balance between price and demand.

Once you’ve confirmed your idea with enough people, develop it.

Finally, set up a new email series promoting your new product and prepare for your first launch.

Define where all your marketing efforts will focus on.

What social media platforms are you going to use to build a better relationship and more trust with your audience?

Try to f ocus on only 1 social media platform besides YouTube if you’re just starting or it will be too much for you. 

The good thing is that you’re already using video to talk to your audience, so you’re already using the  best content format for a business :

On the other hand, if you plan to hire social media managers, then write where you’ll find the candidates and what jobs you’ll assign to each one .

What other products can you offer later on as an upsell or to keep your clients happy?

What improvements could you implement to your first product to better fix your clients’ problems?

Do the same as with your first product and ask your current clients what they want to learn next.

If you’re already selling one product successfully, then you should keep reinvesting in new, improved ones for your customer.

After all, once someone buys from you, they’re much more likely to buy again.

This is how you keep scaling your business until it becomes an amazing money-making machine that is also helping thousands of people.

Congratulations, you’ve reached your objectives and you’ve built a YouTube channel business.

Will has been a full-time content creator since 2014. He’s an audio, video, and tech hobbyist dedicated to reviewing products and giving you the best tips he knows to grow your audience.

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Music Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Music Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your music business plan.

We have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their music businesses.

Below is a template to help you create each section of your Music business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

Musicians First Studio is a startup music company located in Nashville, Tennessee. The company is founded by Michael Smith, an experienced musician who has gained valuable knowledge on how to manage a music business during the past ten years while working at My Music Production & Management, another local music company. Now that Michael has experienced managing a music company, he is ready to start his own business, Musicians First Studio. Michael is confident that his skills as a musician, combined with his understanding of business management, will enable him to run a profitable music company of his own. Michael is recruiting a team of highly qualified professionals to help manage the day-to-day complexities of running a music studio – sales and marketing, production, artist management, music instruction, financial reporting, studio equipment maintenance, and client relations.

Musicians First Studio will provide a full suite of music production, management, and instruction services for both novice and professional musicians in the Nashville area. Musicians First will be the go-to music studio in Nashville for its client-focused services and dedicated professionals who are experienced in all aspects of the music industry. The company will be the ultimate choice for the needs of aspiring and professional musicians.

Product Offering

The following are the services that Musicians First Studio will provide:

• Artist Management
• Music Recording, Production, & Post-Production
• Private Music Lessons & Group Classes
• Venue Booking & Live Event Management
• PR & Marketing for New Artists

Customer Focus

Musicians First Studio will target new and experienced musicians in Nashville who are looking for professional production, management, or marketing services. The company will also target aspiring musicians and children looking for music lessons taught by industry veterans. No matter the customer, Musicians First Studio will deliver the best communication, service, and professionalism.

Management Team

Musicians First Studio will be owned and operated by Michael Smith. Michael is a graduate of Tennessee University with a degree in music. He has over ten years of experience working as a manager for another local music studio. Michael will be the company’s chief executive officer. He will oversee the recording/production process, music equipment, and studio staff’s activities.

Michael has recruited his former administrative assistant, Jessica Garcia, to be the company’s chief operating officer and help oversee the studio’s operations. Jessica will handle the day-to-day operations, including budgeting, scheduling, client relations, and logistics.

Michael and Jessica have recruited an experienced marketing director, John Brown, to become a member of the Musicians First Studio management team. John is a graduate of the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in sales and marketing. Michael and Jessica rely on John’s expertise to execute the company’s marketing plan and advertising strategies.

Success Factors

Musicians First Studio will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

• Skilled team of music production technicians and veteran musicians who will work one-on-one with clients to reach their individual music goals whether they’re looking to record a new album or learn a new instrument.
• Musicians First Studio is one of the only studio’s in the area that offers a wide range of services for musicians of all skill levels and goals.
• The company offers competitive pricing and discounts for referrals.

Financial Highlights

Musicians First Studio is seeking $800,000 in debt financing to launch its music business. The funding will be dedicated towards securing the studio and purchasing equipment and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated towards three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff and marketing expenses. The breakout of the funding is below:

• Studio build-out: $340,000
• Music equipment, supplies, and materials: $280,000
• Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, utilities): $160,000
• Marketing costs: $10,000
• Working capital: $10,000

The following graph below outlines the pro forma financial projections for Musicians First Studio.

Company Overview

Who is musicians first studio.

Musicians First Studio is a newly established music company in Nashville, Tennessee. Musicians First will be the first choice for aspiring, novice, and experienced musicians in Nashville and the surrounding communities for its full-suite of professional services provided by industry veterans. The company will provide a wide range of services including recording/production, music lessons, artist management, and marketing for new musicians.

Musicians First Studio will be able to guarantee high quality production thanks to the latest and most innovative music technology operated by expert music production technicians. The company’s team of highly qualified professionals experienced in music, production, and marketing will manage the suite of services offered at the studio. In addition to customized services for musicians, customers will be able to book studio time that comes with use of equipment by the hour.

Musicians First Studio History

Musicians First Studio is owned and operated by Michael Smith, an experienced musician who has gained valuable knowledge on how to manage a music business during the past ten years while working at My Music Production & Management, another local music company. Now that Michael has experienced managing a music company, he is ready to start his own business, Musicians First Studio. Michael is confident that his skills as a musician, combined with his understanding of business management, will enable him to run a profitable music company of his own. Michael is recruiting a team of highly qualified professionals to help manage the day-to-day complexities of running a music studio – sales and marketing, production, artist management, music instruction, financial reporting, studio equipment maintenance, and vendor relations.

Since incorporation, Musicians First Studio has achieved the following milestones:

• Registered Musicians First Studio, LLC to transact business in the state of Tennessee
• Has identified an ideal location for the studio that is available for lease
• Reached out to numerous contacts to include local musicians, production technicians, and venue managers to help spread the word about the new studio
• Began recruiting a staff of musicians, music instructors, production technicians, marketing experts, and office personnel to work at Musicians First Studio.

Musicians First Studio Services

Industry analysis.

The global music industry is an estimated $60B market and is expected to grow by 8% by 2026. The broad music industry can be categorized into three primary segments; recording, live music, and music publishing. In the United States, the recording segment generated approximately $8B in revenues last year, while the live music segment brought in an estimated $9.5B, and the publishing segment totaled $1.8B. A majority of revenues generated in the recording segment come from streaming (28% of total industry revenue), with digital downloads and physical media coming in much lower (6.7% and 7.5% respectively). Revenue for the live music segment is generated primarily through ticket sales (37.1%) and sponsorships (10.3%). Publishing accounts for approximately 8.9% of total industry revenue.

Music streaming is one of the most significant trends in the industry, with the number of Americans who pay for streaming subscriptions at approximately 82.1M, up from 7.9M in 2014. Another trend is the emergence of independent artists and small record labels. These groups are earning more revenue than in years past and their percentage of revenue increase year over year is growing faster than that of larger record labels. With more options open to them when it comes to where and how to get their music out to consumers, artists, managers, and record labels have more opportunities for success than ever before.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market.

The precise demographics for Nashville, Tennessee are:

Customer Segmentation

Musicians First will primarily target the following customer profiles:

• Novice-to-experienced musicians looking for recording/production services
• Aspiring musicians of all ages looking for music lessons
• Musicians looking for artist management, booking, and representation services

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

Musicians First Studio will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.

My Music Production & Management

My Music Production & Management is one of the largest commercial music studios in Tennessee. The company was established in 1997 and offers professional music recording and production services for local musicians. My Music Production & Management also handles the business management activities for musicians including marketing, booking, and legal representation services. The company is well known for providing high quality production for some of the top artists in the region and has been recognized in various publications and music industry associations for its outstanding work in the local music community.

Genre Music

Founded in 2018, Genre Music is a small music company catering to local musicians in Nashville, Tennessee and surrounding areas. Genre Music is owned and operated by a veteran musician who has over 40 years of experience in the music industry. The company specializes in artist branding, marketing, and representation in addition to its top notch recording services. Genre Music has worked with a variety of up and coming artists in multiple genres and has a loyal customer base of regular musicians who use the company’s services.

Retro Recording & Productions

Retro Recording & Productions is a trusted Nashville, Tennessee-based music company that provides superior production and recording services for Nashville and the surrounding areas. The company is able to provide a wide variety of recording, production, and post-production services using its state-of-the-art music recording equipment. Retro Recording & Productions serves local musicians and national musicians. The company prides itself on being the number one choice for classic sound produced through modern technology. Retro Recording & Productions also manufactures its own collectible vinyl records in limited quantities.

Competitive Advantage

Musicians First Studio will be able to offer the following advantages over their competition:

• The company offers competitive pricing on studio rentals and discounts for referrals.

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

Musicians First Studio will offer the unique value proposition to its clientele:

• Musicians First Studio provides a full suite of services tailored to the individual musician’s needs. Professionals are equipped to provide services for all skill levels from the aspiring and novice musician, the the industry veteran.
• The company’s studio is expertly designed for the clearest sound quality. The equipment is carefully selected to ensure the best sound possible.

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for Musicians First Studio is as follows:

Social Media Marketing

The company’s marketing director will create accounts on social media platforms such as Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. He will ensure Musicians First maintains an active social media presence with regular updates and fun content to get customers excited about using the studio’s services.

Professional Associations and Networking

Musicians First Studio will become a member of professional associations such as the Nashville Music Association, American Music Educators Society, and the Tennessee Music Production Association. The leadership team will focus their networking efforts on expanding the company’s artist and vendor network.

Print Advertising

Musicians First Studio will invest in professionally designed print ads to display in programs or flyers at industry networking events. The company will also send direct mailers to local residents advertising the services it provides.

Website/SEO Marketing

Musicians First Studio will utilize the in-house marketing director that designed the print ads to also design the company website. The website will be well organized, informative, and list all the services that Musicians First is able to provide. The website will also list information on the company’s events and featured artists.

The marketing director will also manage Musicians First’s website presence with SEO marketing tactics so that when someone types in a search engine “music company” or “music studio near me”, Musicians First Studio will be listed at the top of the search results.

The pricing of Musicians First Studio will be on par with competitors so customers feel they receive value when purchasing the company’s services.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for Musicians First Studio.

Operation Functions:

• Michael Smith will be the CEO of the company. He will oversee the music production technicians, production process, and the music equipment maintenance. Michael has spent the past year recruiting the following staff:
• Jessica Garcia – Chief Operating Officer who will manage the day-to-day operations, client relationships, scheduling, and logistics.
• Nancy Johnson – Chief Financial Officer who will provide all accounting, budgeting, tax payments, and monthly financial reporting.
• John Brown – Marketing Director who will oversee all marketing strategies for the company and manage the website, social media, and outreach.

Milestones:

Musicians First Studio will have the following milestones complete in the next six months.

12/1/2022 – Finalize lease to rent the studio facility

12/15/2022 – Finalize personnel and staff employment contracts for the Musicians First Studio management team

1/1/2023 – Begin build-out of the studio, purchase equipment, and test the acoustics

1/15/2023 – Begin networking at industry events and implement the marketing plan

2/15/2023 – Finalize contracts for musicians, instructors, production technicians, and marketing professionals

3/15/2023 – Musicians First Studio officially opens for business

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

The revenue drivers for Musicians First Studio are the fees charged to customers in exchange for the company’s services and fees charged to book studio time by the hour.

The cost drivers will be the overhead costs required in order to staff a music company. The expenses will be the payroll cost, utilities, equipment and supplies, and marketing materials.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Key assumptions.

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the startup business loan.

• Average hours booked per month: 120
• Average fees per month: $30,000
• Overhead costs per year: $640,000

Financial Projections

Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, music business plan faqs, what is a music business plan.

A music business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your music business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can easily complete your music business plan using our Music Business Plan Template here .

What are the Main Types of Music Companies?

There are a number of different kinds of music companies , some examples include: Recorded Music, Music Licensing, Live Music, Music Publishing, Music Production, Music Business Consulting, and Retail Music Store.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Music Business Plan?

Music companies are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding.

How to Start a Profitable Youtube Channel Business [11 Steps]

By Nick Cotter Updated Feb 02, 2024

Business Steps:

1. perform market analysis., 2. draft a youtube channel business plan., 3. develop a youtube channel brand., 4. formalize your business registration., 5. acquire necessary licenses and permits for youtube channel., 6. open a business bank account and secure funding as needed., 7. set pricing for youtube channel services., 8. acquire youtube channel equipment and supplies., 9. obtain business insurance for youtube channel, if required., 10. begin marketing your youtube channel services., 11. expand your youtube channel business..

Starting a YouTube channel business requires an understanding of the current market, including trends, audiences, and competition. A thorough market analysis will help you carve out your niche and create content that resonates with viewers. Here are some steps to guide you through the process:

• Identify your target audience: Consider demographics such as age, gender, interests, and geographic location to determine who is most likely to watch your content.
• Analyze competitors: Look at other channels in your niche, noting their content strategy, viewer engagement, and what works well for them.
• Understand trends: Keep an eye on trending topics, video styles, and formats that are currently popular on the platform to stay relevant.
• Assess market demand: Research keywords and topics within your niche to gauge viewer interest and search volume, which can inform your content strategy.
• Examine monetization options: Explore various monetization strategies used by other creators, such as ads, sponsorships, merchandise, and memberships, to understand potential revenue streams.

Are youtube channel businesses profitable?

Yes, YouTube channel businesses can be profitable and many creators have been able to make a living from their efforts. Factors such as the types of content created, the number of subscribers, and the number of views all impact the likelihood of profitability. Additionally, creators may be able to monetize their channels through advertisements, affiliate marketing, and sponsorships.

Starting a YouTube channel as a business requires meticulous planning and strategic thinking. Your business plan should outline your channel's vision, objectives, and the strategies you'll employ to achieve success. Below is a guide to help you draft a comprehensive business plan for your YouTube channel.

• Define Your Niche: Clearly state the content focus of your channel and the target audience. Understanding your niche will help you create relevant and engaging content.
• Content Strategy: Outline the types of videos you will create, the value they provide to viewers, and how often you plan to upload new content.
• Monetization Plan: Detail the methods through which you'll generate revenue, such as ad income, sponsorships, merchandise, or memberships.
• Marketing Approach: Explain how you'll promote your channel and content, including social media strategies, collaborations, and SEO practices to increase visibility.
• Financial Projections: Offer an estimate of startup costs, potential earnings, and a break-even analysis to forecast the financial sustainability of your channel.
• Operational Plan: Describe the resources you need, such as equipment and editing software, and any team members or roles crucial to your channel's operations.
• Metrics and Goals: Set specific, measurable goals for subscriber numbers, view counts, and engagement rates, and outline how you will track and analyze these metrics.

How does a youtube channel business make money?

YouTube channels have the ability to monetize their content through advertisements and link sponsorships. This means that businesses can earn money when viewers watch their videos and click on advertisements. For example, a YouTube channel focused on air duct cleaning could target business owners as a target audience. These owners could benefit from the advice provided in the channel's content, such as 11 Steps To Starting a Successful Air Duct Cleaning Business. This would provide an opportunity for the channel to earn money while also providing helpful information to people looking to start their own business.

Creating a strong brand for your YouTube channel is essential for standing out in a crowded market and attracting a loyal audience. Your brand encompasses everything from your channel's visual identity to the tone and personality conveyed in your content. Here's how to develop a robust YouTube channel brand:

• Define Your Niche: Be clear about the topics or genre your channel will cover. This specificity helps you attract a targeted audience.
• Develop a Unique Value Proposition (UVP): Determine what makes your channel different. Your UVP should highlight what viewers gain by watching your content that they can't get elsewhere.
• Choose a Brand Name: Pick a catchy and memorable name that reflects the essence of your channel and is easy to search for.
• Create Visual Identity: Design a consistent aesthetic for your channel with a recognizable logo, color scheme, and thumbnail style to build brand recognition.
• Craft Your Voice: Decide on the tone and personality of your channel. Whether it's humorous, educational, or inspirational, ensure it's consistent across all your content.
• Plan Your Content: Align your videos with your brand identity, ensuring each upload reinforces your brand's message and values.
• Engage Your Audience: Build a community by interacting with viewers through comments, live streams, and social media, making your brand feel more personal and accessible.

How to come up with a name for your youtube channel business?

Coming up with a name for your YouTube channel business can be a difficult task. Consider making the name memorable and recognizable, while avoiding overly long or overly complicated names. Brainstorm ideas that are relevant to your niche, and take into account the rhythm and pronunciation of the name. Additionally, check to see if the name is available as both a business trademark and a corresponding web address. With a little bit of creativity you should be able to come up with an appropriate name for your YouTube channel business.

Starting a YouTube channel as a business involves not just creating content, but also ensuring that your venture is legally recognized. Formalizing your business registration is a critical step to set up a proper structure for tax, legal, and financial benefits. Here’s how to go about it:

• Choose a business structure that fits your needs, such as a Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Limited Liability Company (LLC), or Corporation, and understand the implications of each for your YouTube business.
• Register your business name with the appropriate state authorities. If you're using a name different from your own, you may need to file a Doing Business As (DBA).
• Obtain any necessary business licenses or permits. The requirements can vary depending on your location and the nature of your content.
• Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS if you plan to hire employees or if your business structure requires it.
• Open a business bank account to keep your personal and business finances separate, which simplifies accounting and tax filing.
• Consider consulting with a business attorney or accountant to ensure you're meeting all legal requirements and optimizing your tax situation.

Resources to help get you started:

Explore key resources designed for YouTube channel entrepreneurs to gain insights on market trends, operational best practices, and strategic advice for business growth:

• YouTube Creator Academy : Offers comprehensive tutorials and guidance directly from YouTube on how to grow and manage your channel. Visit Creator Academy
• Tubefilter : Provides industry news, analysis of trends, and strategic insights for digital video creators. Explore Tubefilter
• VidIQ Blog : A resource offering tips and tools for audience growth, video optimization, and monetization strategies. Read the VidIQ Blog
• Social Blade : Offers analytics and data tracking for YouTube channels, essential for competitive analysis and growth tracking. Access Social Blade
• Google's Keyword Planner : Helps in identifying high-volume search terms for topic selection and SEO optimization. Use Keyword Planner
• Think with Google - Consumer Insights : Provides insights into consumer trends which can aid in content planning. Discover Consumer Insights

Starting a YouTube channel as a business comes with its own set of legal considerations. Depending on the content you plan to create and how you intend to monetize your channel, you may need to obtain specific licenses and permits. Here's what you need to consider:

• Business License: Depending on where you live, you may need a general business license to operate your YouTube channel as a commercial entity.
• Content Licenses: If you're using music, video clips, or any other copyrighted material, ensure you have the appropriate licenses to avoid copyright infringement.
• Resale Permits: Should your channel involve selling goods, a resale permit or sales tax license might be required by your state or local government.
• Zoning Laws: If you're operating from home, check local zoning laws to make sure you're in compliance, especially if your business activities increase traffic or noise.
• Permits for Special Activities: Occasionally, special activities such as giveaways or contests might require additional permits, particularly if they involve complex rules or large prizes.

Always check with your local and state authorities to ensure you're fully compliant with all regulations related to your YouTube channel business.

What licenses and permits are needed to run a youtube channel business?

The licenses and permits you need to run a YouTube channel business can vary depending on your location and the type of content you produce. Generally, you may need to apply for business licenses or permits in order to operate legally. You may also need to register your business name, obtain copyright or trademark protection, or acquire any other necessary permits. In addition, if you plan to monetize your content with ads or sponsorships, you will likely need to register with the local government in order to pay taxes.

When starting a YouTube channel business, it's crucial to keep your finances organized and secure the necessary funding to support your growth. Opening a business bank account can help you manage your earnings and expenses effectively. Additionally, securing funding can fuel your business ambitions, allowing you to invest in better equipment, marketing, and other resources. Here's what you should consider:

• Choose the right bank: Research and select a bank that offers services tailored to small businesses, with low fees and good customer support.
• Gather required documents: Prepare your business documents, including your business license, EIN, and any other paperwork the bank may require.
• Understand your funding needs: Assess how much money you need to start and operate your channel, including equipment, editing software, and marketing costs.
• Explore funding options: Look into small business loans, lines of credit, crowdfunding, sponsorships, or even personal savings to finance your business.
• Keep your finances separate: Maintaining a distinct boundary between personal and business finances is essential for tax purposes and financial clarity.

Setting the right price for your YouTube channel services is crucial to attract subscribers while ensuring your business remains profitable. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you determine a pricing strategy that reflects the value of your content and appeals to your target audience.

• Analyze Your Costs: Calculate the total costs involved in producing your content, including equipment, software, and your time. Ensure your pricing covers these costs and allows for profit.
• Research Competitors: Look at what similar YouTube channels charge for their services or content. Use this information to benchmark your prices competitively.
• Value-Based Pricing: Set prices based on the perceived value to your audience. If your content is unique or high-quality, you may be able to command a higher price.
• Tiered Offerings: Offer multiple pricing tiers with varying levels of access or perks. This allows viewers with different budgets to engage with your channel.
• Flexibility: Be prepared to adjust your pricing based on feedback and the evolving market conditions to remain competitive and fair.
• Transparency: Clearly communicate what viewers get at each price point to build trust and manage expectations.

What does it cost to start a youtube channel business?

Initiating a youtube channel business can involve substantial financial commitment, the scale of which is significantly influenced by factors such as geographical location, market dynamics, and operational expenses, among others. Nonetheless, our extensive research and hands-on experience have revealed an estimated starting cost of approximately $2400 for launching such an business. Please note, not all of these costs may be necessary to start up your youtube channel business.

Starting a YouTube channel requires some essential equipment and supplies to ensure your content is high-quality and engaging. Depending on your budget and the type of content you plan to create, your needs may vary. Here's a list of the basic gear you should consider acquiring to set up a successful YouTube channel:

• Camera: A good-quality camera is crucial. This could be a DSLR, a mirrorless camera, or even a high-end smartphone if budget is tight.
• Microphone: Clear audio is essential, so invest in a decent microphone. Options include lapel mics for interviews or condenser mics for voiceovers.
• Lighting: Proper lighting can make a huge difference in video quality. Softbox lights or ring lights are popular choices among YouTubers.
• Tripod or Stabilizer: To keep your footage steady, use a tripod or a handheld gimbal stabilizer, especially if you're recording on the go.
• Editing Software: Quality editing can set your content apart. Software like Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro is widely used, but free alternatives like DaVinci Resolve also exist.
• Storage: Videos can take up a lot of space; have reliable external hard drives or cloud storage solutions in place.
• Backdrop: A clean and professional backdrop or green screen can improve the visual appeal of your videos.

List of software, tools and supplies needed to start a youtube channel business:

• Video camera ($100 - $500): Essential for recording high quality videos.
• Tripod ($15 - $50): Stabilizes the camera and makes it easier to record steady shots.
• Lighting equipment ($50 - $200): Can help improve the quality of your videos.
• Microphone ($20 - $100): Captures audio to ensure sound quality.
• Computer ($500 - $1000+): Used to edit and upload videos.
• Video editing software ($5 - $50/month): Used to edit and enhance the video footage.
• Graphics/Logo design software ($20 - $200): Used to create visuals for the video, like logos, titles, etc.
• YouTube Channel Art Creator tools (free): Used to personalize your channel page.
• Social media management tools ($15 - $30/month): Lets you track performance of your channel on social media
• Promotional/Advertising materials (varies by type/quantity): Materials used to help market and promote your content.

Starting a YouTube channel can be an exciting venture, but it's important to protect your business from potential risks. Obtaining the right insurance can safeguard against liabilities and unforeseen events that could impact your financial stability. Here's how to secure business insurance for your YouTube channel:

• Assess your risk: Determine what types of risks your YouTube channel might face, such as copyright infringement claims or equipment damage.
• Research insurance options: Look for insurance providers that specialize in digital or media-related coverage and compare their policies.
• Consider general liability insurance: This can protect against third-party claims for bodily injury or property damage related to your business activities.
• Explore professional liability insurance: Also known as errors and omissions insurance, this covers legal fees and damages if you're accused of professional negligence or providing misleading information.
• Check for equipment insurance: If you have valuable filming equipment, this insurance can cover loss or damage to your gear.
• Review your homeowner's or renter's policy: Some policies may offer coverage for home-based businesses, but you may need additional insurance for complete protection.
• Consult with an insurance professional: An expert can help you tailor a policy to your specific needs and ensure that you have adequate coverage.

Successfully marketing your YouTube channel services is crucial for attracting audiences and potential clients. It's important to reach out to the right people with the right message to grow your business. Here are some strategies to consider for promoting your YouTube channel services:

• Utilize Social Media: Share your content on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to increase visibility. Engage with your audience and use relevant hashtags to reach potential clients.
• Collaborate with Other YouTubers: Partner with other content creators to tap into their audiences. This can help you gain exposure and credibility within your niche.
• SEO Optimization: Use search engine optimization techniques to improve your videos' visibility on YouTube and Google. Research keywords related to your services and include them in your video titles, descriptions, and tags.
• Content Marketing: Create valuable and informative blog posts, infographics, or e-books that can attract clients to your services. Share these on various online platforms to demonstrate your expertise.
• Email Marketing: Build an email list and send out newsletters with updates, promotions, and useful content to keep your audience engaged and informed about your services.
• Online Advertising: Invest in paid advertising through Google AdWords or YouTube's advertising platform to target potential clients who are searching for services like yours.

As your YouTube channel grows, it's essential to look for ways to expand your brand and increase revenue streams. Here are some strategies to consider for taking your YouTube channel business to the next level:

• Collaborate with other YouTubers or influencers to tap into new audiences and share viewership.
• Develop and sell your own merchandise, such as t-shirts, mugs, or digital products related to your brand.
• Offer exclusive content or perks through membership platforms like Patreon or YouTube's channel memberships.
• Extend your content to other platforms such as Twitch, Instagram, or a personal blog to reach a wider audience.
• Engage in affiliate marketing by promoting products or services and earning a commission for each sale through your affiliate links.
• Seek sponsorship deals with brands that align with your channel's content and values.
• Host live events or workshops to connect with your audience in person or virtually and build a stronger community.
• Consider hiring a team to help manage and produce content, allowing you to focus on creative direction and business strategy.
• Utilize analytics to understand your audience better and tailor your content to their preferences, increasing viewer retention and growth.

Start a YouTube Business

Harness The Power Of YouTube: Let Your Passion Drive Profits!

YOUTUBE BUSINESS

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YouTube Music Premium review: The biggest library in the business

Expert's Rating

• So much live and rare music to discover
• A true bargain when included with an ad-free YouTube Premium subscription
• No lossless streaming
• Can be very difficult to search for specific music
• YouTube pays the lowest royalty rates to artists and rights holders

Our Verdict

YouTube Music has its faults, but hardcore music fans would do well to choose it at least as a secondary music streamer because of its unique features.

YouTube Music Premium is the replacement for Google Play Music, which shut down in October 2020 when Google transitioned those users over to YouTube Music. It doesn’t have the high-resolution streaming that’s becoming standard in the business, nor does it have a dedicated desktop app for Mac or PC.

Still, it has a few features available nowhere else, and YouTube Music Premium may be the perfect second streamer for listeners frustrated by the holes in the 70-million-song catalog that most streaming services share.

This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best music streaming services , where you’ll find reviews of the competition’s offerings, plus a buyer’s guide to the features you should consider when shopping for this type of product.

How much does YouTube Music cost?

YouTube Music Premium costs $9.99/month or $99.99/year. The Family plan costs $14.99/month and includes up to six accounts. College students can get the service for $4.99/month. You’ll need to confirm your student status with SheerID to be eligible.

YouTube Music Premium features inventive curated playlists from the YouTube staff.

James Barber/Foundry

YouTube Music Premium is also included in a YouTube Premium subscription, an outstanding option that removes all in-video advertising from YouTube videos. YouTube Premium costs $11.99/month or $119.99/year. The Family plan costs $17.99/month and includes up to six accounts. College students can get YouTube premium for $6.99/month.

You might think that’s a high price for YouTube Premium but, if you’re the kind of person who watches a lot of YouTube video, it’s a huge difference maker. If you choose YouTube Music Premium as your music service, then the extra couple of bucks a month for YouTube Premium is a no-brainer. If you’re committed to another music streamer, but you watch a lot of YouTube videos, you might want to consider YouTube Premium just to kill those endless advertisements.

There’s an ad-supported free version of YouTube Music that gives access to much more on-demand music than you’ll get from the free versions of Spotify or Amazon Music. New members can get a 30-day free trial.

Streaming quality on YouTube Music Premium

YouTube Music Premium gives you control over your streaming quality, but the options are limited to High (256Kbps), Normal (128Kbps), and Low (4Kbps). The only reason anyone should consider any setting other than High would be that their ISP imposes a data cap.

That High setting might be fine for many, but it’s not competitive with what’s on offer from Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz, or Amazon Music Unlimited. High-resolution music requires more bandwidth, which costs more money for the streaming service to license and stream.

YouTube Music’s killer feature

YouTube Music Premium’s killer feature is the ability to make playlists from YouTube videos with songs that are not available in licensed streaming catalog.

The one amazing thing that sets YouTube Music Premium apart from its competitors is the ability to add almost any song that’s available on the YouTube video site to a YouTube Music Premium playlist.

YouTube is filled with live performances filmed by audience members around the world. Want to make a custom Bruce Springsteen live concert playlist? You’ve got hundreds of performances to choose from. Some enterprising fan filmed the entire Gang of Four show in Atlanta this past March. I made a 1-video playlist of the show and now have the option of watching or just listening to it from inside the YouTube Music app.

Here’s another example: I’ve been following the amazing Vietnam War Song Project channel on YouTube for years, which aims to collect all songs written about the war. Many of these were one-off, private-pressing 45s, and Justin Brummer is painstakingly archiving them on YouTube. Not all of them are great, of course, but I’ve made a great playlist of the highlights from the channel. Almost none of these songs are in the standard streaming catalog.

Music discovery with YouTube Music

YouTube’s international user base gives its Global Top Artists List a different perspective on what’s popular. 

If you use the same email address when you sign up for YouTube Music Premium that you use for YouTube, the service already has a wealth of information about your tastes that it’s collected for as long as you’ve been watching videos on YouTube. That’s either a huge bonus—because you’re immediately getting recommendations tailored to your tastes—or a creepy reminder of just how much data Google has collected about you over the years.

Sure, I might wish now that I’d been a bit more careful with what I shared over the years, but the My Supermix playlist that greeted me when I logged into the app is just truly spectacular. There are 100 songs on the list and dozens that I already love. I’m also sure I’ve never played nearly all those songs on YouTube. There’s a powerful algorithm at work here and it’s impossible not to be impressed.

Buttons at the top of the app generate music to match moods like Relax, Workout, Energize, Commute, and Focus. It’s not a playlist, but a version of the homepage that includes songs that YouTube Music thinks fit that mood.

Music search is an unqualified black hole if you’re not already familiar with the artist’s work. There are no dates attached to albums, they’re not in release order and the Led Zeppelin artist page includes tribute albums by other artists, and the kind of cut-rate cover versions that are uploaded by opportunists looking to confuse inexperienced listeners and generate a few random plays.

YouTube Music Premium features a host of user-generated playlists.

That’s not a problem if you’re a voracious and knowledgeable listener who can dig through the virtual crates and pluck out the rare jewels. If you’re consistently bored or frustrated with the selection anywhere else, YouTube has a solution for you.

The app also pushes playlists made by other users in a section called “From the Community.” Engaged listeners with a point of view are taking the time to make public playlists, and there’s always something interesting to either provoke you or bring a bit of joy.

Playing your own music on YouTube Music

YouTube Music Premium makes it easy to add your own music to its system from your computer. Just drag the files onto the app screen in your browser or click on your profile picture and choose “Upload Music” to navigate to the files on your hard drive. You can upload FLAC, M4A, MP3, OGG, or WMA files.

There’s a 100,000-song limit. If you someday decide that you no longer want to subscribe to YouTube Music Premium, your uploaded files and playlists made from those files will still be available for you to stream for free and in the background on your personal device. If you’re looking for a no-cost way to stream your music library to any device, this low-profile feature is an outstanding solution.

What’s trending on YouTube Music doesn’t look like the trending lists from any other service, perhaps because the video site’s user base dwarfs any of the other paid streaming providers.

YouTube Music browser and desktop streaming

YouTube Music hasn’t built a desktop app for Mac or PC, so you’ll need to use a browser (preferably Chrome, obviously) to use the service on a computer. The web version includes a lot of videos from YouTube, so you’re getting suggested live performances and television appearances to go along with the music in the streamer’s library.

Our bottom line on YouTube Music Premium

YouTube Music Premium doesn’t offer premium streaming quality and its interface can be more like digging through the bins at an overstuffed thrift store when compared to the sleek presentations you’ll get from its competitors.

But it’s that element of shaggy weirdness that makes YouTube Music Premium such a compelling option. If you’re looking for hours upon hours of music you can’t stream anywhere else, YouTube Music Premium is your only destination.

If artists’ complaints about the streaming economy have any resonance for you, keep in mind that YouTube notoriously pays artists and rights holders the lowest per-stream royalty in the music-streaming business.

I’m a YouTube Premium customer, and the ad-free YouTube experience is well worth $11.99/month. I regularly use YouTube Music Premium as part of that subscription, but I’d never use it as my primary or only streaming service, because of both its streaming quality and its royalty payments.

As one part of a well-rounded personal music strategy, YouTube Music Premium is incredibly fun to use for the hardcore music fan. Paired with YouTube Premium, it’s a killer.

Author: James Barber , Freelance Contributor

James has worked in music as a producer, A&R executive, music publisher, manager and record store clerk. He writes about music, technology and movies from his home in Georgia.

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• The ROXi Interactive Music Channel is coming to NextGen TV
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How to Create a Business Plan Around Your YouTube Channel

Hey this is Sasha and today I want to share with you how to create a business plan around your YouTube channel.

For many people they look at a YouTube channel and they think, this is my business, YouTube is my business, and that’s not necessarily the way that you should be looking at it, YouTube is a platform to help you within your business, but you have to build the business around YouTube or around that platform.

The platform is not your business

And there are a lot of people that are very successful in various platforms; nowadays we have a lot of platforms. From Facebook to Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, there are a lot of different platforms, and you can build a whole business just around a single platform, especially if you dominate that platform within your industry or category.

But you have to build your business around it, and not just use that one platform as your business. And yes it can fuel those things and fuel your business, but you have to build things around it. Because the problem is if you use that as a full backbone and that is your whole business. If things go sour, if YouTube doesn’t exist anymore, then all of a sudden what’s going to happen to your business?

Think about what happened to MySpace, how things changed so quickly and very rapidly, people merged over to Facebook and Twitter and now MySpace is gone.

Look at Yahoo, what happened to Yahoo? When Yahoo was huge, Google came out, and again these things started shifting and changing the technology space.

You have to be mindful that you’re creating your own business and if you have a solid business strategy and you’re creating a business plan around that, then that’s fine and dandy, but if you’re not and you’re using the platform, YouTube itself as your business, that can be very dangerous

Let’s break this down and look at how we can create a business around YouTube, rather than just using YouTube as your business.

Making money

Let’s talk about making money because this is really what everybody wants to start with. In the online space, there’s a few ways to make money.

Especially from your YouTube channel, your YouTube channel, more so, what you’re going to do is get sponsorships and clicks.

Some people they have affiliate products, because they promote certain products and they say, if you like my review of this product, click this link Bellow, like an amazon link right down below. And in that case, they get a commission or percentage of that sale.

And then other people may have their own product, which has the highest margin return for when you make a sale, but these the three ways that you can make money on YouTube, or at least through YouTube.

Don’t rely only on sponsorships

If you’re just doing sponsorships, that’s fine, but you don’t have a business around those things. You just have a basic viewership, and even if you have a high viewership rate, it might be fantastic, you might make a lot of money, but it’s not a way to consistently make money.

Let’s just say if you’re on the top 10% of Youtubers or top 10% of people with viewership. Yes, you might be able to make a lot of money and you might be doing great on sponsorships. But if anything happens with that algorithm, you lose your channel, you get hacked, whatever the problem may be, this could create a big problem to your business, because you’re resting everything on one single pillar.

Build a multi-pillar structure for your business

What you want to do in your business is put up multiple pillars, you have sponsorships, you’re selling other products, you’re selling your products, and you create a multi-pillar structure, so that way if any one thing collapses, you’re still able to sustain through the storms.

If we’re looking at a structure, let’s just say it’s kind of like a pyramid structure, whatever it is, think of it as legs.

You could do this part from your blog, or you could do it from your podcast, it’s just a distribution channel, but you continue to add on these things, so then you have our own product, so that would be kind of the next stage or step.

Build up multiple fronts with multiple pillars

If one of your pillars fails – The others will support your business

Again, you’re building structures all in place that if any one of these, let’s say this product one or two or three is a failure, you still have two products.

This is your core business, and you’re building more rings around your income, and you continue to grow those rings.

As one channel may be your sponsorships, then your income continues to grow, then your income again continues to grow, and you continue to expand those channels.

You might start with YouTube, and that’s perfectly ok, but then you add in a podcast, which allows you to distribute more products, more affiliates, more sponsorships, more viewers.

Continue to grow and expand

This isn’t a full business plan for your YouTube channel, but it’s just to show you how the business plan around the YouTube channel really works.

And some people have ultimate success with YouTube, and that’s great for many people, sometimes it works out, your videos go viral, but if you want a systematic approach, this is how you do it.

What can you offer?

It really just comes down to which one you have an edge in, and then use that and continue to grow it and expand on it.

I hope that you really start seeing the bigger picture behind creating a business around YouTube, rather than just using YouTube and looking at sponsorship and making some side income.

Side income is great, it allows you to get the ball rolling, but that’s what allows you to take that ball and turn it into a business, take it to the next stage, and continue to evolve it, up until the point where you’re satisfied and enjoying your life.

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Youtube Channel Business Plan Sample

MAY.03, 2019

Do you want to start youtube channel business?

In this era, where the trends of businesses are going towards those, which require a small investment resulting in a large payback, people are mostly looking for a business plan youtube that can be done online. If you too are planning to start a business on the web, and has the skill to create and edit videos, the most worthwhile option you can have is to create a YouTube channel.

Probably you will be thinking that you just need to create an account to move forward. But, it is wrong, you’ll need to make a detailed youtube business plan . To help you in making one, we are providing here a sample YouTube video channel business plan template for a startup named, ‘BrightShows’.

Executive Summary

Before thinking about how to start youtube business, you must create your youtube channel business plan . Your youtube business plan will help you in prioritizing your business plan youtube and following a stepwise approach in order to meet your goals.

2.1 The Business

BrightShows will be a YouTube channel sharing motivational, educational and nutritional videos, owned by Krista James. The business plan youtube will be based in Bellingham, Washington State.

2.2 Management

BrightShows will be a channel providing informative and educational video content in various domains. So, in order to run our business plan youtube , we’ll require a team of video editors, graphic designers, web developers, SEO specialists, and content writers. Krista has decided to get this team through rigorous testing from her own city and also to find some freelance workers from around the world.

2.3 Customers

Our customers will be from the whole world. As our educational videos will mostly be for college and university domain, so our major users will be the young boys and girls throughout the world.

2.4 Business Target

Our target is to reach a million views by the end of the first year, and 30 million views by the end of the first three years.

Company Summary

3.1 company owner.

Krista has a bachelors’ degree in Software Engineering. During the course of her studies, she was continuously involved in freelance video editing and graphic designing works. Pursuing her interests, she took a 12-week workshop on Digital Editing while preparing herself for starting a web-based business plan youtube .

3.2 Why the Business is being started

Krista had a keen interest in editing and video making tools, she is an expert in using all the related software like Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Photoshop, Vegas Pro, KineMaster, etc. Due to her freelance experience, she knows how to start a youtube business and due to the technical skills she has, she can actually implement her ideas through her business plan youtube .

3.3 How the Business will be started

BrightShows will be based on making informative, educational, and motivational videos. In order to manage all these domains, Krista will procure space in Bellingham with the best ISP, computers, servers, cameras, movie making equipment, and other necessary devices. Moreover, she’ll hire a team of content writers, web developers, SEO Specialists, graphic designers, video editors, video makers, and tutors to help her in providing informative videos for her channel .

If you are thinking about how can i start a business with youtube, read the following youtube business model thoroughly. This youtube business plan will cover all the essential details to start this business plan youtube .

The startup summary, developed by our youtube business plan writer is as follows:

The detailed startup requirements are given below:

BrightShows will be based on serving its customers through informative and educational contents. The basic services which Krista has decided to provide are given here for anyone who wants to know how to start up on youtube.

• Providing motivational and inspirational videos
• Providing informative videos about health and nutrition
• Providing high-quality videos on Software Engineering Subjects mainly focused on Computer Languages, Computer Architecture, Machine Learning, and Data Structures courses
• Providing video and photo editing tutorials
• Providing YouTube channel marketing services by SEO techniques, web developing and optimizing themes and content

Marketing Analysis of Youtube Channel Business

Almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube daily, so marketing your youtube channel effectively is the only way of getting among those 5 billion.

So, after you have enough content and videos, go for making a youtube marketing business strategy to let people know about your channel. For effective marketing either you can contact a youtube channel marketing company or you yourself can do it by using the most related keywords, thumbnails, and themes.

5.1 Market Trends

The revenue that can be generated through YouTube channel depends upon your talent and creativity to enhance your videos. According to the latest facts, 5 Billion videos are being watched on YouTube every day, and more than 10 thousand videos have generated more than a billion views on this platform. Thus, you can earn immensely by starting this business plan youtube provided that you manage your content, and run your channel smoothly. If you will be able to grab people’s attention through your videos you will be paid by the site itself, and also you will get ads to make a profit.

5.2 Marketing Segmentation

Web-based businesses have the biggest advantage of having its customers throughout the world. People around the world who understand our language can benefit from our videos. To analyze the mindset of our subscribers in more detail, we have divided them in a group of three, as given here:

The detailed marketing segmentation of our target audience is as follows:

5.2.1 College & University Students: Our primary subscribers will be students, they will watch our videos to learn computer languages such as C, C++, Java, Python. They are also expected to watch our videos on motivational and inspirational talks. Moreover, they would surely like to learn video and photo editing software from us in their summer break.

5.2.2 Adults & Old: The second group of our target customers will comprise of the adults and old, who are expected to watch our motivational and inspirational talks, as well as our useful videos on health and nutrition.

5.2.3 Other Businesses: The owners of YouTube channels other than us will also be our target customers. We expect other channels to utilize our services of editing, graphic designing, optimizing content and marketing their channel.

Our detailed marketing segmentation is as follows:

5.3 Business Target

Our target is to achieve the maximum traffic on our channel by providing our customers with high-quality informative content. Our aim is to reach a million views by the end of the first year, and 30 million views by the end of the first three years.

5.4 Product Pricing

If you are starting a YouTube channel, you cannot set the prices for your services . You’ll be paid a fixed amount by the site after you reach a certain view count. BrightShows will also be providing YouTube Channel Marketing Services, so we have decided to set the prices high for everyone who wants to get their content and videos optimized by us.

Great service

Great service. Good turnaround time and quality work. Thanks!

In modern times, where the source of infotainment for most of the people is internet, starting a successful youtube channel will prove to be extremely profitable. Having the essential video-making and editing skills is the best strategy for starting a youtube channel. If you think you haven’t any unique idea, then you can search for youtube channel business ideas available on the web.

6.1 Competitive Analysis

There are more than 23 million channels on YouTube, to make yours a prominent one, you have to come up with some competitive advantages. The biggest competitive advantage of BrightShows is its wide variety of playlists. We are offering educational, motivational, informational and nutritional content, which will surely be a way to get more and more users. Secondly, our team is expert in their work, we are sure that the quality, content and the way of delivering we’ll have will be different than all others. Our tutorials are very well explained and we don’t waste even a single minute by dragging the content. Lastly, we will promptly respond to any query in our user’s mind in the comment section, creating an environment of mutual learning.

6.2 Sales Strategy

To let more and more people, know about us;

• We will advertise our services through social media and our Facebook page
• We will use the most related keywords and Search Engine Optimization to highlight our content
• We will create our website and post a link to our videos by related references
• We will create attractive thumbnails and themes with appealing video titles to attract customers

6.3 Sales Monthly

6.4 Sales Yearly

6.5 Sales Forecast

Personnel plan

If you are starting a YouTube business focusing on more than one domains you’ll need to hire some staff. If you are looking for how to make successful youtube channel, you must hire your staff after rigorous testing and learn some skills by yourself to operate the channel.

7.1 Company Staff

Krista has decided to manage the website and teach the video and photo editing skills by herself. She will hire the following staff for other purposes.

• 2 Video Editing Experts
• 1 Software Engineer to teach content related to software education
• 4 Content writers to create content about health, nutrition, and motivational tasks
• 2 Speak persons to address the audience in nutritional and motivational videos
• 1 Web Developer
• 1 Graphic Designer to accomplish designing work
• 2 Assistants for making videos
• 1 SEO Specialist for search engine optimization

The company will also acquire freelance services for content writing if need be.

7.2 Average Salary of Employees

Financial plan.

Starting a YouTube channel is a business that doesn’t require a lot of investment neither does it require the lengthy procedures of registrations and licensing, you can easily start a YouTube channel by sitting in your home. However, if you aim at hiring certain staff like BrightShows then you’ll need to spend some amount to pay the salaries of your employees. If you want to know how to plan a youtube channel and how to balance your investments with the profit earned, you can take help from this youtube channel business model. Here we are providing a free financial plan of BrightShows enlisting the details of forecasted profits.

8.1 Important Assumptions

8.2 brake-even analysis.

8.3 Projected Profit and Loss

8.3.1 profit monthly.

8.3.2 Profit Yearly

8.3.3 Gross Margin Monthly

8.3.4 Gross Margin Yearly

8.4 Projected Cash Flow

8.5 Projected Balance Sheet

8.6 business ratios.

Download Youtube Channel Business Plan Sample in PDF

OGS capital professional writers specialized also in themes such as business plan for freelance , data entry business plan , business plan for a digital printing , business plan for magazine publishing , blog business plan and many others.

OGSCapital’s team has assisted thousands of entrepreneurs with top-rate business plan development, consultancy and analysis. They’ve helped thousands of SME owners secure more than $1.5 billion in funding, and they can do the same for you.

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Sign up for a YouTube annual plan

Premium annual plans are pre-paid, non-recurring memberships. Once you subscribe, you can enjoy 12 months of Premium membership benefits until your plan expires. See below for eligibility details.

Check if you're eligible for an annual plan

To sign up for an annual plan, follow the steps below. After completing your purchase, you can use your YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium benefits everywhere you can sign in with the Google Account you used to purchase your membership – including on compatible smart TVs/gaming consoles .

To sign up for an annual plan, you must be:

• Not a current YouTube Premium or Music Premium subscriber. If you have an existing YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium membership and want to switch to an annual plan, learn how to do so here .
• United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, Germany, Thailand, India and Japan.
• Note for subscribers in India: If you have a one-month or three-month prepaid plan, you can sign up for an annual plan that will begin when your prepaid plan expires.

How do YouTube Premium annual plans work?

When you purchase an annual plan, you pay upfront for a non-recurring individual subscription. This means that your paid membership benefits will end after the 12-month period that you've paid for. You can purchase up to two years of pre-paid access to YouTube Music Premium or YouTube Premium at a given time. To keep access to your benefits, you'll need to purchase another plan once your membership expires.

Refunds are not available for annual plans and annual plans cannot be paused. If you have questions about your annual plan,  get in touch with YouTube support . If you want to report a fraudulent transaction, file a claim here .

Learn more about how to sign up below. You can also explore our paid membership options to decide which one is right for you.

Sign up for a YouTube Premium annual plan

To sign up for a YouTube Premium or Music Premium annual plan, follow the steps below.

Sign up for a YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium annual plan

• From your phone or tablet, open the YouTube or YouTube Music app.
• Sign in to the Google Account where you'd like to start your membership.

• Select ' annual ' from the plan options.
• Complete your purchase.

You may be asked to verify a pin to secure your purchase. If so, follow the steps on screen to complete the verification process.

After completing your purchase, you can use your YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium benefits on a computer, Android or Apple device by signing into the Google Account you used to purchase your membership. You can check the date on which your plan ends by going to the Paid memberships section of your account.

Change your membership type

If you have an ongoing YouTube Premium or Music Premium membership and you'd like to switch to an annual plan, you'll first need to confirm that you're in a location where annual plans are available:

• United States

If you're eligible for an annual plan, you'll need to cancel your existing membership . After cancelling your membership you can sign up for an annual plan for YouTube Premium or Music Premium . Your annual plan access will begin at the end of your current billing cycle.

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74. From Finance To Music: How & Why To Create Your Music Business Plan With Gail Taylor The Profitable Musician Show

• Music Commentary

Being in the music industry isn’t all about creating and writing. You also need to pay attention to the business side to make a career out of your music. Gail Taylor joins Bree Noble in this episode with tips on creating your music business plan. Gail is a songwriter, keyboardist, and inspirational keynote speaker with 25 years of experience in the financial business. She decided to reinvent herself at the age of 60 and become a musician. Now, she uses her music and personal stories to entertain and inspire her audiences to become their best selves and go after their dreams. Join them in this episode as Gail combines her passion for music and love for the business to share valuable advice for aspiring musicians.

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What Is Apple One, and Should You Subscribe?

big tech companies are always looking for new ways to tie us into their ecosystems, but there is something to be said for the simplicity of a single monthly subscription. Apple One bundles several Apple services into one payment that is cheaper than subscribing to the same services individually. If you already subscribe to the likes of Apple Fitness+ and News+, it’s a great deal for you. The question is whether it can entice anyone currently using a mix of first- and third-party services to switch completely to Apple and lock that walled garden gate.

Here we break down what Apple One includes, how much it costs, how to subscribe, and other details about the service in case you're thinking of signing up.

Updated March 2024: We refreshed the details and updated prices.

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What Does Apple One Include and How Much Is It?

Apple One comes in three tiers:

• Individual: For $19.95 per month, you get Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 50 gigabytes of iCloud storage for one person.
• Family: For $25.95 per month, you get Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 200 GB of iCloud storage, plus you can share access with up to five other people.
• Premier: For $37.95 per month, you get Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, 2 terabytes of iCloud storage, News+, and Fitness+, plus you can share access with up to five other people.

How Much Can I Save?

Naturally, cost savings only apply if you're subscribed to all of these services separately. If you only currently subscribe to Apple Music and nothing else, for example, then you're not going to save money by switching to Apple One's Individual plan. That said, compared to the usual pricing for the included services, the Individual plan saves you $9 per month, the Family plan saves you $11, and the Premier plan saves you $29.

Here's how the prices break down:

• Apple Music : $11 per month for the individual plan, $17 for the family plan, and $6 for the student plan or voice plan.
• Apple TV+ : $10 per month.
• Apple Arcade : $7 per month.
• Apple News+ : $13 per month.
• Apple Fitness+ : $10 per month or $80 for a year.
• iCloud+ : $1 per month for 50 GB, $3 for 200 GB, and $10 for 2 TB.

It’s worth noting that Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade can always be shared with your family, whether you subscribe separately or with an individual Apple One plan. Apple News+ and Apple Fitness+ also support family sharing.

What About Free Trials and Existing Subscriptions?

You can get a one-month free trial of Apple One. If you are a new subscriber and have no existing subscriptions or free trials for any of these services, you get everything for free for one month and then start paying the monthly fee.

If you have existing subscriptions or free trials running, things get a little more complicated. If you already subscribe to some of the services in Apple One, those subscriptions will continue, and you will get the others for free for one month. At the end of the month, your current individual subscriptions will automatically be canceled, and you'll start paying the Apple One plan price for everything.

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What if you scored a free trial of Apple TV+ for three months, or you have six free months of Apple Music through an offer you redeemed? Unfortunately, Apple One will cut those free trials down to the standard one-month period, after which you will start to pay the Apple One plan price you chose. Note: You don’t get any free trial allowance back if you cancel your Apple One plan.

Apple One Services

What exactly do some of these services offer? Here's a closer look:

Apple Music appears in our Best Streaming Services guide because the entire library of more than 90 million songs is available in lossless format, and you get immersive 3D sound with albums tuned in Dolby Atmos. It has an excellent iPhone app and Siri support, but the Android app is just OK, and we're not fans of the desktop app. Social playlist sharing and curation don’t quite match up to our favorite service, Spotify, but the gap is closing. If you want to switch from Spotify to Apple Music , you can also take your playlists.

With a focus on quality over quantity, Apple TV+ isn’t competing with the enormous libraries offered by Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu, and it deserves its place in our Best Streaming Services guide. It's light on movies, though there are highlights, like Killers of the Flower Moon , Wolfwalkers , and Finch . But the real appeal of Apple TV+ is unmissable hit shows like Severance , Foundation , Ted Lasso, and The Morning Show , and it boasts excellent music documentaries, too. Everything is offered in 4K with HDR, and no, you don't need an Apple TV to watch content in Apple TV+.

Closing in on three years since its release, the impact of Apple Arcade on mobile gaming is still unclear. What isn’t up for debate is the fact it offers some of the best mobile games without ads or in-app purchases. There are more than 200 titles in the Apple Arcade now, many of them exclusive. Some of our favorites include Mini Motorways , Sayonara Wild Hearts , Sneaky Sasquatch , Bloons TD6 , and Assemble With Care .

Everyone gets 5 GB of storage space in iCloud for free, but that soon fills up with device backups, photos, and videos. You can upgrade to iCloud+ to get 50 GB, 200 GB, or 2 TB, and each option supports family sharing. There are several alternative cloud storage services that work well with Apple devices, but iCloud is tightly integrated. Aside from the extra space, another reason to upgrade to iCloud+ is for HomeKit Secure Video . It allows HomeKit security cameras and video doorbells to record 10 days of activity, viewable in the Home app. The 50-GB plan supports a single camera, the 200-GB plan covers up to five cameras, and the 2-TB plan supports unlimited cameras. These HomeKit videos don’t count against your iCloud storage limit. Every iCloud+ subscription also includes Private Relay , which encrypts your Safari web browsing, and Hide My Email , which gives you unique, random email addresses to use when you'd prefer to keep yours private.

If you love to read great magazines like (ahem) WIRED, National Geographic , The New Yorker , Time , People , Vogue , Rolling Stone , and Popular Science , or newspapers like The Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times, you can find them and many more, cover-to-cover, in the News app with an Apple News+ subscription. The service saves you from paywalls, features slick presentation, and offers curation based on your interests. On the downside, it doesn’t include everything— The New York Times and The Washington Post are famously unavailable. It also only works on Apple devices.

Workout subscription services grew popular at the start of the pandemic , as people could no longer visit the gym. Apple Fitness+ offers various workout types, from yoga to strength training, audio-guided walks and runs, and meditations, along with plenty of real-time metrics. It works via the Fitness app on an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, and it requires an Apple Watch Series 3 or newer. You can read more about it in our review , but the service has since expanded. (Apple adds around 30 new workouts and meditations every week.)

How to Subscribe to Apple One

If you are sold on Apple One , signing up on an Apple device is easy. Go to Settings , Account (tap on your name), Subscriptions , and you will see Apple One with the option to Try It Now . That’s it!

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San Diego Travel Blog

Local insight to help you plan your next San Diego vacation.

April 18, 2024 By Julia Buescher

Discover the Ultimate Wonderfront VIP Music Experience in San Diego

The Wonderfront Music Festival is a three-day waterfront music festival held in San Diego, California, and bringing together a diverse lineup of artists from multiple genres, including rock, hip-hop, EDM and more. The festival takes place May 10-12, and will attract music enthusiasts from around the country to take in amazing live performances against the backdrop of San Diego’s stunning waterfront scenery. 

Music and much more! 

The festival showcases multiple stages spread out along the waterfront, offering attendees a dynamic and immersive experience. From intimate acoustic sets to electrifying main-stage performances, Wonderfront caters to a wide range of musical tastes. Notable headliners and emerging artists alike grace the stages, ensuring there’s something for everyone. 

In addition to its stellar musical lineup, Wonderfront offers a plethora of activities and attractions to keep attendees entertained throughout the weekend. The festival embraces San Diego’s vibrant culture by incorporating elements such as local cuisine, craft beer and art installations. Attendees can indulge in culinary delights from food vendors who will serve up a diverse array of dishes, from gourmet street tacos to fresh seafood. 

Perfect perks for VIPs 

For those craving the ultimate VIP experience, Wonderfront presents the VIP Wonderfull Pass, offering exclusive perks and privileges. VIP ticket holders enjoy dedicated entrance lines at main venue gates, ensuring swift and hassle-free entry during peak festival moments. The VIP Lounge, nestled next to the sparkling bayfront, provides a serene escape from the festival’s hustle and bustle. 

Experience every note up close with unparalleled viewing from VIP platforms, ensuring an elevated perspective of main-stage performances. The extended front-of-stage access, exclusively for VIPs, brings you closer to the action than ever before. Indulge in specialized gourmet food offerings in the VIP Lounge, catering to diverse tastes. Picture lounging in a VIP area steps away from the main stages and waterfront, with access to a VIP Limo Boat for harbor party cruises. Front-row viewing at both main stages is now expanded for 2024, featuring multiple entrance/exit points and a VIP fast lane. Dive into the VIP Hideaway Lounge within the new EDM Dance Club for an exclusive open-air club experience like no other. 

Explore San Diego’s stunning bayfront 

Beyond the music and food, Wonderfront offers plenty of opportunities for attendees to explore and engage with the waterfront. The festival encourages attendees to take advantage of San Diego’s gorgeous bayfront location by offering various water-based activities and boat tours. Additionally, attendees can discover hidden gems along the Embarcadero , from scenic parks to historic landmarks, making Wonderfront a truly immersive experience. 

The festival’s inclusive atmosphere and diverse lineup reflect its commitment to celebrating music and bringing people together from all walks of life. Whether you’re a die-hard music fan or simply looking to soak up the vibrant atmosphere, Wonderfront promises an unforgettable experience that captures the essence of San Diego’s rich cultural tapestry . 

Get Your Wonderfront Ticket

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Sasquatch Sunset

A year in the life of a unique family. It captures the daily life of the Sasquatch with a level of detail and rigor that is simply unforgettable. A year in the life of a unique family. It captures the daily life of the Sasquatch with a level of detail and rigor that is simply unforgettable. A year in the life of a unique family. It captures the daily life of the Sasquatch with a level of detail and rigor that is simply unforgettable.

• David Zellner
• Nathan Zellner
• Jesse Eisenberg
• Riley Keough
• Christophe Zajac-Denek
• 5 User reviews
• 42 Critic reviews
• 64 Metascore
• 1 nomination

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia No dialogue is spoken by the actors, they only speak in grunts and other guttural noises.
• Connections Featured in Amanda the Jedi Show: The BEST and Weirdest Movies you (mostly) Haven't Seen Yet | Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 29 minutes

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