How many clicks through YouTube’s “Up Next” recommendations does it take to go from an anodyne PBS clip about the 116th United States Congress to an anti-immigrant video from a designated hate organization? Thanks to the site’s recommendation algorithm, just nine.
Mark Mulligan, writing at the Music Industry Blog:
YouTube is the dominant music streaming platform, with 55% of consumers regularly watching music videos on YouTube, compared to a combined 37% for all free audio streaming services. YouTube usage skews young, peaking at nearly three quarters of consumers under 25. Although YouTube leads audio streaming in all markets — even Spotify’s native Sweden — there are some strong regional variations. For example, emerging streaming markets Brazil and Mexico see much higher YouTube penetration, peaking at close to double the level of even traditional music radio in Mexico. Indeed, radio is feeling the YouTube pinch as much as audio streaming. 68% of those under 45 watch YouTube music videos compared to 41% that listen to music radio. The difference increases with younger audiences and the more emerging the market.
Kelly Weill, writing for The Daily Beast:
YouTube has become a quiet powerhouse of political radicalization in recent years, powered by an algorithm that a former employee says suggests increasingly fringe content. And far-right YouTubers have learned to exploit that algorithm and land their videos high in the recommendations on less extreme videos. The Daily Beast spoke to three men whose YouTube habits pushed them down a far-right path and who have since logged out of hate.
We built all these tools, we wrote the code to keep people engaged, to keep them watching and clicking ads, and pushed it out into the world without ever thinking about the consequences. The other day I opened up YouTube in a browser I never use, via a VPN in incognito mode, and it was about six videos before I started getting recommended anti-feminism shit from known bigots. This is bad.
Amy X Wang, writing at Rolling Stone:
The company announced in a blog post Thursday that it is shuttering its mobile apps and website, and that “going forward, Vevo will remain focused on engaging the biggest audiences and pursuing growth opportunities.” It will continue investing in original content and sponsorships, but phase out its own independently-operated platforms, it said. Read: Vevo is almost entirely succumbing to YouTube, the juggernaut that has long supplied most of its audience.
Peter Kafka, writing at Recode:
Two years ago, YouTube launched YouTube Red, a service that gave subscribers an on-demand music service, more or less similar to Spotify or Apple Music — as well as access to original programming created just for the service. YouTube Red also removed ads from the world’s largest video service.
All of that cost $10. But now that’s changing.
Next week, YouTube is launching YouTube Music — a revamped version of its existing music service that is functionally the same, but comes with extra bells and whistles like personalized playlists based on your YouTube history and other usage patterns.
Jonah Engel Bromwich, writing at The New York Times:
College Music had 794 subscribers in April 2015, a year before Mr. Pritchard and Mr. Laxton started streaming. A month after they began, they had more than 18,440. In April 2016, they had 98,110 subscribers and as of last month, with three active live streams, they have more than triple that amount, with 334,000. They make about $5,000 a month from the streams.
The boys stumbled upon a new strategy, one that, in the past two years, has helped a certain kind of YouTube channel achieve widespread popularity. Hundreds of independently run channels have begun to stream music nonstop, with videos that combine playlists with hundreds of songs and short, looped animations, often taken from anime films without copyright permission.
Lucas Shaw, writing for Bloomberg:
People who treat YouTube like a music service, those passively listening for long periods of time, will encounter more ads, according to Lyor Cohen, the company’s global head of music. “You’re not going to be happy after you are jamming ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and you get an ad right after that,” Cohen said in an interview at the South by Southwest music festival.
Correct, in fact I’d be so annoyed I’d go sign up for a music service like Spotify or Apple Music instead.
Lucas Shaw, writing at Billboard:
In recent months, YouTube has given a handful of musicians a couple hundred thousand dollars to produce videos and promote their work on billboards, part of a larger campaign to improve the site’s relationship with the music industry.
Yet such support comes with a catch, with some musicians required to promise the won’t say negative things about YouTube, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private business transactions. Non-disparagement agreements are common in business, but YouTube’s biggest direct competitors in music don’t require them, the people said.
Natalie Jarvey, writing for The Hollywood Reporter:
YouTube has put its original projects with Logan Paul on hold following widespread criticism over a video he posted Dec. 31 that featured images of a suicide victim.
The Google-owned streamer announced the action 11 days after the video was first published. (Paul removed it from his channel a day after he posted it after he faced a backlash over his treatment of mental health issues.)
Lucas Shaw, writing at Bloomberg:
YouTube plans to introduce a paid music service in March, according to people familiar with the matter, a third attempt by parent company Alphabet Inc. to catch up with rivals Spotify and Apple Inc.
The new service could help appease record-industry executives who have pushed for more revenue from YouTube. Warner Music Group, one of the world’s three major record labels, has already signed on, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private talks. YouTube is also in talks with the two others, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group, and Merlin, a consortium of independent labels, the people said.
YouTube is already the de facto music service for a pretty large number of people. Can you get them to start paying for their music consumption? Seems like it’s not a new service those people are looking for, they like browsing and listening to music on YouTube.
James Bridle, writing at Medium:
Someone or something or some combination of people and things is using YouTube to systematically frighten, traumatise, and abuse children, automatically and at scale, and it forces me to question my own beliefs about the internet, at every level. Much of what I am going to describe next has been covered elsewhere, although none of the mainstream coverage I’ve seen has really grasped the implications of what seems to be occurring.
This entire story is jaw-dropping.
If you use 1Blocker: here’s a package you can install that will make YouTube not suck. It cleans up the sidebar and hides all the comments. YouTube without comments is better.
It’s been ten years since Tay Zonday’s “Chocolate Rain” became an internet hit. BT.com spoke with Tay about the last decade and catching up with one of the first “viral” stars I remember:
Today, 112 million views would likely translate into cash, but Tay decided early on to make his song available for free download.
“I didn’t put it on iTunes,” he says, “I definitely regret that”.
YouTube has released a statement in response to accusations that it is discriminating against its LGBTQ users by hiding certain videos in its Restricted Mode. The company issued the statement on Sunday night, after several popular LGBTQ vloggers and video creators, discovered that videos on topics such as dating, attraction, and inspiration had been hidden by default in the mode. Many led criticism against the company using the #YouTubeIsOverParty hashtag on Twitter.
Tegan and Sara have been very vocal about this issue on Twitter.
YouTube has announced their new live TV offering dubbed “YouTube TV”:
Well, we’ve got some good news! We’re bringing the best of the YouTube experience to live TV. To do this, we’ve worked closely with our network and affiliate partners to evolve TV for the way we watch today.
And:
A YouTube TV membership is only $35 a month and there are no commitments—you can cancel anytime.
Interesting.
