What you need to know
- YouTube Music has detailed the launch of its new “monthly audience” metric for fans on the artist page.
- These statistics will include more than just songs played on YouTube Music, as the metric will take into account videos, short views, shared views, and other content.
- A recent series of YouTube Music tests involved artificial intelligence, most notably the latest “restyle” test of 30-second AI-generated clips.
YouTube Music is testing some interesting new stats for its artist pages, reminiscent of another platform.
The company detailed its latest test in support pagestating that it “explores new ways to show the presence and capabilities of the artist.” YouTube Music explains this new “monthly audience” metric as a “fan-focused public statistic” that will appear (for some) on the artist’s discography page. Interestingly, the number of “unique” listeners will not depend on YouTube Music one.
The platform says its experimental monthly audience statistics are based on who has listened to their music (obviously). However, this indicator expands the scope of application of the main video service YouTube. The explainer states that this monthly figure includes “non-musical” content created by the artist. Additionally, views of long and short videos created/uploaded by an artist “or his label” count toward “monthly listeners.”
Elsewhere, YouTube says this number will be influenced by collaborations with an artist featured on other channels, as well as videos/shorts created by content creators using their music.
The post also extends to the YouTube Kids app to show just how far the artist’s “reach” extends.
It looks like YouTube Music will update monthly audience statistics every “28 days.”
Users may be familiar with statistics like these, as Spotify also prominently lists the number of “monthly listeners” for artists. There is some overlap as Spotify states it also updates the number every 28 days. However, the company breaks this number down into three “segments”: active audience, previously active and programmed. The former are those who are active listeners most days, and the “previously active” are those who have not listened in the last 28 days but can still listen “from programmed sources.”
The latest segment features listeners from “editorial playlists, Discover Weekly, Radio, Autoplay” and more.
The recently launched YouTube Music test seems a little more boring compared to its AI trend through “restyle”. With access to Dream Track, content creators are able to take advantage of an AI-powered feature that allows them to “restyle” a song and turn it into a 30-second clip. This test allows users to describe the feel (mood) and genre of a new updated song that they like.