Well, I’ve been making a video per week for over a year now, and so far I’ve never missed a week. Looking back, um, I think that’s just stupid. Do I REALLY need to never miss a week? Never take a week off? At this point I’m at around 640 subscribers, which is better than 5, but not exactly noteworthy. Most people would call 640 subs an unsuccessful channel. How come I don’t have more subs?
Simple – I’m trying to make the videos I want to make. Some of them tank. Any time I talk about audio recording, interest goes down dramatically. My audience, based on views and YouTube info, is full of guys like me – over 40, like classic rock, like gear, like to sound like their idols. But unlike me, most of my audience isn’t interested in performing on stage or recording, or songwriting. Not everyone, of course. But most. Example: I did a video about getting your music onto Spotify, Apple Music, etc. After over a week, it had a mere 25 views. I probably personally know half of those people.
I’ve discovered that I’m getting bored with most of the YouTube channels I subscribe to. I won’t name names, but basically if you do pedal demos week in and week out, I’m not even remotely interested. There are two thousand tube screamer clones out there. They all do roughly the same thing. Some suck, some are great, most are good. And yet people tune in, by the thousands, each week to watch yet another pedal demo. Obviously they’re into the gear more than the playing.
I’m reminded of the guy who still gets excited when AC/DC releases new albums. AC/DC has been making the same album for years. That’s not a knock on them – they understand their fans. Their fans want Hells Bells. Or some variation. That’s what they do. So maybe this same guy tunes in week after week to learn about new pedals that do what’s already been done to death a million times over.
I’m not interested in that. But apparently most guitar players are.
I have to keep making the videos that get 25 views, from time to time. I just do. YouTube is another form of self-expression.
But I can only give my videos around 3 hours per week, and one of those hours will be editing. Which gives me two hours to think up an idea and record it. Not anywhere near enough time to make great content.
One idea is to switch to bi-weekly videos. But let’s be honest – I would just do nothing the first week, and I’d do the same three hours the second week. Nope, I need to center my videos around what I’m actually doing. It’s the only way I can sustain the channel. And I’ll turn off a vast majority of people who’ve subscribed to my channel, who don’t want to see stuff about writing/recording/performing with some guitar experiments and working on guitars mixed in.
Thanks for listening. Actually, you’re reading, but still. I think this little diary entry has been helpful.
