Last updated: March 2026
YouTube is one of the most important platforms for musicians today. Whether you want to promote your music, learn from other artists, or earn money from your content, YouTube offers enormous potential for musicians at every stage of their career.
The relationship between YouTube and the music industry has evolved significantly over the years. In 2016, over 1,000 artists (including Lady Gaga, Coldplay and Ed Sheeran) signed a letter to the EU Commission, urging them to address the so-called “value gap” in the online music industry. This campaign ultimately contributed to the EU Copyright Directive, which was adopted in 2019 and includes Article 17, requiring platforms like YouTube to obtain licences from rights holders or take greater responsibility for unlicensed content.
In the UK, similar protections have been maintained following Brexit. YouTube has also evolved its approach to paying creators through the YouTube Partner Programme and YouTube Music, which replaced the earlier YouTube Red service. YouTube Premium (the rebranded successor to YouTube Red) is now available in the UK, offering subscribers ad-free content and offline playback.
Despite ongoing debates about fair pay for musicians on streaming platforms, YouTube remains an incredibly important and useful tool for musicians and, with the right approach, can still be monetised effectively.
Non-Monetary benefits of YouTube
Personal instrumental development
YouTube is an invaluable tool for instrumental lessons and a great source of material to develop musicality. Whether you are after instrument lessons from experienced teachers or famous faces, YouTube can provide a wealth of material. Vocal lessons and help with theory are also available, in both one-off lessons and comprehensive series.
Here are some of our top picks of YouTube lessons:
Furmanczyk Academy of Music “Learn Free Music Theory”
Andrew Furmanczyk has made available a complete and comprehensive course in Music Theory. Taking you right the way through the very beginning to advanced level, this series is an invaluable tool to anyone wanting to become a more complete and well-rounded musician. It is also worth noting he has a similar course in Piano playing that is well worth taking a look at.
Eric Arceneaux’s “Professional Vocal Warm Ups”
If you are a vocalist looking to protect and warm up your voice correctly, professional vocal coach and health consultant Eric Arceneaux’s series offers some useful and practical advice.
Promotion
If you are interested in promoting yourself, then YouTube can prove an invaluable tool. While some musicians have found fame in viral videos and play-throughs of their favourite material, YouTube can offer help on a much more practical level. If you are looking to join a new band, apply for cruise ship gigs or get more dep work then it may well be worth making an effective showreel (either for yourself or as part of a band). If you are looking to build up a roster of students, offering sample lessons online may help encourage new students to sign up.
Industry advice and interviews
Many of the world’s largest music industry conferences will often post their keynote speeches or discussion panels online. Sometimes these are famous faces, talking about their experiences in the industry. For instance, it is always worth checking out Dave Grohl’s (now famous) keynote speech at SXSW or Steve Albini’s thoughts on the current state and possible future of the music industry at Face the Music 2014.
Often though, you can find more grassroots events and useful information about artists and the industry in your area. The Musicians Union posts interviews on a wide range of subjects on its YouTube page.
Music documentaries
If you are looking for an entertaining way to spend an hour or two, then YouTube has some great documentaries on all kinds of subjects. Whatever your taste, YouTube is full of interesting music content just waiting for you to discover.
Monetising YouTube as a Musician
Many people assume that to make any money from YouTube, you have to be a viral video sensation. While it may be true that the superstars of YouTube can earn big paychecks, there is nothing stopping anyone with some interesting content earning some extra cash from their YouTube views… and who knows what could happen!
How does it work?
YouTube runs what it calls the YouTube Partner Programme (YPP) that allows you to earn money from advertising on your videos. To join the YPP, your channel must meet specific eligibility requirements:
- Have 1,000 subscribers with 4,000 valid public watch hours in the past 12 months, or
- Have 1,000 subscribers with 10 million valid public Shorts views in the past 90 days
- Follow YouTube’s channel monetisation policies
- Have no active Community Guidelines strikes
- Have two-step verification turned on for your Google Account
- Have an active AdSense for YouTube account linked to your channel
Once accepted into the YPP, you can earn from watch page ads, Shorts feed ads, channel memberships, Super Chats, Super Stickers, and YouTube Shopping. You can manage all of this through YouTube Studio.
Boosting monetisation
The simplest rule to follow could be said of anything in the music industry – great content is always the aim of the game. If you can create something that is useful, artistic, funny, interesting or in some way of benefit to the viewer, then people will latch on, watch it, comment and share.
In the same way that the best marketing device for new music is to have really good songs in the first place, the best way to make money from your YouTube account is to have really great videos, and take a bit of time and trouble over them. Invest some time into the creation, filming and editing, and hopefully you will reap the reward.
YouTube themselves say the best time to monetise is when you have a “loyal and engaged community”. You can help attract traffic to your videos by using keywords and tags, end screens and cards, responding to comments and interacting with your audience. Promotion through other forms of social media is also encouraged – check out our Instagram guide for musicians and our musicians guide to X (Twitter) for more on this. You can use YouTube Studio Analytics to keep a close eye on your channel’s vital stats.
YouTube also points to other revenue streams that are accessible once you have an established following, such as merchandising, channel memberships, and independent production for other companies – all viable options for bands, teachers and independent artists. For more ideas on building your profile, explore our tips for promoting your band.
YouTube Shorts and Modern Features for Musicians
YouTube Shorts has become one of the most important features for musicians looking to grow their audience. These short-form videos (up to 60 seconds) appear on the YouTube homepage, in the Shorts tab, and on your channel page, making your content much more discoverable.
For musicians, Shorts offer an excellent way to share quick clips such as riffs, vocal warm-ups, behind-the-scenes moments, practice sessions, or snippets of new material. The format works particularly well for capturing attention quickly and funnelling new viewers to your full-length videos and channel.
YouTube Shorts can also be monetised through the YouTube Partner Programme. If your channel meets the Shorts-specific threshold (1,000 subscribers and 10 million public Shorts views in 90 days), you can earn from ads displayed in the Shorts feed.
Other modern YouTube features worth exploring as a musician include live streaming (great for virtual concerts and Q&A sessions with fans), the Community tab for posting updates and polls, and YouTube Premieres which let you schedule a video release and watch it live with your audience.
Do you create YouTube videos? Do you have any top tips for monetising them? Post them in the comments below…
