One particular hip-hop video may be giving YouTube some internal ructions (see earlier story) but the service is keen to talk up the wider importance of the genre – particularly for advertisers.
“Of the top three genres on YouTube in the U.S. — hip-hop, rock and pop — hip-hop is the fastest growing,” wrote YouTube’s director of Black music and culture Tuma Basa yesterday in a blog post. “And between October through December 2020, hip-hop was the most-viewed music genre on YouTube in the U.S. Finally, hip-hop artists occupied all 10 spots in YouTube’s top 10 most-viewed artists in the U.S. list last year, meaning its influence on culture is not just here to stay, it’s increasing. Facts!”
This is part of a new pitch to brands to spend money advertising around this content, with what Basa described as “an expanded YouTube Select music lineup that includes even more popular, verified hip-hop music”. More ads should mean more royalties flowing back to labels and artists in the hip-hop world from YouTube.
Music Ally’s next Learn Live webinar will help you build the strategies for artists to thrive in new international markets!