How local artistes can make money from You tube
The contention is whether local artists make money from their content which is posted online. By known, it is well-known that fame does not pay the bills. Stardom is great for the ego but sometimes it doesn’t come with money, yet we all have to eat and thrive!
But while it might seem that making money from You tube is a click away, in reality, it is more complicated than that. First of all, the pay outs from You tube are actually smaller in amount than most people think. Thabiso Kutlwano a digital expert who said that in most cases, artistes make more money from user generated content. “This is when someone else uses their songs, but you have to find the songs, and notify You tube of this. Most of the money from You tube comes from ads, and in most cases, it is the advertisers who set the rates of how much they will pay,” he said.
Popular social media commentator Setlhomo Tshwanelang recently posted that since Botswana is not one of the countries listed for You tube benefits, local artistes should consider registering in South Africa, which has a bigger digital footprint, to monetise from their content being shared and viewed online. Kutlwano agrees, pointing out that Botswana is still behind and that in order to make money from the online channel, one would have to register in a country which is listed with You Tube. “Some local artistes are registered with producers, managers or fellow artistes in neighbouring South Africa. If creatives want to make it big, they have to relocate to neighbouring South Africa. Look at Jack Bohloko, he recently moved to Johannesburg – there are many opportunities for him there. He has also worked with the likes of Master KG and Makhadzi so that helps his resume. Local artistes should make it a priority to collaborate with artists from South Africa and Nigeria and other developed countries in the country, and even overseas, in order to increase their fan base and have access to new markets. The market in Botswana is really small and if you want to make it big, then you are going to struggle.”
So how do people make money from You Tube? **Through advertising revenue – from display, overlay and video ads. From channel memberships – when members make recurring monthly payments in exchange for special perks from the user. How does Youtube work?
**User generation content – When someone uploads a video that features your music, and earn money each they use the track – this content is picked automatically by You Tube’s Content ID system.
-One needs 50, 000 views per day to earn 100 dollars (P1, 000)
-You Tube has a Partner Program, which allows users to get paid for advertisements on their page
**Interesting fun fact - The richest You tuber is said to be Ryan Kaji,who is worth $29.5 million (about Pula 327 million). His channel has 41.7 million subscribers.
*NB – Additional information by Business Insider and www.complex.com