Youtube Official Artist Channel
YouTube Official Artist Channels
The artist channels are designed to help artists and their teams get the most out of YouTube and YouTube Music. Click the links for more information on Official Artist Channels & YouTube for Artists.
Table of contents:
- Who can claim a YouTube Official Artist Channel?
- How can I request an Official Artist Channel through my QMG account?
- How long does it take?
- Why don't I see my artist listed?
- I received an error after submitting my OAC request - what happened?
- Can I customize my page?
- How do I change my Official Artist Channel?
- Refreshing your YouTube Official Artist channel through your QMG account
- Is my YouTube Official Artist Channel the same as my YouTube Music Artist ID?
Who can claim a YouTube Official Artist Channel?
QMG artists must have:
- At least one active release (these can be albums and/or singles) distributed by QMG to YouTube Music.
- A user owned & operated channel, dedicated primarily to your music. Your user channel must have at least one music video that matches a track delivered by QMG to YouTube Music for it to be considered for an Official Artist Channel upgrade.
- (It is highly recommended that you have at least three matching videos whenever possible.)
- No policy violations on your channel.
As a QMG artist signed up for “Downloads and Streaming” distribution, your albums and singles will be delivered to YouTube Music automatically. YouTube will auto-generate a channel with the suffix “- Topic” like “Surfing – Topic.”
Once you claim your YouTube OAC, your Topic channel will not disappear – it will be merged with your user channel, and the videos from your Topic channel will appear with your user-uploaded videos on your OAC.
Note: These requirements changed in June 2021. If you previously claimed your correct Official Artist Channel via your QMG account you do not need to worry. This will not be affected by these updated requirements whether you have successfully claimed the channel or are still waiting for the official notice.
How can I claim an Official Artist Channel through my QMG account?
After you have at least one release distributed to YouTube Music by QMG, you can submit your request to claim your OAC by logging in and selecting “Claim an Official Artist Channel” on your account dashboard under “Featured Tools.”
Or, click on the “Tools & Promotions” tab on your dashboard and the option to claim your Official Artist Channel will be the first selection on that page.
You will then be able to select the artist name for which you’d like to claim an OAC. From there, you will be connected to YouTube and prompted to log in with your Google account (please note: you must use the same google account as the one you use to administer your user channel on YouTube in order for your claim to be successful).
You can then complete the remainder of the claim process on YouTube’s site.
How long does it take?
While most requests should be processed within 6 weeks, some requests can take a bit longer.
If it’s been six weeks since you tried to claim your Official Artist Channel and you haven’t received an email from YouTube and your channel hasn’t upgraded to an OAC with the music note indicator next to your channel name, you can contact us for help.
Why don't I see my artist listed?
- Only the primary artist listed on your release/s is supported.
- Only the main primary artist is eligible, if multiple primary artists are listed.
- Your content was just recently delivered to YouTube Music and it’s still being processed.
- You aren’t using the Google account associated with your YouTube channel.
- You don’t meet the requirements yet.
- Your album’s release date is in the future.
- YouTube Music was not selected as part of your distribution options.
- Your release hasn’t passed inspection and therefore hasn’t been distributed yet.
- Your artist name doesn’t match or it was mixed up with another artist
I received an error after submitting my OAC request - what should I do?
If you have received an error page after attempting to claim your OAC through your QMG account, here are some troubleshooting steps you can try to resolve it:
Ensure you are using the ‘Owner’ account listed on the Permissions section of the channel.
Only one channel per Google account is permitted to be claimed. It is not possible to claim multiple artist channels under a singular Google account.
If you are using a Google Brand Account, go to ‘Manage Permissions’ within that account and ensure you are using the primary owner account to claim. If the issue persists, please attempt to claim with a secondary owner account.
You may also need to attempt with a different web browser.
If you are still receiving an error after checking all of the above, our team will be happy to help investigate your issue.
Ensure you’re actively logged into the correct Google account for your artist channel.
I received an error after submitting my OAC request - what should I do?
If you have received an error page after attempting to claim your OAC through your QMG account, here are some troubleshooting steps you can try to resolve it:
Ensure you’re actively logged into the correct Google account for your artist channel.
Ensure you are using the ‘Owner’ account listed on the Permissions section of the channel.
Only one channel per Google account is permitted to be claimed. It is not possible to claim multiple artist channels under a singular Google account.
If you are using a Google Brand Account, go to ‘Manage Permissions’ within that account and ensure you are using the primary owner account to claim. If the issue persists, please attempt to claim with a secondary owner account.
You may also need to attempt with a different web browser.
If you are still receiving an error after checking all of the above, our team will be happy to help investigate your issue.
Can I customize my page?
Yes! You now have the ability to reorder, add, or remove the auto-generated “Music Videos” and “Albums & Singles” shelves for greater control. However, you cannot modify the content within the shelves, nor delete/modify shelves in YouTube Music. For support on organizing your channel, please see YouTube’s help page.
I have multiple QMG accounts with the same artist, how do I link them together?
Currently, you can’t merge them. We advise using the one you’re actively using or plan to use to release new music by that specific artist.
How do I change my Official Artist Channel?
Please make sure you are linking the correct artist to the correct YouTube channel. When you link your artist name to a YouTube channel and apply for a YouTube Official Artist Channel, if it is approved, that’s the channel you will be linked to. It may not be possible to change.
How do I revoke access?
Revoking OAuth access does NOT remove the Official Artist Channel designation from your YouTube channel.
To revoke QMG’s OAuth access, you can log in to your Google account associated with the YouTube channel you linked and revoke access. This article covers the basic steps.
After you follow those steps, QMG won’t have access to your YouTube channel any longer. We’ll remove the link from our database within 30 days. You might still see a linked channel on the YouTube Official Artist Channel landing page in your QMG account for up to 30 days.
How do I reset the Official Artist Channel request?
If you claimed the incorrect Official Artist Channel, the QMG support team must put through a special escalation request to YouTube’s support team to correct your claim. We can only request to reset Official Artist Channels if they are truly associated with the wrong artist.
If you wish to fully disable your Official Artist Channel, losing access to the additional analytics and tools, unmerging your Topic channel, and returning to a standard Owned & Operated channel, then the QMG support team must put through a special escalation request to YouTube’s support team. This may result in the loss of your subscriber count.
To request a reset, fill out this form.
Refreshing your YouTube Official Artist channel through your QMG account
If you see a “Refresh Access” button next to your YouTube channel within your QMG account, don’t panic! Refreshing access to your YouTube Official Artist Channel will make sure QMG can always deliver your new music to your OAC. Go ahead and click the button and re-authorize it.
Is my YouTube Official Artist Channel the same as my YouTube Music Artist ID?
No. Your YouTube artist ID is an unique identifier for your music (not your channel) that will help you be placed under the right artist at YouTube Music. For more information on artist IDs, click here.
Obtaining your YouTube Artist ID
To get your artist ID, go to YouTube music, look up the artist and grab the URL. That simple!
Make sure when viewing the artist page on YouTube music, you are viewing the page that lists your songs, not music videos. If the artist channel you’re viewing on YouTube Music has only videos and no playable tracks, this is not the page with your artist ID.
