What does my release on YouTube / YouTube Music look like?

Because YouTube is primarily a video platform, and because YouTube and YouTube Music share the same content, the way your releases are displayed on YouTube/YouTube Music is a bit different from other streaming platforms.

When your release is published on YouTube, their system, automatically creates a so-called "Art Track" for each of your tracks.

This Art Track is basically a YouTube video, where the image of the video is the release artwork, and the sound is the track audio. An Art Track functions like any other YouTube video that users can stream, add to playlists, it can appear in the "up next queue", etc. However, unlike normal videos, the comments section for Art Tracks is permanently disabled.

Unlike other streaming platforms, YouTube does not automatically generate an artist profile for your release. Instead, it creates a so-called "Topic Channel" with your artist name.

However, it is not guaranteed that a Topic Channel will be created for your artist. It can also happen that a specific Topic Channel for your artist is not created until you have published several releases, or until your Art Tracks have gained enough views. In such a case, your Art Track will be placed on the Various Artists Topic Channel until the YouTube algorithm creates a Topic Channel specifically for your artist.

Unlike most other streaming platforms, YouTube does not allow artists access to their Topic Channel. In order for you to be able to access the YouTube channel on which your releases have been placed, your Topic Channel first has to be merged with your personal YouTube channel to become an Official Artist Channel (OAC).

In order to apply for an OAC, you must first meet several criteria. You can read more about applying for an OAC in this article: https://intercom.help/music-hub/en/articles/5903403-how-to-claim-an-official-artist-channel-on-youtube