In today’s world music isn’t just heard, it’s watched. Indie bands and musicians are realizing that recording a song is only half the job, or really, a third of the job. So what makes up the other two thirds? Drum roll please…performing the song live (of course) and producing music videos. Historically, videos were for bands with a budget or that knew someone who had the skill set and gear to make a video. Today, there is no excuse for not expressing your creativity visually as well as audibly. Without further ado, here are the six steps to make your own music video for free. First things first. Step one, head on over to YouTube and create a channel. You have a website and at least a Facebook page, it’s time to get that YouTube channel started. Make sure you add the channel art like you did for your Facebook page header, and set your channel type to ‘musician’. Perception is reality and a channel without any art isn’t going to entice potential subscribers, plus YouTube limits what you can do without channel art. YouTube's art dimensions, along with the other popular social media art requirements were recently shared in our social media feeds. Step two, consider what type of videos you will want to create, not all videos need to be ‘the standard music video’. People will engage in what they are passionate about. Your fans will appreciate content that shows your personality; snippets in the studio, set up/sound check at a gig, stories of your experiences on the road. The idea is to give them something extra - vary your content offering with live footage, behind the scenes, vlogs (video blogging), social media Q/A about your gear and influences, you get the idea. Step three, with ideas in mind and a smartphone in your pocket, you have the basic tools. To round out your video capturing equipment pickup a directional mic that you can attach to your smartphone, it will set you apart from those who haven’t figured out why their audio is sub-par on their videos. The new Rode VideoMic Me is inexpensive and does the job well ($59 on Amazon - linked photo below). Step four, engage your fans. Start a social media campaign announcing an upcoming video you are creating and ask fans to submit footage from a recent show or entice them to capture footage at an upcoming show. Give them something in return, sure the idea that their footage may be chosen is great motivation, throw in a free CD or T-shirt if their footage is chosen for that oh-so-sweet icing on the cake. Make sure you have a way for footage to be submitted; from their own YouTube channel, a Dropbox account, Hightail, etc. Step five, like mixing a song, the most tedious part of the video process is editing. The good news is you have several options. If you are a do-it-yourselfer and understand audio workflow you can make the transition to video workflow. Maybe you have a friend or fan who has editing abilities, ask around. Wondershare offers a free version of their Filmora editing suite for both Mac and PC platforms and has great tutorials. Once again, photo below is linked. Step six, once your video masterpiece is completed and uploaded to your YouTube channel make sure you add annotations. Annotations can link to your website, another video, your merch store, suggest a thumbs up to your video or subscribe to your channel. Don’t forget to share it on your other social media outlets; Instagram allows up to 15 second video clips, Twitter up to 30 seconds, Facebook you can post the entire video (unless it is more than 45 minutes).
There it is, the six steps to make your own music video for free. Like crafting your music, crafting your videos will take time, but remember each one doesn’t have to be ‘the standard music video.’ Starting off with informal videos such as behind the scenes or vlogging (video blogging) is a good familiarization process and helps you work your way up to producing ‘the standard music video’ so it isn’t so intimidating. It’s not an overnight process, the more vision and planning you put in the better the result. YouTube is the largest platform today that people use to discover, listen, and share music. It not only provides musicians and bands a level playing field to get their music heard, it gives them a huge advantage to tell their story and create a deeper connection with fans, worldwide. The encore? You build a loyal following over time and your channel becomes a revenue stream. You’ll create opportunities for yourself, outlets for your music, and cold-hard-cash to buy more gear, record more songs, and tour in style!
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