All successful music artists have a YouTube channel to publish their latest songs and music videos. So I’d like to know: do you have a YouTube channel?

If not, you have to create a channel ASAP! Let me tell you why…

For a music artist, platforms such as SoundCloud, Spotify & co. are like portfolios or a business card. And so does YouTube!

YouTube is still one of the most used platforms for pros to look after talents, for fans to look for new content from their favourite artists and for music lovers — me included — to discover new music, new artists.

I will be very honest with you, guys: your music is not the only thing that matters. As you know, visuals play a big role: your look, your hair, your style, locations,… every little thing counts.

No matter if you’re not signed yet, if you have little money, no official music videos yet. You can post your covers, acoustics, live performances, etc.

And I decided to give you some tips to make good videos and to smash some limiting beliefs at the same time. Are you ready?

You do not need to have an expensive camera to make good videos!

Nowadays, some smartphones provide great image and sound quality — and not only iPhones. If you don’t believe me, check this video I made. I made it with my phone and it is a Sony Xperia Z3. I didn’t need to do some tweaking or anything and the quality is just AMAZING!

All you need to do is try. Do a test to see if you can use your phone to make videos.

To make good videos, you need to pay attention to certain things. These things are the bases for making quality videos.

1: The lighting

Natural light is the best of all and costs nothing — thank God/Universe. If you shoot inside, position yourself to face the light coming from a window for instance, to avoid backlighting. Same when shooting outside, make sure that the sunlight is facing you.

Contrary to what one might think, cloudy sky is your friend! As clouds make the light more even.

If you use artificial lighting, it is the same. However, it may require more attention. Pay attention to shadows and backlighting. It is not very aesthetic to see shadows across your face or right behind you.

2: The camera positioning

Landscape! It is better and recommended for videos especially on platforms such as YouTube. It is also more aesthetic.

3: The background

The background is important whether it is a static video or not. It can either be neutral, a white wall for instance, or be more « scenic », a nice and well-decorated space in your home for instance.

Positioning yourself at a good distance to allow your camera to create a soft blurry effect at the back is always nice too.

4: Your position

The viewing angle has to be frontal. Your eyes should be at the same height as the camera lens. It can also be slightly overhead.

You can either position yourself in the middle or slightly on the side of the plan.

Ideally, you should use a tripod. You can easily find one for a good price on Amazon.

And what about editing?

To begin, it is best to keep it simple. However, you should look out for the sound that should be well balanced. So do not hesitate to watch and listen to your videos a couple of times before uploading it on your channel.

If you apply these advices, your videos will look nice.

One last thing though: don’t be too hard with yourself. You will improve and find your own style with time. To do so, you need to dare and practice as often as possible.

Publishing your videos is important, because it will help you find your style. You can make tests and see how people are reacting: which video has more views, likes, comments, etc. Don’t hesitate to ask for people’s opinion too and to look at what other others do to have ideas of what people like.

However, respect who you are. Don’t copy others and don’t be afraid to be creative.

Do you already have a YouTube channel? Leave a comment below to share your latest video so I can have a look. If you don’t have a YouTube channel yet, you can come back later once your first video is up to share it!

Light. Camera. Action!