If you’re a musician that’s serious about establishing a professional presence and maxing out the monetization, getting an Official Artist Channel (OAC) is massive. Verified channel looks professional, collects royalties accurately, and shows legitimacy to both fans and industry partners. Here’s how you do it.
Why Have an Official Artist Channel
If you know why having an Official Artist Channel, you can skip to the next section…
Here’s how OAC differs from a regular channel: an Official Artist Channel unifies your uploads, official music videos, and distributor-delivered releases into one place. It makes a sort of catalog, where fans see your work in a complete discography.
If you aren’t a top-tier music creator, it doesn’t directly influence your algorithmic positioning, but there are plenty of benefits to getting OAC such as:
- Systematisation of content, because all of your music is shown on your page;
- Additional Chapters on the channel;
- Additional settings inside your Profile;
- You can sell tickets to your concerts through YouTube (but it doesn’t work for everyone, a lot depends on your distributor);
- Your Analytics change, making it easier to track the popularity of your music.
Simply put, it’s a great upgrade for those who want their music to grow further.
Eligibility Requirements
Let’s start with the fact that not every channel can automatically become an OAC. YouTube has a criteria of who can and who can’t be one. They make sure that the channel represents a legitimate, verified artist.
- Music distribution: you must have music distributed through a participating label, distributor, or aggregator (e.g., DistroKid, CD Baby, TuneCore) that supports OAC registration.
- Verified identity: you must be a verified artist on YouTube, usually tied to your social profiles or distributor-provided metadata.
- Original content: the channel must host music you have rights to, including official audio, video, or lyric content. Cover songs or unlicensed content do not qualify.
Practical insight: Attempting to claim an OAC without proper distribution metadata or verification will delay approval. Preparing your assets upfront prevents months of frustration. If you want help with that, drop us a message!
The Step-By-Step Process
Here’s the method we’ve seen work reliably for creators with 10k+ fans:
Step 1: Confirm Your Distributor Supports OAC
First things first, make sure that your distributor supports OAC. So, DistroKid, AIR Media-Tech, TuneCore, CD Baby, AWAL, and Ditto, all of which support automatic OAC claims.
Next, log into your distributor portal and make sure your YouTube Music metadata is up-to-date, which includes ISRC codes, artist name, and album titles. Be sure to be thorough.
Step 2: Submit Your OAC Request
Using your distributor portal, submit a request for an Official Artist Channel. Don’t forget to include:
- Correct channel URL
- Distributor metadata confirmation
- Proof of rights ownership for your catalog
YouTube can take a while to review your submission. Expect processing time of up to 90 days, depending on how complex your specific case is. Usually it’s done automatically.
Step 4: Merge Existing Content
Once your request has been approved, all your uploads, distributor content, and official music will merge under the Official Artist Channel umbrella.
So things like playlists, live streams, and Shorts will remain accessible, but will now display under your OAC.
Step 5: Optimize!
Think of things like custom banners, featured playlists and links to social media or streaming platforms your music is already on. Remember, with AIR Media-Tech, you can get your music out on 100+ platforms. Reach out, and we’ll help your music bloom!
Don’t underestimate the power of sorting your music correctly. Make a ‘Discography’, so playlists with singles, albums, and collabs.
Always enable Memberships. Let your audience support you if they want to and don’t forget to pepper it with special content for some extra flavor. Get your merch out there, and look through other monetization features under the OAC setup. Maximize your potential while you’re at it.
Common Mistakes Experienced Artists Make
Even musicians who’ve seen it all can trip on OAC claims. It’s okay to do that. So here’s what you need to avoid:
- Mismatched metadata: if your distributor’s metadata doesn’t perfectly match your channel name, your OAC claim may be rejected.
- Uploading without distributor integration: some creators try to claim an OAC using only self-uploaded content; YouTube requires distributor-supported tracks.
- Ignoring regional content: if some tracks are geo-restricted, it may delay approval or fragment your catalog.
- Rushing the process: OAC approval isn’t instant. Submitting multiple requests or duplicate channels can delay verification indefinitely.
- No content on the channel: OAC approval can’t happen if your channel is bare. It needs to have at least 3-5 videos on it.
Strategic Benefits Post-Claim
Once your OAC is live, the advantages stack up:
- Monetization: every view and stream of your music feeds your main channel, which will improve the revenue you’ll receive.
- Algorithm: YouTube recognizes your OAC, which means that recommendations and placements on YouTube Music will improve.
- Opportunities: labels, promoters, and sponsors treat OACs as verified, legitimate artist channels, which in itself opens the doors for many partnerships that could have been unavailable otherwise.
- Community-building: fans can subscribe directly to your OAC for updates, which will create a superfans ecosystem.
Claiming an Official Artist Channel on YouTube can sound intimidating and scary, but once you know the steps to achieve it - it’s actually not. Getting your OAC will improve your revenue, yes, but also it will make your music more popular and well-known. For creators who are very serious about their music label, getting OAC isn’t even a question, it’s a practical necessity, a logical next step in the career.
The process in itself is pretty straightforward: verify your identity, confirm distributor integration, submit the claim, and optimize your channel for fans and revenue. If any of these steps sound complicated, reach out to us and we will help you set everything up!
