Official Blog
Queen launches 'You Are The Champions' campaign, giving fans a chance to star in three new user-generated videos on YouTube
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Queen — in partnership with YouTube Music, Universal Music Group and Hollywood Records —has launched
"You Are The Champions,"
a unique new campaign that gives fans an exclusive chance to become a part of Queen history with a starring role in three brand-new, user-generated videos for three of the band’s most celebrated tracks. The campaign launched to celebrate Queen’s iconic music video for
“Bohemian Rhapsody,”
becoming the first pre-1990s video to reach
one billion views
on YouTube.
Speaking from the band’s current sold-out North American tour, founding Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor said, “We are honoured that Bohemian Rhapsody has just hit one billion views on YouTube. We want to thank you all and celebrate with our amazing fans all around the world by creating three new music videos to our songs, all featuring you! Whether you are a musician, singer, dancer, visual artist or you just want to have some fun. Go to
youarethechampions.com
to find out more and we’ll see you on the road somewhere.”
As part of the campaign, musicians, singers, and instrumentalists can take on
"Bohemian Rhapsody."
Visual artists will get the chance to design any word or phrase from the lyrics of
"A Kind of Magic."
And, finally, dancers will be able to give their own interpretations for
"Don't Stop Me Now,"
with a special instructional video created by Polly Bennett (Rami Malek’s movement coach from the hit film, “Bohemian Rhapsody”).
“I was so happy to be asked to choreograph for this initiative,” said famed movement director and choreographer, Bennett. “Rami (Malek) and I spent a lot of time moving to Queen’s music while filming ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ so I’m thrilled to encourage the world to do the same. Get dancing! I can’t wait to see what you make.”
In addition to the three music videos created by user content, a fourth video for
"We Will Rock You"
will re-create the song's iconic BOOM BOOM CLAP using a collage of sporting event sounds. As a result, the new version will live as a sonic homage to the song's energized relationship with sports.
Fans can visit
youarethechampions.com
to find out more and add their submissions* through August 18 by 11:59 p.m. ET. The final videos will be available on Queen’s
official YouTube channel
this fall.
*Terms and Conditions for UGC submissions
here
.
YouTube brings the sights and sounds of Lollapalooza 2019 to millions of music fans around the world with official live stream
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
YouTube will exclusively bring the biggest performances from Grant Park, Chicago to millions of music fans all over the world with the
official live stream
of Lollapalooza 2019, August 1 to 4. Iconic music moments from artists including twenty one pilots, The Revivalists, Janelle Monae, Rüfüs Du Sol and more will also be available via the live stream within the YouTube Music app.
In addition to curated performances throughout the four-day festival, YouTube Originals is partnering with Lollapalooza to produce original creative content, including backstage moments and exclusive artist moments just before they take the stage to be featured in and around the live stream. YouTube Music will amplify the Lollapalooza experience by presenting Lollapalooza themed playlists,
The Lineup
and
Emerging Artists
, to give fans another way to find all the music they love in one place.
YouTube’s live streams bring the festival experience into the hands and homes of millions of fans around the world. There is no other platform of its kind that allows artists to connect with a global audience and share their creativity in both visual and audio formats with billions of viewers around the globe, making the world smaller and music more expansive. The 2019 Lollapalooza live stream is presented by COVERGIRL, Warner Bros. Pictures (for the film "Blinded by the Light"), and T-Mobile.
Subscribe to
Lollapalooza’s YouTube Channel
for up-to-date information on when your favorite artists are streaming live, and follow @youtubemusic on
Instagram
and
Twitter
for behind-the-scenes moments all weekend long. There, you can watch the latest videos and relive past moments.
Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism: An update on our progress
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
In summer 2017, Facebook, YouTube, Microsoft and Twitter
came together
to form the
Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism
(GIFCT).
The objective of the GIFCT has always been to substantially disrupt terrorists’ ability to promote terrorism, disseminate violent extremist propaganda, and exploit or glorify real-world acts of violence on our services. We do this by joining forces with counterterrorism experts in government, civil society and the wider industry around the world. Our work centers around three, interrelated strategies:
Joint tech innovation
Knowledge sharing
Conducting and funding research
Today, building on the commitments we made as part of the
Christchurch Call to Action
, we are adding a fourth pillar to our work that will focus on crisis response. Specifically, we are introducing joint content incident protocols for responding to emerging or active events, such as the horrific terrorist attack in Christchurch, so that relevant information can be quickly and efficiently shared, processed and acted upon by all member companies. We are also releasing our first GIFCT Transparency Report and a new counterspeech campaign toolkit that will help activists and civil society organizations challenge the voices of extremism online.
And as we head into our third year as GIFCT, we are pleased to welcome Pinterest and Dropbox as members. We will continue to add new members, particularly smaller companies, that could benefit from the collective experience of GIFCT members.
More than 200,000 unique hashes now in our joint database
When terrorists misuse the internet, they often upload the same piece of content to multiple platforms to maximize their reach. To disrupt this behavior, we jointly developed a shared industry database of “hashes” — or digital fingerprints — that allows us to safely share known terrorist images and video propaganda with partner companies. This enables us to more quickly identify and take action against potential terrorist content on our respective platforms.
The shared database predates the creation of GIFCT, but over the last couple years, we have significantly increased the volume of hashes within the database. In 2018, for example, we set and achieved our goal of reaching 100,000 unique hashes. And in the first six months of this year, we’ve already doubled that number, and we now have more than 200,000 unique hashes in the database.
As we take steps to deliver on the four collaborative actions set forth in the Christchurch Call to Action, we’re expanding the shared industry database so that it extends beyond photos and videos to include URLs that lead to known terrorist and violent extremist content online.
First GIFCT Transparency Report
We have heard, loud and clear, from government and civil society that we need to be more transparent about what we are working on as an industry. As a result, today we are releasing our first-ever
GIFCT Transparency Report
. The report goes into detail about the GIFCT’s primary work streams, providing greater insight into how the Hash Sharing Consortium has defined terrorist content, and the volume and types of content included in the database. The full transparency report, which is available
here
, will complement the transparency reports put out by individual GIFCT member companies.
A toolkit to counter violent extremism
When we committed to the Christchurch Call to Action and issued a nine-point plan outlining concrete steps we plan to take as an industry, we said, “We come together, resolute in our commitment to ensure we are doing all we can to fight the hatred and extremism that lead to terrorist violence.” Never has that commitment been more important. As industry partners, we continue to prioritize and deepen engagement with governments, civil society and smaller tech companies around the world.
In partnership with Tech Against Terrorism, we’ve held 11 workshops in nine countries on four continents. We’ve met with 120 different tech and innovation platforms, and we have provided funding to secure Jihadology.net to make sure that researchers studying terrorism can still access primary research material while ensuring that terrorists and people vulnerable to recruitment cannot.
Today, we are also rolling out a
cross-platform counter-violent extremist toolkit
that we jointly developed with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. The toolkit will assist civil society organizations in developing online campaigns to challenge extremist ideologies, while prioritizing their safety. We know that the technology industry isn’t the best or most appropriate messenger when it comes to pushing back on violent extremists, which is why it’s so important to support civil society organizations that have the credibility and knowledge to combat, respond and counter the promotion of violent extremism online.
Enabling and empowering companies to respond to crises like Christchurch
Perhaps most importantly, today we are adding a fourth pillar to the GIFCT’s core mission: enabling and empowering companies to respond to crises like Christchurch. The horrific terrorist attack highlighted the importance of close communication between members, and between government and the wider industry, which is why we are introducing joint content incident protocols to enable and empower companies to more quickly and effectively respond to emerging and active events.
The protocol, which can be triggered by a real-world event involving murder or attempted murder of defenseless civilians or innocents, outlines steps that tech companies can take to respond quickly to an attack. Based on the joint protocols, we will work together to categorize the type of incident and the anticipated level and degree of online impact. We will also set up formal channels of communication so we can share intelligence and content with non-GIFCT companies and other stakeholders, as needed.
Terrorism and violent extremism are complex problems that require a joint response from industry, governments and wider society. We believe that by working together, sharing the best technological and operational elements of our individual efforts, we can have a significantly greater impact on the threat of terrorist content online than we can alone.
We are grateful for the support of and collaboration with governments, international organizations and NGOs around the world, including the EU Internet Forum and the UN Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate. We look forward to sharing more updates in the coming months.
— The Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism
Queen's iconic "Bohemian Rhapsody" video reaches historic 1 billion views milestone on YouTube
Monday, July 22, 2019
Queen’s iconic music video for
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
has now officially passed one billion views on YouTube, making history as the first pre-1990s video to reach one billion views on the platform.
The accompanying video for Queen’s 1975 single, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” is generally recognized as the first-ever promotional music video, kick-starting and setting the gold-standard for the genre for decades to come. Today, it continues to inspire and entertain millions of fans around the world, more than 40 years after it was first created.
Speaking from the band’s current sold-out North American tour, founding Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor said, “We are honoured that Bohemian Rhapsody has just hit one billion views on YouTube. We want to thank you all and celebrate with our amazing fans all around the world by creating three new music videos to our songs, all featuring you! Whether you are a musician, singer, dancer, visual artist or you just want to have some fun. Go to
youarethechampions.com
to find out more and we’ll see you on the road somewhere.”
To celebrate this monumental achievement, a newly remastered HD version of the video is available today, for the first time ever and exclusively on the bands' YouTube channel. Fans can now see the video restored in all its glory, as it was originally intended. Additionally, fans will now be able to access the song’s lyrics in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Italian, French, Japanese, Polish, German, Indonesian Bahasa, Korean, Czech, Russian and Turkish while watching the video.
To further honor this significant milestone, Queen — in partnership with YouTube Music, Universal Music Group and Hollywood Records — have announced the launch of ‘You Are The Champions,’ a unique new campaign that will give fans an exclusive chance to become a part of Queen history with a starring role in three brand-new, user-generated videos for three of the band’s most celebrated tracks. The campaign launches later this month, so stay tuned for more details.
As part of the campaign, musicians, singers, and instrumentalists can take on "Bohemian Rhapsody." Dancers will be able to give their own interpretations for "Don't Stop Me Now," with a special instructional video created by Polly Bennett (Rami Malek’s movement coach from the hit film, “Bohemian Rhapsody”). And, finally, visual artists will get the chance to design any word or phrase from the lyrics of "A Kind of Magic."
Fans can visit
YouAreTheChampions.com
to find out more and add their submissions! The finished videos will be published later this year on the bands' official
YouTube channel
.
“Bohemian Rhapsody is a sonic and cinematic masterpiece that’s one of the most enduring songs of all time,” said Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music for YouTube. “The newly remastered video on YouTube will ensure the song continues to be rediscovered, embraced and beloved by old and new generations of music fans around the world. It's incredible to help change the way fans experience music and provide a place for artist and fan connections worldwide."
Celine Joshua (General Manager, Commercial, Content and Artist Strategy at Universal Music Group) said, “We are thrilled that Queen’s iconic "Bohemian Rhapsody" video has reached a historic one billion views on YouTube. Now, together with Queen, YouTube and Hollywood Records, we are excited to launch ‘You Are The Champions,’ an innovative, new user-generated video campaign with Queen’s incredible fans around the world at its core. This will be the first of a series of custom initiatives we have planned in the coming months on the official Queen channel.”
As well as its status as being the first music promo video of its kind, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is regularly cited as one of the greatest songs ever recorded. In 2004, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and Freddie Mercury’s vocal performance was named by the readers of Rolling Stone magazine as the best in rock history.
The song has continued to inspire a new generation of fans following the unprecedented global success of last year’s biographical film “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which tells the incredible story of the band’s career, as well as the genesis of the song. The film is the highest-grossing music biopic in history, having generated more than $900 million dollars at the box office. The film also won four Oscars, including Rami Malek’s triumph in the Best Actor Category for his portrayal of legendary frontman Freddie Mercury on the big screen — a feat he repeated at both BAFTA and the Golden Globes.
YouTube Music now lets listeners switch seamlessly between audio and music videos
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Imagine listening to a new track by your favorite artist in the YouTube Music app and having the ability to seamlessly switch over to watch the music video
—
no pauses, no interruptions, just a simple transition that keeps the music flowing. That’s exactly what we’re introducing! Today, YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium subscribers can now make a seamless transition between a song and its music video for uninterrupted listening and watching.
Switching between songs and music videos is as simple as the tap of a button. Users will notice a video button at the top of the screen as they start listening to a song, and with a simple tap, they can instantly start watching the music video or flip back to the audio at the same point in the track.
This new feature simplifies listening to songs and watching videos, plus more!
Discovering new music videos is easier than ever before. From recent mega-hits to deep cuts, if a song has a video, YouTube Music will surface a video button so switching between audio and visuals is just one click away.
YouTube Music has perfectly time-matched over five million official music videos to their respective audio tracks, so no matter when or how often you flip back and forth between the two, you won’t miss a beat.
When you flip from video to song, say goodbye to the other sounds that go with the music video
—
like those long introductions
—
and enjoy the song as it was intended.
Not into music videos? We’ve got you covered. To stick to songs 100% of the time, visit your settings and turn off the music video option by toggling “Don’t play music videos” to the “on” position.
Whether you’re listening to your favorites or checking out new releases, your music experience just got way more interactive. To check out flipping between song and video, along with all the other great features, download the YouTube Music app for
Android
or
iOS
, and start your trial of
YouTube Music Premium
.
Brandon Bilinski, Product Manager, YouTube Music. He's
recently been listening to
"Happier"
by Marshmello & Bastille.
Live from VidCon: Creating new opportunities for creators
Thursday, July 11, 2019
For the last decade, VidCon has brought fans, creators and industry leaders together to celebrate the power of online video. In honor of VidCon’s 10th anniversary, I took the stage to highlight how YouTube will continue to support and spark new opportunities for creators for the next ten years and beyond.
More revenue streams, more money for creators
Last year at VidCon, I announced our next big step for creator monetization with new ways for creators to engage with their community while generating revenue. We've built on a number of these initiatives and added a few more.
Super Chat allows fans to purchase messages that stand out within a live chat during live streams and Premieres. There are now over 90,000 channels who have received Super Chats, with some streams earning more than $400 per minute. And Super Chat is now the number one revenue stream on YouTube for nearly 20,000 channels - an increase of over 65% over last year.
Leaning into this momentum, we’re introducing Super Stickers. This new feature will allow fans to purchase animated stickers during live streams and Premieres to show their favorite creators just how much they enjoy their content. Stickers will come in a variety of designs across different languages and categories, such as gaming, fashion and beauty, sports, music, food, and more. These stickers are fun, and we can’t wait for you to use them in the coming months!
With Channel Memberships, fans pay a monthly fee of $4.99 to get unique badges, new emojis, and access to special perks, such as exclusive live streams, extra videos, or shoutouts. Today, we’re adding one of the most-requested features: membership levels. With levels, creators can now set up to five different price points for channel memberships, each with varying perks. We've been testing levels with creators like the Fine Brothers Entertainment on their REACT channel, who have seen their memberships revenue increase by 6 times after introducing two higher-priced tiers.
Our Merch shelf with Teespring allows creators to sell merch to their fans directly from their channel. And today, we are adding 5 new partners, so eligible creators merchandising with Crowdmade, DFTBA, Fanjoy, Represent, and Rooster Teeth can also use the Merch shelf.
Early last year, creator revenue on YouTube from Super Chat, Channel Memberships and merch was nearly zero. Today, these products are generating meaningful results to creators across the globe. In fact, thousands of channels have more than doubled their total YouTube revenue by using these new tools in addition to advertising.
Helping creators amplify their positive impact
Every day, people from around the world come to YouTube to learn something new - from math, science and literature to language lessons, music tutorials and test prep. Today, we’re introducing Learning Playlists to provide a dedicated learning environment for people who come to YouTube to learn. New organizational features will provide more structure, dividing a collection of videos into chapters around key concepts, starting from beginner to more advanced. Additionally, recommendations will be hidden from the watch page, allowing the viewer to focus on the lesson at hand. We understand the importance of getting this right, so we will start with content from a handful of our most trusted partners, like Khan Academy, TED-Ed and Crash Course, testing a variety of categories from professional skills like
working in Java
, to academic topics such as
chemistry
.
We’ve also seen creators use their megaphone to inspire their communities to join them in supporting those in need. To make that even easier, last year, we began to test YouTube Giving, our fundraising tool that allows creators to use their voice on YouTube to support the charitable causes they care about. YouTube Giving is moving out of beta and will be available to thousands of creators in the U.S. in the coming months! Creators simply select a nonprofit to create a fundraising campaign right next to their videos and live streams. Fans can donate directly on YouTube via a “Donate” button, making it easier than ever for creators and fans to raise funds for causes they care about on the platform.
YouTube creators are living proof that an open and responsible internet can change the world for the better. We’re going to continue working to give them the tools they need to do that.
Posted by Neal Mohan, Chief Product Officer
Giving you more control over your Homepage and Up Next videos
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Connecting our users with the content they love is important to us. We want to help viewers find new interests and passions — such as a new favorite artist, a new creator they can follow or simply the best food recipes. But there's one true expert in what you want to watch: you. One thing we’ve consistently heard from you is that you want more control over what videos appear on your homepage and in Up Next suggestions. So we're doing more to put you in the driver's seat. Three specific changes we will be rolling out in the coming days:
Explore topics and related videos on your Homepage and in Up Next videos:
You can now more easily explore topics and related videos — such as baking videos, the latest late-night talk shows or your favorite music genre, and see more of what you love on YouTube. The options that you see are based on your existing personalized suggestions and are meant to help you find what you're looking for faster. They could be videos related to the one you’re watching, videos published by the channel you’re watching, or other topics which may be of interest to you. This new feature can be found on the homepage when you scroll up, and on Up Next when browsing. It will be available for signed-in users in English on the YouTube app for Android and will be available on iOS, desktop and other languages soon.
Remove suggestions from channels you don’t want to watch:
Although we try our best to suggest videos you’ll enjoy, we don't always get it right, so we are giving you more controls for when we don’t. We’ve now made it simple for you to tell us to stop suggesting videos from a particular channel. Just tap the three-dot menu next to a video on the homepage or Up Next, then “Don’t recommend channel.” After that, you should no longer see videos from that channel suggested to you on YouTube. You may still be able to find them if you subscribe, search for them, or visit the channel page or Trending tab. This new feature is available globally on the YouTube app for Android and iOS today, and will be available on desktop soon.
Learn more about why a video may be suggested to you:
Finally, sometimes, we recommend videos from channels you haven’t seen before based on what other viewers with similar interests have liked and watched in the past. When we’re suggesting videos based on this, you'll now see more information underneath the video in a small box. Our goal is to explain why these videos surface on your homepage in order to help you find videos from new channels you might like. This new feature is available globally on the YouTube app for iOS today, and will be available on Android and desktop soon.
We hope you’ll find that these new features help you navigate the incredible breadth of content available on YouTube and more easily find great videos to watch. We're looking forward to hearing your feedback.
Essam El-Dardiry, Product Manager, YouTube
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