Official YouTube Blog: May 2011

Music Tuesday: Death Cab for Cutie, Cibo Matto and more

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

What’s happening on youtube.com/music? If you’re a fan of one of indie rock’s most influential bands, a lot. Check out our picks for what's happening in music this week.

Death Cab for Cutie curation
Death Cab for Cutie’s intelligent, heart-restrained-by-head songs have always vibrated with barely-contained desire. They’re also innovative video-makers -- earlier this year they released a pretty stunning one-take video for “You Are A Tourist.” They followed it up by asking Shepard Fairey to tag L.A. with the lyrics to “Home Is A Fire.” So we were pretty psyched when Ben Gibbard and Nick Harmer agreed to sit down and choose some of their favorite videos for us on the eve of the release of their new album Codes and Keys. Like the band itself, their videos are diverse, thoughtful, surprising and sometimes cute: you’ll find indie rock videos, sure, but also French bulldogs, exploding volcanoes, and a starry sky. Prepare to swoon.

Cibo Matto reunites
Everybody’s favorite quirky Japanese alterna-pop duo, Cibo Matto grabbed a devoted following back in the ‘90s for their deceptively simple, sly and silly songs. They weren’t rockstars, but they were cool and goofy and hard to ignore. They recently announced they’re getting back together for a tour and a new album. Here’s why you care:

Lavalier "Santa Claus Ain't Comin'"
When even Nylon Magazine is trying to remind us that there’s music being made outside of Brooklyn, it feels a bit perverse to hype yet another Brooklyn band. But Lavalier -- a slightly psychedelic, slightly melancholic indie band -- have something else going for them: their new video from the art collective Everything Is Terrible. The collective scours junk sales and thrift stores for discarded VHS tapes and turns them into hilarious videos. They hit the jackpot with this one, sending up ‘80s culture by using detritus from the decade itself. This is cultural archeology at its best -- and the song’s not bad, either.

Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently watched “Go - Santogold & Karen O."

John Legend takes your education questions in next World View interview

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

In the past five months, YouTube World View has challenged leaders to talk about some of the most pressing issues facing the world today. Until today, these leaders have resided squarely in the government space, however, our next World View subject has a slightly different background.

Starting today, you can ask questions of philanthropist and soulful crooner John Legend. In addition to being a nine-time Grammy Award winner (!) and one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People, John is the founder of the Show Me Campaign, an effort to use education to break the cycle of poverty.

John wants to hear your questions about education, whether they’re about raising the standard of education around the world, improving the quality of teachers, or the work he is doing with the Show Me Campaign. You can head over to www.youtube.com/worldview to submit your questions now. He’ll answer the top-voted questions in a special interview that will be released on June 8.

Ramya Raghavan, News and Politics Manager, recently watched “John Legend in Ghana”

Watch My Morning Jacket’s perform live tonight

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Tonight at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, indie rock darlings My Morning Jacket will debut their new album Circuital in style: with a performance in Louisville, Kentucky’s historic Palace Theatre. No ticket? No problem. Watch the performance live on youtube.com/mymorningjacketvevo.

The show marks the next installment of the original music series UNSTAGED, in partnership with American Express and VEVO. UNSTAGED pairs bands with iconic film directors to create one-of-a-kind live performances.

Director Todd Haynes (Velvet Goldmine, I’m Not There) will conduct the show. Haynes has been engaged with pop music throughout his career, crafting films that have frequently looked at music icons through an unusual lens: in Velvet Goldmine, he approached glam rock through the guise of a fictional, Bowie-like rock star named Brian Slade. In I’m Not There, six different actors inhabit or embody Bob Dylan’s many-faceted career. A subtle provocateur, Haynes has always looked to transgress social norms in his work.

As an indie band that often flirts with experimental elements, My Morning Jacket are a natural match for Haynes. The group burst onto the scene in 2001 with the release of their sophomore album At Dawn. Alt country had become the fashion among many northern rock bands, but as native southerners, these Kentucky boys came by their twang honestly. When they drenched it in oceans of reverb, what could have been relatively straightforward country rock verged on otherworldly.

Over the years, the band has evolved, experimenting with neo-psychedelia, reggae and progressive rock and even emulating Prince. Circuital sees the band returning to its early influences -- and returning home to Louisville to perform in the Palace Theatre, an ornate Spanish Baroque-style theater built in 1924. The theater oozes with atmosphere: the trompe l’oeil ceiling looks like an open sky, and a “hall of faces” features over a hundred sculptures of Socrates, Beethoven, Dante and more. The venue also has amazing acoustics -- and, according to some reports, a ghost.

Anything could happen tonight! Tune in early for an exclusive Q&A before the show, and keep an eye out for interesting components of the webcast: vote for their encore song, choose your camera angle, watch for user-submitted eyeball photos (yes, eyeballs) on stage, and potentially unlock some exclusive photo content during the performance!

Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently watched “LOUDER|DUBSTEP.”

This week's Trends: trailer proposals, commencement time-lapses, and pets

Friday, May 27, 2011

YouTube Trends

We tracked the trend of creative movie trailer proposals.

We enjoyed a Canuck's parody/anthem that was very popular in Canada.

We followed some of the coolest and most popular commencement and graduation trends.

We saw a collection of first-person disaster videos as well as footage of the volcano in Iceland.

We listed Keenan Cahill's most popular collaborations.

And, in what was a big week for pet videos, we helped this now world famous cat from Japan celebrate his third birthday:

www.YouTube.com/TrendsKevin Allocca, YouTube Trends Manager, recently watched "Cee Lo Green - I Want You (Hold On To Love)."

CuteGirlsHairstyles wins May’s “On The Rise”

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

CuteGirlsHairstylesPartnerOn The RisehomepageWaterfall French BraidTwists into Side FlipSide Ponytail Combo“I am a wife, a mom to six children (five of them girls), a hairblogger, a school board member, passionate about adoption, and full-time CEO and Logistics Director of our "organized chaos!” YouTube has become a major driver for our hairstyles, with thousands of subscribers coming from all over the world. For me, providing these tutorials brings satisfaction in knowing that girls worldwide are receiving a boost to their self esteems from all the daily compliments. It is also nice knowing that my daughters and I are helping moms and daughters find bonding time together each day. We sincerely want to thank our YouTube subscribers and fans for voting CuteGirlsHairstyles as May 2011's YouTube 'On The Rise' winner!"
channelbrowseDevon Storbeck, Partner Support, recently watched “Beachy Combo | Beautiful Hairstyles.”

Thanks, YouTube community, for two BIG gifts on our sixth birthday!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

In May 2005, the YouTube founders launched YouTube.com, providing people with a platform to broadcast themselves to the world. Six years on, the world is watching and we wanted to say thank you to the YouTube community for a couple of amazing birthday presents.
First, your video. Back in November we challenged you to up the volume of videos you uploaded to the site. And boy, did you take the bait. Today, more than 48 hours (two days worth) of video are uploaded to the site every minute, a 37% increase over the last six months and 100% over last year. From videos documenting a baby’s first steps in San Francisco, Calif., to a protest in Syria, to a commencement speech at Yale University, we’re continually impressed and inspired by the quality and breadth (in addition to quantity) of videos that you upload to the site every day. On our end, we're constantly evolving to provide the best video sharing and viewing experience for you from faster processing of uploads to longer video lengths to the launch of self-service live stream capabilities to partners.

What can happen in two days, you ask?

You could drive non-stop across the country from our office in San Bruno, Calif. to New York City
You could undertake a massive movie marathon by watching the entire Back to the Future trilogy eight and a half times (we’d recommend you do that at YouTube Movies)
An ambitious cheetah (the fastest land animal at an average running speed of 75 mph) starting in South Africa could traverse 3600 miles of the African continent and reach Egypt

The other great birthday present? Your views. We’re amazed that over this last weekend, you drove YouTube past the 3 billion views a day mark, a 50% increase over last year. That’s the equivalent of nearly half the world’s population watching a YouTube video each day, or every U.S. resident watching at least nine videos a day.

The first six years of a person’s life are incredibly important for development. The same could be said for a company. For the last six years we’ve grown and evolved in our quest to push video forward and deliver the best possible experience to you. So when will we reach 72 hours a minute, or 4 billion views a day? That’s up to you. For our part, we'll continue to work at delivering the diversity and quality of content you're asking for, from live streams of music festivals to campaigns around social inspiration and change, rockstars in education to citizen-journalist coverage of global events and YOU showcasing your own talent. You’ve made YouTube successful because it’s a reflection of you and your world. If this is what we’ve accomplished together in six years, we can only imagine where you’ll take us in the next six!

The YouTube Team recently watched “An Adorable 6-Year-Old Dancer”.

YouTube Creator Institute is in session — with live streamed guest professors

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

YouTube Creator InstituteMay 25: Jon Landau, Academy Award-winning Producer of Avatar and TitanicSubmit a questionWatch Live May 25 @ 7pm PTMay 31: Melissa Rosenberg, Acclaimed Writer and Producer of the Twilight Saga, Dexter and many othersSubmit a questionWatch Live May 31 @ 7pm PTJune 1: SuzAnn Brantner, Head of Alternative Distribution and Marketing for Music, Film and Books at William Morris EndeavorSubmit a questionWatch Recorded Lecture from June 1June 2: MysteryGuitarMan and FreddieW, YouTube Partners with millions of subscribers and viewsSubmit a questionWatch Live June 2 @ 7pm PTJune 14: McG, Director of Terminator Salvation and Charlie’s Angels, and Executive Producer of Supernatural, The OC and many othersSubmit a questionWatch Live June 14 @ 7pm PTJuly 7: Barely Political, one of YouTube’s most subscribed channels and creators of Obama Girl, Key of Awesome and Autotune the News
Submit a questionWatch Live July 7 @ 4pm PTYouTube NextUpYouTube Nextyoutube.com/creatorinstituteBing Chen, YouTube Creator Institute Lead, recently watched “Never Enough - D-Pryde (Produced By: Scena) (Original).”

Music Tuesday: Under-the-radar artists, music from everyday objects and Making Friendz

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

While Lady Gaga tears up the charts (and makes her entire album available on YouTube), we’re dedicating this week to the under-the-radar artists who pump creative juices into YouTube’s veins. We’ve got a treasure trove of talent, starting with Diego Stocco, the Italian inventor/composer/multi-instrumentalist who can make an instrument out of discarded pianos and a song out of a bonsai tree. Jeff Pianki is a young singer-songwriter who wins hearts the old-fashioned way: with sweet lyrics and catchy melodies. Sanders Bohlke, the folk artist from Mississippi, has videos as easygoing as his music. And finally, Yasuhito Watanabe is a Japanese singer-songwriter brimming with crossover potential. Check them all out on youtube.com/music today.

Music from Everyday Objects
Can you make music out of a blow dryer? A bicycle? A bonsai tree? It turns out that a lot more artists think so than you might expect. Diego Stocco’s inventive pursuit of new sources for sound got us curious about who else is corralling everyday objects to make music on YouTube. And what we found is delightful: music made from wine glasses, a bottle opener, an old Soviet camera, a refrigerator door, Game Boys and much more.

Making Friendz “Situtation” video premiere
Making Friendz is Tami Hart, the former folk musician-turned-party girl who claims to be ripping off her buddies No Age, found herself a member of the tranny/dance collective MEN earlier this year, and is now gearing up for a new release on June 21. The first single is a big, noisy party song that’s equal parts New Pornographers and Valley Girl-era sass. And it’s perfectly matched by a crazy video from the directing team Wildwoodils. It’s all gross-out, 1980s Nickolodeon humor -- and very worth your time.

Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently watched “Unidentified suspects triptych by Isaac Cordel.”

Pomp and Circumstance....and speeches!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Across the country, students are throwing on caps and gowns and marching across graduation stages to collect well-deserved diplomas. As important to a graduation ceremony as “Pomp and Circumstance”, commencement addresses have become a central component of the big day. From celebrities to humanitarians to heads of state, colleges and universities are putting a big focus on speakers that will inspire and entertain those gathered for the occasion.

Before online video, you would have to be a graduate or guest to receive these pearls of wisdom. Even then, you’d probably only be able to see a handful of commencement addresses in your lifetime. Now with YouTube, these speeches are available any day and to anyone seeking inspiration. With more than 5,000 videos for ‘commencement speech’, YouTube houses a vast repository of commencement addresses. Through YouTube EDU, colleges and universities have uploaded over 1,600 videos to their own channels.

You can hear J.K. Rowling share with Harvard University the impact failing early in her career had on ultimately achieving her life’s dream. You can join Ellen DeGeneres as she celebrates Tulane University’s graduating “Katrina Class” in her native New Orleans. For all history buffs out there, you can hear Sir Winston Churchill deliver his famous “Never Give In” speech at the Harrow School in London and John F. Kennedy discuss the importance of world peace in the context of the Cold War at American University. Try not to laugh watching Conan O’Brien’s address at Harvard University or Stephen Colbert’s at Knox College.

Here’s a small sampling of the speeches available on YouTube:

Conan O’Brien, Harvard University, Part 1, Part 2, 2000
Oprah Winfrey, Stanford University, 2008
Ellen DeGeneres, Tulane University, 2009
Steve Jobs, Stanford University, 2005
Meryl Streep, Barnard College, Columbia University, 2010
Lisa Kudrow, Vassar College, 2010
Winston Churchill, Harrow School, 1941
John F. Kennedy, American University, 1963
Randy Pausch, Carnegie Mellon University, 2008
Tom Brokaw, Stanford University, 2006
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barnard College, Columbia University, 2009
Stephen Colbert, Knox College, 2006
Tim Russert, U. of Mass, Boston, 2002
President Barack Obama, Notre Dame University, 2009
J.K Rowling, Harvard University, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, 2008
Bono, University of Pennsylvania, 2004
Bill Cosby, Carnegie Mellon University, 2008

Hats off to the graduating classes of 2011 from YouTube!

Angela Lin, YouTube EDU Manager, recently watched “Bill Cosby’s Keynote Speech”.

Lady Gaga unveils “Born This Way” on YouTube and VEVO

Sunday, May 22, 2011

She’s got 32 million Facebook followers, 10 million Twitter fans, and a devoted legion of little monsters. But Mama Monster isn’t done with her quest for total pop domination: in a move in line with Gaga-esque surprises, Lady Gaga is posting audio tracks of the deluxe edition of her new album Born This Way on YouTube and VEVO on Sunday, May 22 at 9 p.m. PT to coincide with the album’s physical release. Go to her channel tonight to hear the new album from start to finish -- with five remixes thrown in for good measure.

While you're waiting, why not get a taste of what's to come?

Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently watched “Santa Claus Ain’t Comin’ By Lavalier and Everything Is Terrible.”

A world for the making

Friday, May 20, 2011

In advance of the Maker Faire in the SF Bay Area, we've asked Make Magazine, one of our YouTube Partners, to help celebrate the makers among us.Maker FaireTubalcainJoseph DeRoseMAKE YouTubeMAKE site

Gareth Branwyn, Editor-in-Chief of the MAKE website, recently watched “Utsushi - in search of Katsuhira's tiger. Part 1.”

This week's Trends: trophies, games, and a cappella

Friday, May 20, 2011

YouTube Trends

We learned that those cool, edited-a cappella videos have spread to the Middle East.

We saw a "trophy dropping" trend continue with this popular clip from the Netherlands.

We asked what the "What's Trending" staff was watching now that "PSN is back.

We explored interest in Australia's "planking" craze.

We watched physical comedy on the soccer field draw a big audience.

We discovered that searches for "lacrosse" have been hitting a recent high.

And was this a cool catch or the viral ad of the week?

www.YouTube.com/TrendsKevin Allocca, YouTube Trends Manager, recently watched "Darth Vader Salsa Trombone Playing and Dancing."

Out of this world — Your interview with Space Shuttle Endeavour

Thursday, May 19, 2011

STS-134PBS NewsHourvisiting Mars by 2030power of space explorationusing social mediafull interviewlaunchGinny Hunt, Public Sector Program Manager, recently watched “Somersault in Space: Astronauts Try a Zero-Gravity Flip.”

A new channel to help businesses in Eastern Japan

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Cross posted from the Official YouTube Japan BlogYouTube Business Support Channelhot springs innsorganic rice farmersryokanShinjuku Alta VisionTai Hasegawa, Product Marketing Manager, Japan, recently watched “Wankosoba (soba noodles in broth eaten repeatedly in small servings) Shop is open for business in Iwate.”

YouTube Town Hall: Where your views count

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

How would you vote if you focused purely on the ideas needed to make our country and our world a better place, rather than on the parties putting them forward? That’s a question that the new YouTube Town Hall seeks to answer.
YouTube Town Hall is an online platform for members of Congress to virtually debate and discuss the most important issues of the day. You can select an issue, watch two short videos of members of congress expressing different perspectives on how to tackle this issue, and then support the one you agree with most. The most supported videos will be tracked on the YouTube Town Hall Leaderboard. After you watch the video, you’ll find out which party the representative comes from—and sometimes you might be surprised.

The first issues up for debate—budget, economy, energy, Afghanistan, education and healthcare—are those that were among the most popular on Google News and Google search over the past year. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask the questions you want members of Congress to answer. Every month, members of Congress will add new videos to the site answering a selection of the top-voted questions. So if you’re interested in lowering gas prices, reforming the tax system or making college more affordable, ask now!
Will Houghteling, YouTube News and Politics, recently watched Senator Kay Hagan and Senator Lamar Alexander answer the question “How can we recruit high quality teachers, reward the best one’s in today’s classroom, and deal with underperformers?”.

Music Tuesday: Danger Mouse’s Rome project, an introduction to videosongs and more

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

This week on youtube.com/music, we’re thinking about film and music. The two art forms have a love affair dating back to the 1890s, when piano players were hired to cover up the clattering noise of the film projector. Over the years that relationship has transformed; we now think of film and music as inseparable. This week, we profile two innovative and very different projects that are putting video and music on equal artistic footing -- and we bring you one album premiere!

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi curate the homepage
You know Danger Mouse. Maybe you’ve heard his Grey Album, which artfully mashed up Jay-Z’s Black Album and The Beatles’ White Album to near-universal acclaim. Maybe you know him as one-half of super-duo Gnarls Barkley. Or perhaps you dig Broken Bells? His restless creativity has found a lot of outlets over the years, but when he teamed up with Italian composer Daniele Luppi for his latest project, the focus quickly turned cinematic. The duo share a love of Ennio Morricone’s spaghetti western soundtracks, and with the help of Jack White and Norah Jones, they turned that love into a spacious, absorbing and slightly mysterious album. Then they took it a step further, inviting director Chris Milk to create a groundbreaking and beautiful interactive web video. (Type ro.me into a Chrome browser to see what they’ve done.) Luppi and the Mouse curate YouTube’s homepage today with their favorite Chris Milk films.

VideoSongs: creativity gone wild
If Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi have inspired boundary-pushing video experiments, “videosong” makers are actually dissolving the boundaries between song and video. The videosong has two rules: first, what you see is what you hear (no lip-syncing for instruments or voice). Second, if you hear it, at some point you see it (no hidden sounds). The duo Pomplamoose are now well-known for their charming experiments in this realm, but an entire world of creators has popped up around the form. Whether they’re incorporating skate park videos as percussion instruments or adeptly covering Radiohead, this rapidly burgeoning scene is ground zero for music/video innovation on YouTube. Check it out now!

SMOD album premiere
You probably haven’t heard of SMOD, but here’s why you care about them: Manu Chao produced their album, and one member is the son of Mali’s pioneering blind musical duo Amadou & Mariam. So if you like African pop with a bit of hip-hop in its jaws, this album is for you. Sunny pop, ringing guitars, harmonizing singers...just a little bit of summer, before summer officially starts.

Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently watched “Diego Stocco - Music from a Bonsai.”

Remembering fallen journalists on video

Monday, May 16, 2011

the Newseum Journalists Memorial channelyour cameratalking about politicsbeaten to death

Newseum’s Journalists Memorialrededication ceremonyJournalists Memorial channelSteve Grove, Head of YouTube News and Politics, recently watched "Reuters: 21 Journalists Slaughtered in Philippines Massacre."

What can 48 minds create in 48 hours?

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Watch Crash@MyPad as “Mr. Social” attempts to survive in LA for 24 hours on nothing but social media and the kindness of strangers.

Ever wonder what would happen if Facebook and Match.com had a baby? Check out MatchMyFriend, a dating service based on friend recommendations, which actually allows you to watch the live streams of your friends’ first dates.

Or perhaps you’ve had a recent unpleasant Facebook experience and need to confront a friend about his unflattering post on your wall? Look no further than Flame Court, the online court for online disputes.

Emily Wright, Display Project Manager, recently watched "Opening Ceremony Blog - Spike Jonze Presents: Lil Buck and Yo-Yo Ma."

This week's Trends: slow motion, translation, and birds

Friday, May 13, 2011

YouTube Trends

We slowed things down and listed some of the most popular slow motion videos on YouTube.

We saw video come in as the waters rose in parts of the country affected by floods.

We discovered an unusual Google Translate video trend in Taiwan.

Speaking of: we also spotted video of an rare site: a tornado in downtown Taipei.

We wondered if Angry Birds was out to become the video game with the most covers of its theme song in the future.

We tracked how a talking dog drew millions of fans.

And we watched a new single from Lonely Island become one of the biggest hits of the week.

www.YouTube.com/TrendsKevin Allocca, YouTube Trends Manager, recently watched "The Tragedy of First Position."

Shorts From the Cannes Film Festival

Thursday, May 12, 2011

7th Annual Online Film CompetitionYouTube channel

Nate Weinstein, Entertainment Marketing Manager, just watched The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger

The YouTube 100 music chart is live

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

YouTube 100her own gravity-defying videorocking guitar solosextra beatssepia-tone allegoryother-worldly visualsNice PeterRebecca Blackyoutube.com/musicChris LaRosa, Music Product Manager, recently watched "Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California."

Meet May’s On The Rise nominees

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

homepagevideosFacebookTwitteremilynoel83joshsundquisttheslowmoguyscast your vote by May 18, 2011 at 6:00pm PSTYourTeacherMathHelpDisneyKid15awesomegaysPaulDatehCuteGirlsHairstyleschannelBrowseJulie Kikla & Devon Storbeck, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “Inbetweeners - Rude Road Trip - Red Nose Day.”

Official Blog

Music Tuesday: Death Cab for Cutie, Cibo Matto and more

John Legend takes your education questions in next World View interview

Watch My Morning Jacket’s perform live tonight

This week's Trends: trailer proposals, commencement time-lapses, and pets

CuteGirlsHairstyles wins May’s “On The Rise”

Thanks, YouTube community, for two BIG gifts on our sixth birthday!

YouTube Creator Institute is in session — with live streamed guest professors

Music Tuesday: Under-the-radar artists, music from everyday objects and Making Friendz

Pomp and Circumstance....and speeches!

Lady Gaga unveils “Born This Way” on YouTube and VEVO

A world for the making

This week's Trends: trophies, games, and a cappella

Out of this world — Your interview with Space Shuttle Endeavour

A new channel to help businesses in Eastern Japan

YouTube Town Hall: Where your views count

Music Tuesday: Danger Mouse’s Rome project, an introduction to videosongs and more

Remembering fallen journalists on video

What can 48 minds create in 48 hours?

This week's Trends: slow motion, translation, and birds

Shorts From the Cannes Film Festival

The YouTube 100 music chart is live

Meet May’s On The Rise nominees

Labels

Archive

Feed