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YouTube's Trending Games of August
September 08, 2016
YouTube's Trending Games of July
August 10, 2016
What YouTube Can Tell Us About Pokemon Go
July 22, 2016
We compared the launch week of Pokemon Go’s with the launch week of other blockbusters from 2016. We found that the launch of “Pokemon Go” received twice as much watchtime as “Overwatch,” and three times as much as “Tom Clancy’s The Division.” Overall, since launch, “Pokemon Go” has racked up millions of hours of watchtime and consistently been one of the top 3 games on YouTube (trailing only “Minecraft” and “Grand Theft Auto V”).
One interesting video related to “Pokemon Go” on YouTube is the 2014 Google Maps April Fools’ Day prank, which received a sharp uptick in views and watchtime since the game launched. Other hit videos include PewDiePie’s “Is Pokemon Go Going Too Far” with nearly 10 million views, Feranfloo’s Spanish “Capturando Pokemons En La Vida Real” with 9.2 million views, and a whole slew of musical tributes.
Early on in “Pokemon Go,” all players must swear allegiance to one of three teams - Team Mystic, Team Valor, or Team Instinct. We wanted to use YouTube to see if we could determine which team was the most popular. We found that, in terms of search queries, Valor jumped out to an early lead but was soon overtaken by Mystic. They’re currently running neck-and-neck, both ahead of Team Instinct.
It’s hard to believe “Pokemon Go” has only been out for a few weeks, and it will be some time before we have a full sense of it’s impact on gaming and culture. But if there’s one thing we can already say for certain it’s that, based on YouTube searches, the Pokemon theme song is back. And that’s the way we like it.
-- Jeff Rubin
YouTube's Trending Games of June
July 13, 2016
How Musician Maggie Rogers Landed a Viral Hit on YouTube
July 08, 2016
The story begins with a video posted to i am Other, Pharrell Williams’ YouTube channel. Two months ago, Pharrell hosted a masterclass at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, and student Maggie Rogers’ work-in-process track, “Alaska,” was featured in the final segment of a 30-minute clip.
Maggie Rogers in a masterclass hosted by Pharrell
While the masterclass itself received media attention, Pharrell’s segment with Maggie Rogers, 18 minutes into the video, went undiscovered. Noticing a special moment where Pharrell describes Maggie’s song as “nothing I've ever heard before,” Reddit user “TheLatchKey” posted it to the hip-hop community of the site with the title “Such a genuine reaction from Pharrell to an amazing song (skip to 18:15),” which linked to Maggie Rogers’ specific segment of the video.
Building on the buzz, Maggie released the fully mastered “Alaska” two weeks after her initial encounter with viral fame, which was rapidly picked up by outlets such as The LA Times, Vulture, Slate, and Spin. The song has since inspired countless covers, remixes, and even a how-to tutorial on YouTube.
In one month, and rather unexpectedly, the YouTube video has put Maggie in the spotlight. The whirlwind of attention has music publications like Pitchfork asking “Now What?”
Quite a feat for a student who, only weeks prior, was taking notes from one of today’s greatest producers.
YouTube Celebrates Black Music Month
June 22, 2016
To honor Black Music Month at YouTube, we looked at total views in 2016 (Jan 1 - May 31) and identified the most popular black musicians by decade. These artists continue to stand the test of time and underscore the contributions of black musicians to culture.
1920s: Louis Armstrong - 46,468,385 views in 2016 (through May 31st)
Louis Armstrong - “When The Saints Go Marching In”
Louis Armstrong’s career spanned decades, and on YouTube he remains one of the most popular artists from the first half of the 20th century. His 1967 recording of “What A Wonderful World” is his most popular track, viewed over 130,000 times per day in 2016.
1930s: Billie Holiday - 20,273,058 views in 2016 (through May 31st)
Billie Holiday - “Strange Fruit”
Billie Holiday’s legacy continues on YouTube: her music had 1.2 million views on April 7, 2015, when her fans celebrated what would have been her centennial.
1940s: Nat King Cole - 49,536,611 views in 2016 (through May 31st)
Nat King Cole - “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66”
Within Nat King Cole’s YouTube catalogue, L-O-V-E is the most popular track. Every year since 2012, it’s one of 18 tracks to double in views on Valentine’s Day, as YouTube users endearingly share and link to the video.
1950s: Ray Charles - 68,571,028 views in 2016 (through May 31st)
Ray Charles - “Seven Spanish Angels”
Among Ray Charles’ top 10 songs on YouTube, the seventh most popular track is from the later years of his discography: “Seven Spanish Angels,” a duet with Willie Nelson that reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles in 1984. This year, it has had nearly 5 million views.
“Sexual Healing” is Marvin Gaye's most popular track, with over 80 million views in 2016. 25 percent of these views are from a 2013 remix of the song by Norwegian DJ Kygo.
1970s: Bob Marley & The Wailers - 313,646,935 views in 2016 (through May 31st)
Bob Marley - “Buffalo Soldier”
Bob Marley and The Wailers are the third most-viewed artist on this list, with nearly 300 million views this year. One of their single-day highest views (7.3 million views) occurred on February 7, 2015, which marked Bob Marley’s 70th birthday.
1980s: Michael Jackson - 1,046,087,180 views in 2016 (through May 31st)
Michael Jackson - “Thriller”
Michael Jackson has remained so popular in 2016 that he charts at #26 on YouTube Music Top 100 Artists list for the week of June 3, with approximately 47 million views.
1990s: Dr. Dre - 286,582,767 views in 2016 (through May 31st)
Dr. Dre - “Still D.R.E. (ft. Snoop Dogg)”
Dr. Dre’s popularity grew significantly on YouTube in 2015, following the release of the film “Straight Outta Compton.” His most popular track on YouTube, “The Next Episode,” has had over 116 million views in 2016.
Rihanna has released eight studio albums, and her earlier work from the 2000s remains highly popular on YouTube. Among her top 20 tracks on YouTube in 2016, seven are from pre-2010 albums: “Umbrella,” “Rude Boy,” “Take A Bow,” “Don’t Stop the Music,” “Rehab,” “Unfaithful,” and “Disturbia.”
YouTube's Trending Games of April
May 05, 2016
YouTube's Trending Games of March
April 07, 2016
YouTube's Trending Games of February
March 15, 2016
The SXSW Effect: Who Got the Most Out of Their Festival Appearance?
How have artists translated their performances into success in recent years? We dug into the data to find out.
The winding road to overnight success
Ask 10 music critics who their favorite breakout acts have been over the course of the festival’s nearly 30-year history, and you’re liable to get as many different answers. To get a broad sense of the impact that an acclaimed performance has on an emerging musician’s career, we narrowed the scope, and examined a group of musicians who have been considered to have hit the national scene following their performances over the past half decade. We selected Mike Posner, the prolific hip-hop producer and songwriter who also penned Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend,” the blues-rock quintet Alabama Shakes, indie-pop darlings Foster The People, and pop-rock powerhouse HAIM.
Daily Views For Breakout Acts Following First SXSW Performance
Views expressed as a proportion of the highest view count, based on sum of personal and Vevo channel totals.
Of all musicians in our selection, none had received as much lift following their first festival appearance as the Alabama Shakes. Prior to appearing during NPR’s showcase, the band didn’t have a YouTube channel. Shortly after creating one following their universally-praised SXSW set, their views immediately rocketed into the six figure range — smartly, coinciding with the release of their debut album.
Alabama Shakes’ “Hold On”
Try, try again
While acts tend to garner the notice of music industry insiders during their initial appearance, we’ve found it usually takes a second SXSW showing to translate into mass appeal.
Daily Views For Breakout Acts Following Second SXSW Performance
Views expressed as a proportion of the highest view count, based on sum of personal and Vevo channel totals.
For HAIM, Mike Posner, and Foster The People, mainstream success on YouTube began about two months after their second appearances.
By this point, all three had either completed or were nearing completion on their full-length albums, and generated enough pre-festival excitement to ensure that the critics would focus on them, rather than the hundreds of other bands. For HAIM, the second performance also meant taking home the festival’s inaugural Grulke Prize for Developing US Act.
The Alabama Shakes were in a slightly different position: they had received much of the critics’ attention immediately following their debut album, which was released shortly following their 2012 SXSW performance. Nevertheless, they also experienced a lift in views (once more, coinciding with the release of their 2015 album).
To give a better sense of just how meaningful the difference between the impact of the first and second year’s performances is, we’ve compared their effects on views for each of the artists, below:
Avg. Increase In Views Over Six Month Period Following SXSW Appearance
Views expressed as a proportion of the highest view count, based on sum of personal and Vevo channel totals.
While it’s impossible to say who, among the hundreds of showcasing bands at this year’s festival, will be the breakout star, one thing is certain — it’ll almost certainly take a return trip to help produce HAIM-levels of popularity.
-- Posted by the YouTube Culture & Trends Team
Agar.io Joins the 2 Billion Views Club
March 03, 2016
One of the biggest stars of the Agar.io world is Jumbo, who started by uploading one Agar.io gameplay video every week. In less than seven months, it became one of the fastest channels to reach 1M subscribers in the history of YouTube.
Like a circle that just can’t stop eating smaller circles, Agar.io continues to grow. Sometimes you need fancy hardware or a lot of money to try the latest trending games, but if you want to try this one just head to https://agar.io and you can be playing in seconds.
-- Jeff Rubin
*The other 21 titles, starting with the biggest one globally: Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, League of Legends, FIFA, Five Nights at Freddy's, Clash of Clans, Garry's Mod, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Angry Birds, The Sims, Dota 2, Yo-Kai Watch, World of Tanks, Happy Wheels, Team Fortress 2, Plants vs. Zombies, Assassin's Creed, Destiny, Puzzle & Dragons, and Mortal Kombat.
What Happened on YouTube for This Year’s BRIT Awards Nominees?
February 24, 2016
Here are the nominees for British Breakthrough Artist:
First Year Active on YouTube
|
First
Studio Release
|
Origin
|
Most Popular Track
(by 2015 YouTube views) |
Top 3 Countries
(by 2015 YouTube views)
|
Genre
(Wikipedia)
| |
Jess Glynne
|
2012
|
August 21, 2015
|
London England
|
1. U.K.
2. Italy
3. U.S.
|
R&B,
Pop
| |
Years & Years
|
2010
|
July 10, 2015
|
London England
|
1. U.K.
2. Poland
3. U.S.
|
Synthpop
| |
Catfish & the Bottlemen
|
2007
|
September 15, 2014
|
Llandudno Wales
|
1. U.K.
2. U.S.
3. Australia
|
Alternative rock,
Indie rock
| |
James Bay
|
2013
|
March 23, 2015
|
Hertfordshire England
|
1. U.K.
2. U.S.
3. Germany
|
Indie rock,
Folk rock, Soul
| |
Wolf Alice
|
2010
|
June 22, 2015
|
London England
|
1. U.K.
2. U.S.
3. Brazil
|
Alternative rock,
Indie rock
|
All roads lead to London
This year, it seems that much of the talent in the Breakthrough Artist pool hails from the capital, with R&B songstress Jess Glynne, electronic trio Years & Years, and indie rockers Wolf Alice all having origins in London. James Bay, the soft-spoken troubadour who shot to fame after a video of one of his open-mic performances surfaced on YouTube, isn’t far off, growing up in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, an hour’s drive north of the capital. The lone exception to this are Catfish and the Bottlemen, from the northern Welsh seaside resort town of Llandudno (population: 20,710).
Heat Map of Breakthrough Artist Nominees’ Origins
Jess Glynne and Years & Years vie for “Most Watched” title
Daily Views for BRIT Awards 2016 Nominees for Breakthrough Artist
Views expressed as a proportion of the highest view count, based on content ID, for U.K. viewers
If the Breakthrough Artist award were given out to the most popular musicians of 2015, YouTube viewers’ choices suggest that Years & Years would be the winners. The group’s success in the past year, due, in large part, to the tremendously positive response of their single “King,” which was also initially nominated for a BRIT Award in the Video category, is undeniable. After a huge surge in views during the summer, which saw the release of their debut album, "Communion," and the premiere of their triptych video for the track “Shine,” the band’s popularity has returned to a high, but comfortable baseline.
Years & Years’ “Shine #ChooseLight”
While Years & Years’ views have steadied, those of Jess Glynne, whose memorable appearance on Clean Bandit’s “Rather Be” led to a 2015 Grammy win in the Best Dance Recording category, have been growing. Although she began the year relatively low, tracks like “Hold My Hand” and “Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself” have boosted her profile significantly, eventually leading Glynne to become the most-viewed artist in the group, according to daily views.
Jess Glynne’s “Ain’t Got Far to Go”
James Bay, who also recently received a Best New Artist Grammy nomination, began the year strongly, and has been the most impressively consistent musician of the group. Catfish and the Bottlemen and Wolf Alice, both representing the more niche, indie-rock contingent, follow. Despite their relative obscurity, both have produced impressive debuts, with Catfish and the Bottlemen’s “Cocoon” and Wolf Alice’s “Moaning Lisa Smile” drawing significant praise from critics.
Catfish and the Bottlemen’s “Cocoon”
British Artist Video: All Hail Adele
Daily Views for BRIT Awards 2016 Nominees for British Artist Video, Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2015
Views based on Content ID for U.K.-based users
The Best British Artist Video nominees can be organized into two broad groups. Adele, in a class of her own, forms the first: her video for “Hello” has received a steady torrent of plays, and is the fastest clip in YouTube history to reach 1 billion views. Her daily numbers are so high, in fact, so as to distort the scale of the graph, so we zoomed to the final months of 2015 to get a better sense of the viewership details.
Daily Views for BRIT Awards 2016 Nominees for British Artist Video
Views based on Content ID for U.K.-based users
The second group of nominees comprises four videos in close competition: Little Mix’s “Black Magic,” One Direction’s NASA-inspired “Drag Me Down,” Jessie J’s contribution to "Pitch Perfect 2," “Flashlight,” and Ed Sheeran’s compilation of home footage used in “Photograph.”
Ed Sheeran’s “Photograph”
If we’re talking numbers alone, Adele will continue with her customary post-album-drop award sweep. If past fan favorites are the litmus test, One Direction are likely to triumph: they’ve won the 2014 and 2015 awards for “Best Song Ever” and “You & I,” respectively.
-- Posted by the YouTube Culture & Trends Team
The Music Videos That Get Love on Valentine’s Day
February 12, 2016
Total Views* of “I Just Called to Say I Love You” by Stevie Wonder
*“Views” is based on both official and fan-uploaded videos claimed using Content ID
As Valentine’s Day approaches, YouTube users endearingly share, message and email “I Just Called to Say I Love You” at a much higher rate.
But that’s just Stevie Wonder. Here’s the music that people play the most around Valentine’s Day:
Songs That Consistently Become Popular on Valentine’s Day
Views of video increased by at least 50 percent on Valentine’s Day, every year, since 2012.1
| Artist | Song | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Laura Pausini | Le Cose Che Vivi |
1996
|
| Nat King Cole | L-O-V-E |
1964
|
| Axel | Amo |
2005
|
| Franco de Vita | Te Amo |
1988
|
| Joaquín Sabina or Sabina y Cía | Contigo |
1996
|
| Adam Sandler | Grow Old With You |
1998
|
| Stevie Wonder | I Just Called to Say I Love You |
1984
|
| Savage Garden | Truly Madly Deeply |
1997
|
| Barry White | Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe |
1974
|
| Barry White | You're the First, the Last, My Everything |
1974
|
| Umberto Tozzi | Ti Amo |
1977
|
| Elton John | Can You Feel the Love Tonight |
1994
|
| Jovanotti | A Te |
2008
|
| Axel | Tu Amor Por Siempre |
2005
|
| Rabito | ... Que Te Quiero |
2003
|
| Tercer Cielo | Enamorados |
2012
|
| Chayanne | Completamente Enamorados |
1990
|
| Bryan Adams | Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman? |
1995
|
Songs that have at least a 50 percent increase in views on Valentine’s Day vs. average across January, March, April, and May (using the same weekday in the month), 2012 to 2015. To control for well-known songs (and eliminate obscure ones), we’ve omitted any videos that, on average, do not have at least 20,000 views/day outside of Valentine’s Day.
To create this list, we searched for songs with views that increase at least 50 percent on Valentine’s Day, every year, since 2012. Of all music on YouTube, only 18 songs fit this criteria.
Some observations:
- Barry White and Axel both have two tracks each.
- Nat King Cole’s “L-O-V-E” (1964) and Barry White’s “Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” (1974) are the oldest tracks on this list.
- Spanish, not French, may be the language of love: Seven of the 18 songs are in Spanish, eight are in English, three in Italian, and none are French.
- The only woman is Laura Pausini (an Italian artist).
-- Posted by the YouTube Culture & Trends Team
2015: The Year of Fetty Wap
February 11, 2016
“Trap Queen” charted on Billboard in February 2015, but the song was first uploaded online in April 2014 without any promotion – the DNA of a sleeper hit. What happened in those nine months? How did a high school dropout, with only a couple of years' worth of rapping, rise from anonymity? And, perhaps most importantly, how does a homegrown hit from a small New Jersey city germinate into a full-blown international phenomenon?
To find out, we analyzed the video views for “Trap Queen,” a strong barometer of his popularity, as well as the articles and posts which brought it most attention.
First, let’s examine the ascent of “Trap Queen,” from May 2014 to present day.
Weekly Average Views of “Trap Queen” by Fetty Wap
“Views” is based on both official and fan-uploaded videos claimed using Content ID
“Trap Queen” experienced huge growth in January 2015, but it took eight months to get there. “Trap Queen” may seem like an obvious hit, but from May to December 2014, it was freely available on YouTube, unknown to most of the music community.
Here’s a timeline documenting the track’s views, articles, and social media that spread the video to new audiences.
May 2014By the end of 2014, “Trap Queen” has received an impressive 2.2 million views, but it still has a long way to go before reaching mainstream status (at the time of writing, it’s been viewed more than 700 million times). The song effectively spent 75 percent of the year under the radar — a perfect example of slow, word-of-mouth growth. But it’s still a local hit, played predominantly in the Northeastern U.S. New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New England represent 73 percent of “Trap Queen” plays.
August 2014
- Fetty Wap uploads an audio-only version to YouTube. It receives approximately 1,000 views/day (190,000 total) until he uploads the official music video in August 2014.
- During this period, “Trap Queen” is a local hit. 57 percent of his views are from his home state of New Jersey, followed by 25 percent from New York and 2.2 percent from Virginia.
October 2014
- Fetty Wap releases the official video for “Trap Queen” on August 7.
November 2014
- Views of “Trap Queen” increase to about 15,000/day.
- A majority of views for “Trap Queen” shift from New Jersey, Fetty’s home state, to neighboring New York.
- Rapper Bobby Shmurda posts a video of himself singing to “Trap Queen” to his hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers.
December 2014
- Views of “Trap Queen” increase to about 30,000/day.
- Hip-hop blog Pigeons and Planes tweets and showcases “Trap Queen” as one of the Best Songs of the Week, one of the first major media outlets to drive visitors to the YouTube music video.
- Complex Magazine covers Fetty Wap in his first major interview.
- Fetty Wap signs to record label 300 Entertainment.
- Views of “Trap Queen” remain steady at about 30,000 - 50,000/day.
- Near the end of December 2014, Trap Queen appears on a number of “best of 2014” lists, including a wrap-up from Huffington Post and Noisey (which called it the “hottest New York record of the year”).
In 2015, however, things quickly change.
January 2015
- Views for “Trap Queen” skyrocket to 200,000/day.
Month-to-Month Growth of “Trap Queen” Views
“Views” is based on both official and fan-uploaded videos claimed using Content ID
February 2015
- Having appeared on several prominent end-of-year lists, Fetty is gaining mainstream popularity.
- Funkmaster Flex, on his radio show, debuts French Montana's remix of “Trap Queen.”
- For several weeks, “Trap Queen” has gone head-to-head against other hip-hop tracks on hip-hop site The Boombox. It now enters its Hall of Fame after users vote it superior to songs by Fabolous, J. Cole, Dipset, and Lil Wayne.
- Views double again, month-to-month, to 400,000/day.
- In an interview with i-D, Rihanna says that “Trap Queen” was the last song that she purchased.
- During a performance, Kanye West brings Fetty Wap as guest to perform “Trap Queen” at the Roc City Classic in New York City, after declaring it to be his "favorite song right now." Footage of Jay Z and Beyoncé, dancing to Fetty's performance amidst the crowd, emerges.
- Less than a week later, queen of acoustic hip-hop covers Niykee Heaton uploads a cover of “Trap Queen” on YouTube.
- Florida surpasses New York as the most popular source of “Trap Queen” views. “Trap Queen” reaches national status, spreading to multiple states beyond of the Northeastern U.S.
Views of the Official “Trap Queen” Music Video
August 2014 - July 2015
Once “Trap Queen” broke in New York in January 2015, it quickly spread to surrounding states over the course of next month. For Fetty Wap (and, likely, much of hip-hop), the New York market seemed to be a catalyst for mainstream success.
March 2015
April 2015
- Views reach the 1,000,000/day mark.
- Billboard runs an interview with Fetty Wap on March 5, where the rapper expounds on his unique blend of rap and singing: "I just wanted to do something different. Everybody was rapping. Everybody wants to be a rapper so I did something different. I started singing. But I ain't want to be a singer, so I did my own thing."
May 2015
- “Trap Queen” reach 2,000,000 views/day.
- In his most televised appearance to date, Fetty plays the MTV Movie Awards alongside Fallout Boy, with the band providing the backing to his performance of “Trap Queen.”
- Fetty, whose Paterson, N.J., roots are often discussed in interviews, is featured on NJ.com. His mother reveals that despite his perpetual modesty about his musical upbringing, Willie Maxwell II — Fetty Wap's real name — had played the piano and sang in the church quartet where his grandfather served as pastor.
- “Trap Queen” reaches 3,000,000 views/day.
- Drake reaches out to Fetty about collaborating, and the pair release “My Way.”
- Fetty gives a video tour on YouTube of his hometown Paterson, N.J.
June 2015
- By now, it’s so evident that “Trap Queen” is the summer's biggest track that pop culture site Jezebel names its songs of summer list Beyond ‘Trap Queen.'
- Fetty receives one of the top accolades for up-and-coming hip-hop artists, and lands in XXL Magazine's Freshman Class of 2015.
- The Music Choice channel uploads a video of Fetty receiving the award for Most Played Video in early 2015. Fetty, visibly moved, mumbles, "I ain't never win nothing in my life before ..."
July 2015
- Peak “Trap Queen.” Daily views of “Trap Queen” climax at approximately 3,500,000/day and growth has stalled to roughly 3 percent more than the previous month.
- Official video for Fetty’s “679” is released.
August 2015
September 2015
- Fetty becomes the first artist in history to hold four top 10 spots simultaneously on Billboard's Hot Rap Songs chart with “Again,” “679,” “My Way,” and “Trap Queen.”
- Fetty performs a “Back to School” concert in Paterson, N.J, and Mayor Jose Torres awards Fetty with the key to the city.
October 2015
- Fetty's highly anticipated self-titled album is released. It debuts at #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart, and proceeds to sell 75,000 copies in the first week.
- Fetty features on French Montana's “Freaky,” as well as Ty Dolla $ign's “When I See Ya.”
November 2015
- David Guetta releases his video for “Bang My Head,” featuring Fetty alongside Sia.
December 2015Fetty Wap’s path to success was highly unorthodox. Rather than approach his musical career through traditional approaches, Fetty took a more unique route: he promoted the track on social media as far as it would go, and let the excitement of his growing fan base fuel its spread.
- “Trap Queen” is nominated for two Grammy Awards in the Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance categories.
No surprise, with a song like “Trap Queen”: it worked.
-- Posted by the YouTube Culture & Trends Team
