I keep reading these horror stories about YouTube. It must really suck, as there are alternatives, but they just don't have the audience YouTube has. I guess there just isn't much we can do about this apart from hosting elsewhere when necessary?
My personal, non-Toutuber theory is that people should use YouTube as a promotion channel, but have your main presence elsewhere: make your own website your hub, use Patreon as your main income, and post copies to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, Twitch, pretty much wherever you can.
That way, if you lose one channel you don't lose your followers, and you can take your time to deal with getting your channel back. And you still get the benefits of YouTube's reach.
Unfortunately, if you want to monetize your Youtube, Twitch, or other videos, the partner agreements on those platforms explicitly forbid uploading the same content to other video sites within certain time periods or posting videos on one platform to send users to your preferred platform. In particular, I know that you have to wait at least 24 hours after a Twitch stream to upload the VOD to Youtube, you can't co-stream simultaneously or upload immediately after streaming and retain your Twitch partnership, and Youtube has killed channels for posting 30-second "I'm going live on Twitch in 5 minutes" notifications (Twitch notifications are notoriously broken). If your income is through advertisements monetizing video views that won't work.
I agree, though, that a website with merchandise (depending on the channel) or a Patreon, distributing your video hosting across platforms, is probably the safest way to go.
Interesting. I guess it only applies to monetized content, otherwise, I can't think of a more clearer case of antitrust with YouTube, given their monopoly on internet videos.
There is obviously different rules for big Hollywood players vs small youtubers, since YouTube also sells their movies in VOD, if you know what I mean. I mean that's already the case regarding copyright strikes where big corps, music labels and Hollywood can abuse the YouTube copyright system without any repercussion whatsoever. All YouTube channels aren't equal.
I've started to notice a lot of youtube channels I watch do that. They'll put 5-10 minute videos on youtube, and the full length version of those videos are on their personal websites, and more in-depth videos are exclusive to patreon subscribers.
Weirdly enough, Spotify's goal is to scoop up all the money that's currently going directly to podcasters by making the advertising market more efficient.
They want to enjoy the type of monopoly that Facebook/Google/Amazon currently have online, except in the podcast space.
It never gets old, seeing people assume I must necessarily use the same monopolistic platforms I despise for their constant encroachment upon and enclosure of what were once cultural commons, or that uncoordinated individual action can possibly suffice to counterbalance such concentrations of power.
As long as it remains useful to preserve the appearance of competition in the streaming audio market, Napster will continue to exist. Enjoy it while it lasts.
