Here’s why I will not join a YouTube Network for now: the one’s who’ve contact me, and it’s happened four times now, all have business models that involve me signing over my Google AdSense money to them.
That is, the YouTube Network (and YouTube should be concerned that “YouTube Network” is the unofficial name because then YouTube gets painted by their bad practices) asks for a cut of your future payments from Google AdSense if you’re a YouTube Partner, as I am under the Zennie62 channel.
What I don’t like is the YouTube Network has it such that they get my money, then give me my cut. The claim that YT Network reps have given me is that it’s a compensation for their work in promoting me and helping me produce shows.
But what if they don’t promote me, or don’t do it well? From what I’ve been pitched, the YT Network gets paid anyway, and from my money.
My preference is to have a contract where I give them a cut of revenue after I’ve collected the money, and after I see a performance report from them. That way I’m assured that they’re actually working for me, and then they get compensated as per our agreement.
I made this counter offer to one YT Network, and they said it wasn’t in their interest to do. Well, the reverse is not in my interest to do.
Ray William Johnson Got Screwed
Every time I think of a YouTube Network, the episode of YouTube Comedian Ray William Johnson versus Maker Studios comes to mind. If you don’t know the story, Mr. Johnson entered into an agreement with Maker Studios, a YouTube Network. His issue was that Maker Studios was too controlling of the production of his content – in other words, they were telling him what to do, and not letting him be creative. Additionally, Ray William Johnson, who has something north of 8 million subscribers, said that once his contracts with
Maker Studios ended, they failed to give him his AdSense account back.
In other words, they were still collecting his money.
That’s what’s scary to me. Leave my money alone.
My preference is to have my own YouTube Network, but of a different design – I don’t want to collect Google AdSense money that belongs to someone else. And something else I don’t like is the hard-pressure, insult-you-into-joining tactics that some YouTube Network reps employ to get you to join them.
One person who’s name I will not mention said “You’re not doing anything sitting their at, what, 440,000 monthly views. Join us and grow.” Or words to that effect.
I was insulted.
I may not be where I want to be in terms of views, but its wrong to try and use my insecurity about that against me. When he said that, I almost hung up the phone, but it was the point at which I turned away from the idea of joining them.
What I did was alter my video production strategy and schedule. Now, as of this writing, Zennie62’s 30-day view count was over 800,000, and at one point, it topped 1 million.
And what’s the best news of all? I did it myself.
YouTube Must Police The Networks
YouTube had better get a handle on these Networks before their overall activity harms the brand. What they’re trying to do is pass themselves off as the real YouTube Partner program, saying they provide custom thumbnails, and all of the other perks I already enjoy from being in the YouTube Partner Program.
But think of how this can impact a youngster who’s not savvy with contracts and legal terms, yet just wants to make money from what they did. This can be an intimidating introduction to the business of YouTube that may turn them off from the entire platform.
These YT Network practices has to be curbed before it’s too late.
Stay tuned.