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Requesting an Official Artist Channel via the FUGA Interface

  • Updated

This article explains the requirements and submission process for transforming a standard YouTube channel into an Official Artist Channel (OAC). This process consolidates an artist’s discography, provides access to specialized analytics, and adds the "music note" verification icon to the artist profile. Users will learn how to verify eligibility and submit requests directly within the FUGA Interface.

Prerequisites for Approval

To ensure a successful application and avoid automatic declines, the artist profile must meet strict YouTube requirements before a request is submitted through the FUGA Interface.

  • Channel Ownership: You must own and operate a YouTube channel dedicated exclusively to the artist or band.

  • Naming Consistency: The Owned and Operated channel name must match the registered artist name in the FUGA Interface exactly.

  • Topic Channel and Distribution: The artist must have an auto-generated Topic Channel containing at least one official music release delivered and distributed by a music distributor or label.

  • Content Match: The Owned and Operated channel must feature at least one public video related to a release found on the artist’s Topic Channel.

  • Policy Compliance: The channel must adhere to all YouTube Community Guidelines and copyright policies.

  • Links to Social Media: having linked to different social media platforms helps speed up the verification process

Reasons for Rejection

  • The channel must be dedicated to a single artist or band, it cannot incorporate a compilation of different artists.

  • The request in FUGA Next must use the channel ID (youtube.com/channel/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) and not the unique name of the artist, example: youtube.com/@artistname 

  • The channel ID inputted into FUGA Next cannot be the Topic channel, it has to be the official operating channel for the artist. 

     

Submission Instructions

Requests should be submitted using the automated features within the interface. Manual email requests are no longer required for standard Official Artist Channel (OAC) applications.

  1. Log in to the FUGA Interface.

  2. Navigate to the Artist Entity Page for the relevant artist.

  3. Locate the YouTube Official Artist Channel section.

  4. Enter the required channel details and click Submit.

     

Timelines and Expectations

Once submitted, the request is placed in YouTube's processing queue. Please note that FUGA is unable to expedite or prioritize requests once they have been delivered to YouTube.

Stage Expected Duration
Standard Processing 2 to 4 weeks
Re-submissions and Support Escalations 1 to 2 weeks

Successful completion is confirmed visually when a "Releases" tab appears on the YouTube channel. Please note, once an OAC request has been completed, it can take up to a week for the music note/releases tab to reflect on an artist’s channel.

 

Troubleshooting and Support

If a request is rejected or remains pending for an extended period, the FUGA team can manually flag the submission to YouTube for investigation.

If you require assistance with a stuck or rejected Official Artist Channel (OAC) request, please contact your FUGA representative or reach out via our support channel with the following details:

  • Artist Name and Country of Origin.

  • Owned and Operated channel URL.

  • Topic Channel URL.

  • The original date the request was submitted.

     

VEVO Merges

FUGA can also provide assistance with Official Artist Channel (OAC) and VEVO merge requests. This process is handled manually via our support team.

If you require a channel merge, please contact your FUGA representative or reach out via support@fuga.com, specifying the request and including the URLs for both respective channels.

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