Perhaps you thought your YouTube channel was too small for YT to go after. Perhaps you were wrong and have found that out already.
One thing’s for sure, though. YouTube disclosed recently that it had invalidated over 2 billion fake or dead views on music videos, apparently purchased by music companies to promote their artists. It’s believed the source for those views were paid services such as YouLikeHits and (to exactly no one’s surprise) Fiverr.
Even today, several weeks after YouTube’s announcement, Fiverr has over 4,000 gigs hawking “genuine human” YouTube views. Don’t be fooled, though. It’s all software.
So the heartache of deleted videos and closed accounts isn’t over yet, because it seems some people will believe anything they’re promised. We’ve actually heard people say, “It’s only $5! What could it hurt?”
For the music industry, there’s a lot of money at stake with artist videos. The fake views boosted ad revenue by increasing video visibility — basically what you’re trying to do (we hope) organically. Plus, YouTube popularity sells music and that’s what they’re in business for. It does seem unfair to small independent artists who don’t have the deep pockets of a Sony or Universal and have to rely on word of mouth.
For more information on how fake views work, read “I bought myself 60,000 YouTube views for Christmas”.
If your business plan calls for you making a splash on YouTube the ethical way, check out YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day
