Shot on iPhone, Hit 21.4K Views: A Musician's Guide to YouTube in 2025

Hey there, music makers!

Two days. That’s all it took for one video to completely transform my YouTube journey - taking me from 235 to 876 subscribers. Now at 21.4K views and counting, this single video is smashing through all my beginner milestones. I'd be lying if I said that the numbers aren't important. They energized me and provided validation that my efforts weren't being wasted. However, I discovered something far more valuable that no one likes to tell you…

You might be thinking. “Bro...I'm here for the music not for another creator preaching about YouTube success?” But this isn’t about viral hits or YouTube fame (I’m not YouTube famous - though my wife thinks I’m slightly cooler now). My breakthrough video was simply sharing a method I developed to get myself out of a songwriting and production rut that I kept hitting.

Nothing fancy - just honest solutions to real struggles we all face as musicians.

What shocked me wasn’t the views or subscriber count. It was how YouTube fundamentally changed my entire approach to music. Here’s what no one tells you…

1. Deep Learning Through Teaching

Recently, while researching for my chord progression video, I stumbled upon studies about learning optimization that completely changed my original approach. The comments? They helped me refine it even further.

The truth: While we musicians spend countless hours practicing, performing, and creating, we rarely write about or teach our craft. Yet studies consistently show that teaching accelerates learning. Creating videos forces you to articulate your knowledge in ways that transform your own understanding.

2. Creative Cross-Pollination

Cal Newport talks about rare skill combinations, and this concept goes deeper than you might think. Creative cross-pollination isn’t new - it’s as old as human innovation itself. From prehistoric humans using berry juice as paint to modern-day content creators, it’s about connecting unexpected dots to create something new.

Think about this: When you edit videos, you’re thinking about pacing, transitions, and emotional flow. These same principles naturally bleed into your music. Your storytelling improves your songwriting. Visual thinking enhances your musical expression. As Steve Jobs once said, “you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.”

Like lateral thinking, which Edward de Bono describes as disrupting apparent thought processes to arrive at solutions from unexpected angles, YouTube forces you to look at your music from new perspectives. Every creative skill you develop through video creation becomes a new tool in your musical toolbox.

3. Accelerated Resilience:

Think about traditional music releases - one song might take a month to produce and promote.

That’s one chance to learn from your audience's reaction. YouTube flips this completely. Each video is a rep in handling feedback and dealing with imperfection. It’s like having a practice arena where the stakes are lower but the learning is constant. More reps = faster growth.

4. Key Person of Influence

Daniel Priestley (serial entrepreneur) defines a Key Person of Influence (KPI) as someone who's highly regarded and significantly rewarded in their industry - but take note: it's not about fame. It's about becoming pivotal within your professional world.

Look at Adam Neely's journey - from simple bass tutorials to speaking at major music schools and collaborating with renowned artists. He's not just creating content; he's become someone whose name comes up in conversations for positive reasons. His deep knowledge makes projects more successful, and people recognize this impact.

The real power lies in what Priestley calls your most valuable asset: "the number of people who know you, like you and trust you."

Through YouTube, you're not just sharing videos - you're building a community that trusts your expertise. You start attracting opportunities rather than chasing them. Every video you create becomes part of your growing influence in the music community, establishing you as someone who's well-known, well-regarded, and highly valued.

The timing couldn’t be better for us. Why?

Deloitte (one of the world’s largest professional services networks) predicts up to a 40% growth in creative sectors by 2030, with social media platforms fueling this creative economy. And here’s the thing: as musicians, we have an unfair advantage. We’ve spent our lives being creative, studying the masters, and expressing ourselves through our art. The creative economy isn’t just another trend - it’s our natural habitat, our space to thrive. THIS IS OUR MOMENT.

5. Performance Enhancement

Let me get personal here:

My speaking confidence and ability to explain things has improved dramatically in a short period of time. The awkwardness I once felt in front of the camera? Down from 100 to somewhere around 15%. And it’s not just about videos - this newfound confidence is showing up in my daily interactions and networking abilities.

For artists and musicians, this confidence naturally translates into more powerful live performances as well.

6. Future-Proofing Your Career

You’re not just building a YouTube channel - you’re developing an arsenal of valuable skills. Content creation, teaching, project management, marketing. These skills make you irreplaceable in an industry that’s constantly evolving.

🎯Challenge of the Week

If you haven’t started your YouTube journey yet:

Press record this week. Simply introduce yourself and share your intentions for the channel. Remember, my breakthrough video was shot on an iPhone - no fancy equipment needed. Just start.

If you already have a channel:

Analyze your best-performing video. What specific elements resonated with your audience? Use these insights for your next upload.

Remember: Focus on quantity first. The quality will naturally evolve.

Here is my chord progression video that got me over 500 subs on YouTube in just 2 days.

🧠 Quote of the Week

“Be so good they can’t ignore you.” - Cal Newport

This quote reminds me that excellence isn’t just about musical skill anymore. It’s about building a complete arsenal of capabilities that make you indispensable in today’s music industry.

Enjoy your week,

Melvin Darrell