This article explains what a YouTube Official Artist Channel (OAC) is, why it's worth having, and how Revelator can help you transform one of your YouTube channels into an OAC.
What is an Official Artist Channel?
An Official Artist Channel (OAC) is a special type of YouTube channel built for musicians and bands. It brings all of an artist's presence on YouTube — the channel you manage, YouTube's auto-generated Topic channel, and your Vevo channel if you have one — together into a single channel, and combines the subscribers from each.
An OAC carries a verified music note badge and the Official Artist Channel label, so fans can tell it's the real, authoritative channel for that artist. Your latest releases appear in an official music shelf, and the channel unlocks a set of tools made specifically for artists.
Why it matters
Turning your channel into an OAC helps your music and your audience work harder for you:
- One official home for fans. Listeners find a single verified channel instead of several competing ones, and all of your subscribers are counted together in one place.
- A trust signal. The verified music note badge and Official Artist Channel label confirm to fans — and to YouTube — that this is your authentic channel.
- Better music discovery. Your releases appear in the official music shelf, and fans see your new videos no matter which of your channels they originally subscribed to.
- Artist tools. You gain access to features built for musicians, including Analytics for Artists, ticketing, merch, posts, comment hearts, and live streaming.
How to request an Official Artist Channel
- Make sure your channel meets the minimum requirements for an OAC:
- Your channel must represent only one artist or band.
- You must have at least 3 official music releases distributed by Revelator or through your own deal.
- There are additional requirements listed on YouTube's support page.
- If you meet the requirements above, fill out this form.
- Wait for YouTube to process your request. Processing times vary significantly — it can take from a few weeks to up to 6 months. The timeframe depends on your channel's popularity (follower count and watch hours) and YouTube's current approval queue. The more popular your channel, the faster the approval.
- Check your channel yourself to see when it has been transformed. YouTube will not confirm when your channel becomes an OAC, so you'll need to monitor this on your own.
| ImportantOAC requests can take up to 6 months to process. YouTube does not send a confirmation when the transformation is complete — you will need to check your channel directly. |
Related articles
Was this article helpful?
That’s Great!
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry! We couldn't be helpful
Thank you for your feedback
Feedback sent
We appreciate your effort and will try to fix the article