YouTube is one of the most important platforms for music discovery and fan engagement. co:brand delivers your music to both YouTube Music and YouTube Content ID (CID), and can support you in setting up and managing your presence across YouTube's artist channel ecosystem. This guide explains how YouTube delivery works through co:brand, what the different channel types are, and how we handle each process on your behalf.

YouTube Music is YouTube's dedicated music streaming platform. When setting up your release in co:brand, you can select YouTube Music as one of your delivery DSPs. Once selected, your release will be delivered to YouTube Music as part of the standard release process.

YouTube Content ID is a rights management system that identifies and tracks uses of your music across YouTube. When your music is registered with Content ID, YouTube automatically scans uploaded videos for matches against your recordings. This allows you to monitor where your music is being used across the platform and ensures your rights are protected.

As with YouTube Music, you can opt in to YouTube CID delivery when selecting your DSPs during release setup in co:brand.

YouTube has three distinct channel types that are relevant to artists. Understanding the difference between them is important for knowing where your music lives on the platform and what you can work towards.

An Owned & Operated channel — commonly referred to as an O&O — is a standard YouTube channel that you create and manage yourself. This is your artist's main YouTube presence, where you upload music videos, lyric videos, behind-the-scenes content, and anything else you want to share directly with your audience.

If you don't already have a YouTube channel, you'll need to create one yourself via YouTube. Having an O&O channel is a requirement if you want to apply for an Official Artist Channel (OAC) — more on that below.

When your music is delivered to YouTube Music, YouTube automatically generates an Artist Topic channel for you. This is created entirely by YouTube and requires no action on your part. Your Topic channel is where your distributed music catalogue lives on YouTube — it displays your releases, albums, and songs in an auto-generated format.

Topic channels are identifiable by the "— Topic" suffix in their name (e.g. "Artist Name — Topic") and cannot be customised in the same way as an O&O channel.

If you have an Official Artist Channel (OAC), co:brand will request that your releases are remapped to deliver directly to your OAC, bypassing the Topic channel stage entirely.

An Official Artist Channel is YouTube's premium verified channel type for artists. It brings together your O&O channel, your Topic channel, and optionally your VEVO channel into a single unified presence. Your full music catalogue is automatically organised into album and music video sections, giving fans a clean and comprehensive view of your work in one place.

Having an OAC also gives you greater control over your channel — including the ability to manage your featured video slot, organise your discography sections, and interact directly with your audience on YouTube.
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A note on VEVO: If you have a VEVO channel, this can also be incorporated into your OAC as an optional addition. VEVO is a verified artist channel that lives within YouTube and is typically associated with official music video content. If you have a VEVO channel, make sure to include it when you reach out to us about an OAC request.

Before you can apply for an OAC, the following must be in place:

The content on your O&O channel should demonstrate that you are the same artist as on DSPs such as Spotify. An official music video or official lyric video works well for this purpose.

You don't need to submit anything directly to YouTube — co:brand handles the entire OAC request process on your behalf. To get started, get in touch with our team via Intercom, WhatsApp, or email at one of us on the distribution team and provide the following:

Once we have this, we'll submit the OAC request on your behalf. Please allow 1–3 weeks for the request to be processed, and note that we are unable to provide status updates or expedite the request once submitted — this is managed entirely on YouTube's end. The full process from submission to OAC being live typically takes around 1–3 months.

When submitting an OAC request, we'll need your full channel URL including the Channel ID — not just a vanity URL. Here's how to find it:

If your channel URL already shows the Channel ID, it will look like this:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXX1xxXX1XxxxX_xXXxXXXx

If your channel has a custom or vanity URL (e.g. youtube.com/c/yourname or youtube.com/user/yourname), follow these steps:

For Topic channels, the Channel ID is always visible in the URL directly, as custom URLs cannot be created for Topic channels.

If you already have an Official Artist Channel and want your releases delivered directly to it — bypassing the Topic channel stage — you'll need to share your OAC Channel ID with us. Once we have this, we'll handle the remapping on your behalf so that all future releases go straight to your OAC.

To do this, get in touch with the co:brand team via Intercom, WhatsApp, or email one of us on the distribution team and send us your OAC Channel ID. See the section above for instructions on how to find your Channel ID if you're unsure.

As with other DSPs, co:brand checks artist mapping for all YouTube deliveries to make sure your releases are going to the right place. Occasionally mapping issues can occur — for example, a release being attributed to the wrong channel. If you notice anything that doesn't look right, get in touch with the co:brand team and we'll submit a remapping request on your behalf.

If you have an OAC, we'll also handle remapping so that your releases are delivered directly to your OAC rather than your Topic channel.

Do I need a YouTube channel to release music through co:brand? No — if you don't have an O&O channel, your music will simply be delivered to an auto-generated Artist Topic channel by YouTube. An O&O channel is only required if you want to apply for an OAC.
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My music is on my Topic channel but not my O&O channel — is that normal? Yes. Your distributed music catalogue lives on your Topic channel by default. Your O&O channel is where you upload your own video content. If you have an OAC, both are brought together in one place.
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How long does it take to get an OAC? Please allow 1–3 weeks for the request to be processed once submitted, and up to 1–3 months for the OAC to be fully live. We're unable to chase or expedite this — it's handled entirely by YouTube.
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Can I submit OAC or channel requests directly to YouTube myself? No — all YouTube channel requests are handled by co:brand on your behalf. Please don't submit requests directly. Get in touch with our team and we'll take care of it.
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Something looks wrong with where my release has been attributed on YouTube — what do I do? Reach out to the co:brand team via Intercom, WhatsApp, or email one of us on the distribution team and we'll submit a remapping request on your behalf.

For any YouTube-related queries, get in touch with the co:brand team via Intercom — it's the fastest way to get a response. You can also reach us via email or via WhatsApp.