u/Gold-Biscotti-5663

Hey everyone,

​I run a music channel focused on AI-generated music, specifically doing high-quality reversions of famous global hits into a specific genre.

​

​Recently, I’ve been trying to pivot from short, individual tracks to longer-form content (12 to 15-minute mixes). My reasoning was purely that longer videos are generally more rentable and generate more watch time if they work.

​

​My main strategy so far has been creating conceptual mixes like transforming pop/rock/urban hits into genres like Lo-Fi Chill / Noir Tango. My visuals are usually just an atmospheric aesthetic image or a very subtle, moody 10-second video loop.

​

​Here is my dilemma, and I really want to get your perspective, especially if you’re in the music, ambient, or ASMR niches:

​

​Every single "How to grow on YouTube" guide, tutorial, and guru states the same things to improve audience retention: “Improve your editing,” “Cut out the dead air,” “Focus on the hook.”

​That advice makes perfect sense if you're making vlogs, gaming videos, or tech tutorials. But what happens when your content is purely auditory? For a music mix, people are putting the video on in the background. I can't heavily edit the visuals or just add sounds, thats not what they are clicking on the video for.

​

​So, I’m looking for ideas to improve:

AVD For those of you in background/music niches, how do you actually tackle the algorithm's obsession with watch time and retention when you have zero visual storytelling? What are your best non-visual tricks to keep people listening past the first 30 seconds?

​

​New Content Ideas (Beating AI Saturation): I feel like the basic "famous song + AI" formula is saturating fast. I have knowledge in music production and Pro tools. I need advice for long-form content related to music.

​

Thanks in advance!

If I'm able to make 4/5 15 minute videos a week, should I post them all in a week or should I post 2/3 per week and let the algorithm work for each video.

I asked the AI (gemini) and it said that I should not rush the videos but let them work because otherwise they will step on each other and lower the impressions of the previous ones.

If I'm able to make 4/5 15 minute videos a week, should I post them all in a week or should I post 2/3 per week and let the algorithm work for each video.

I asked the AI (gemini) and it said that I should not rush the videos but let them work because otherwise they will step on each other and lower the impressions of the previous ones.

Hey everyone,

I run a small music channel (just hit 1000 subs) where I started out doing short covers (3 min), but I’m currently pivoting into longer-form content (12 to 15-minute mixes). My niche is pretty specific: I’m reimagining famous global hits into a Tango Lo-Fi Chill aesthetic.

Here is my dilemma, and I really want to get your perspective on this.

Every single "How to grow on YouTube" guide, tutorial, and guru states the exact same thing: “Improve your editing,” “Cut out the dead air,” “Add fast-paced visual hooks to keep people from clicking away.”

That advice makes perfect sense if you're making vlogs, gaming videos, or tech tutorials. But what happens when your content is purely auditory?

For a Lo-Fi/ambient music mix, people aren't staring at the screen. They put the video on in the background to study, work, or relax. My visuals are just a high-quality, atmospheric aesthetic image or a very subtle 10-second video loop (like a cozy rainy night in a cafe). I can't and shouldn't heavily edit the video because fast cuts would completely ruin the chill vibe.

So, for those of you in the music, ambient, or ASMR niches:

• How do you actually tackle the algorithm's obsession with Watch Time and Audience Retention when you have zero visual storytelling?
• Does YouTube analyze retention differently for background/music channels compared to visual-heavy channels?
• What are your best non-visual tricks to keep people from dropping off in the first 30 seconds?

I know the thumbnail plays a huge part on this, but what else?