YouTube Official Artist Channel (OAC) Guidelines & Request Process

A YouTube Official Artist Channel (OAC) brings an artist's presence on YouTube together in one place. It merges your own channel with your auto-generated YouTube Music Topic channel (and any associated VEVO channel) into one profile with the verified music note badge (🎵).

Key Features & Platform Benefits

• Consolidated Subscriber Base: Subscribers from your own channel, Topic channel, and VEVO channel are combined into one subscriber count.

• Automatic Discography Shelves: Your channel shows dedicated shelves for Releases (albums, singles, and EPs) and Official Music Videos.

• YouTube Analytics for Artists: Gives you more music-focused metrics in YouTube Studio and YouTube Analytics for your channel and catalog.

• Merchandise & Ticketing: Lets you show official merchandise and concert listings on your channel and under your videos, where YouTube supports it.

• Better Discovery: Makes your channel the clear official destination for your music in YouTube search and recommendations.

Eligibility Requirements

YouTube reviews OAC requests submitted through music partners. Before you submit, make sure your channel meets these common criteria:

• Active YouTube Music Topic Channel: You need at least one official release distributed to YouTube Music via DistroVibe, and your music must already appear on an [Artist Name] - Topic channel.

• Dedicated Artist Channel: You must own and operate a channel that represents you or your band only. Multi-artist, record label, and non-music channels are not eligible.

• Matching Name: The name of your channel should match your artist name on your releases. Avoid adding tags like "Official", "TV", or "Music" if they are not part of your stage name.

• Music Content: Your channel should contain public, music-focused uploads (such as an official music video, lyric video, or visualizer). Shorts alone are usually not enough.

• Policy Standing: The channel should have no active Community Guidelines or copyright strikes.

YouTube makes the final decision on every OAC request.

How to Request Your OAC via DistroVibe

Once your releases are live on YouTube Music and appear on your Topic channel:

1. Log into your DistroVibe Dashboard.

2. Go to Support and open a New Ticket.

3. Choose the category YouTube Official Artist Channel Requests.

4. Fill in:

   • YouTube Topic Channel URL: (Direct link to your auto-generated Artist - Topic channel)

   • YouTube Channel URL: (Direct link to your main channel)

   • Additional information and a screenshot (optional)

5. Submit the ticket.

Review Timelines & Post-Approval Note

• Processing Window: After our team checks your details, the request is sent to YouTube for review. Review times are set by YouTube and can range from a few weeks to longer during busy periods. We will update you in your ticket.

• Choose Your Channel Carefully: Moving OAC status to a different channel later is not straightforward. Make sure the channel URL you submit is the one you intend to keep long term.