I like data, to some extent.  It’s interesting.  And since starting my YouTube channel, I’ve been watching a lot of videos on “How to have a successful channel” and looking at my own analytics, and it’s become very obvious what I’m doing “wrong.”  The two main things I’ve learned are:

  1. A lot of people don’t make it past the 8 second intro with the Budget Guitarist logo screen and theme song, and
  2. A lot of people don’t make it past the intro scenes with Officer Tony

According to the YouTube experts, I should ditch both of those things and “get right to the point.”  People are very impatient and it’s very hard to grab their attention.  You have to just get right to the point and leave out the “funny” or “unnecessary” stuff.

Screw that!

Tony makes me laugh.  I think he’s funny.  I have bigger plans for Tony, and some other characters will eventually join the show.  I’m not trying to build an audience of impatient YouTube viewers.  I’m trying to build an audience who is a little smarter, a little more patient, and honestly a little more in line with who I am and what Budget Guitarist actually is.  Budget Guitarist isn’t about cheap gear.  It’s about getting pro results from semi-pro gear.  The channel isn’t for everyone.  Neither is this website.

That said, I’m very interested in making interesting videos that can stand the test of time.  I’m well aware that there are technical flaws with my videos at this point, but I’m not trying to outdo Pixar.  Part of the YouTube charm is the homemade aspect of the videos.  Still, I expect I will one day look back at the early videos the same way I look back at my first album – I like the songs, but some of the production was questionable.

If you haven’t checked out the channel, you can find it at:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6bQTg-LgMngKlj-QDPRviQ

Once I hit 100 subscribers (the first big milestone for YouTubers) I can get a decent URL.  That will be a nice thing.

If you’re reading this post, YOU are my ideal viewer!  I really want to tackle topics and questions you have.  I don’t have all the answers, but I’ve been doing this a long time.  Please email me with any video topics you’d like to see, and I’ll see what I can do.  You can reach me at:  richard@budgetguitarist.com