Thinking of Going it Alone

[babyteeth4]

I think @babyteeth4 can give more insight.

We resisted joining networks for a while but we joined one when we felt it could open up new deals to us that would not be available on our own. For example, cross-promotional opportunities like getting Kid President to do an intro to one of our videos would not have happened if we weren't with a network. Also several nice branding deals have been facilitated by our network, and they also recently got us an invite to a toy industry event that we would not have been able to get into on our own.

So, joining a network when you already have a large channel can help open up lots of new opportunities that would be tougher if not impossible to get on your own.

 

[markkaz]

I'd say going it alone is the way to go. This board will help you more than most networks.

 

[babyteeth4]

Ultimately the channel owner is the one who has to look out for themselves. I fear many young and/or naïve YouTubers get sucked into crappy long-term contracts with predatory networks who have no intention (or ability) to help them in building their channels. If you think a network is a shortcut to success, then a network probably isn't for you. That said, a good many number of YouTubers happily renew their contracts every year, so some networks must be doing something right.

 

[GreyStreetGirl]

I was invited to join a network a while ago and had this really skeevy feeling from it, so I never joined... Now that I'm the forum and have read about networks (good and bad) I know that the decision was the right one for me. I think it's important to remember that while you can always switch from being solo to in a network, you can't always go from in a network to solo.... so never feel like a decision to stay solo is a risky or permanent one.

 

[Video Cranker]

If you're small, an MCN won't help, if you're large, then hey, you went large on your own, why do you need an MCN? If you're large and independent, especially now more than ever, we get more branding opportunities than we could possibly shoot, so then it's a matter of picking and choosing. There are also increasingly more branding agencies to work with to facilitate sponsored deals independently. We also get invites to all the big industry events in our niche directly from sponsors, so that's not an issue with us. Companies will seek you out for the niche you're in. MCNs can help facilitate brand deals and they know what to ask for, but they're also getting their chunk out of the deal. I think one nice thing being with an MCN if you're large is that you have a manager you can contact. But I weigh the pros and cons and glance at the pages of fine printed contracts and all I see are restrictions on freely pursuing various opportunities that come our way. I'm not really anti-MCN for everyone, just for us. There are a lot of huge independent channels, but there are also a lot of big channels under MCNs too.

 

[Singing]

If you're small, an MCN won't help, if you're large, then hey, you went large on your own, why do you need an MCN? If you're large and independent, especially now more than ever, we get more branding opportunities than we could possibly shoot, so then it's a matter of picking and choosing. There are also increasingly more branding agencies to work with to facilitate sponsored deals independently. We also get invites to all the big industry events in our niche directly from sponsors, so that's not an issue with us. Companies will seek you out for the niche you're in.

Great advice, and very true. If you are small there is no reason to join but if you are large what will they do?

 

[OtakuTravie]

I kind of had no choice I had channels with people in the past like 2010-1012 but they all went off to college so I decided to go solo and I actually enjoy it more because I feel like I can just get up and record whenever I want instead of working around someone else's schedule.

 

[Singing]

I'd say going it alone is the way to go. This board will help you more than most networks.

Most on YTTalk would agree!

Ultimately the channel owner is the one who has to look out for themselves. I fear many young and/or naïve YouTubers get sucked into crappy long-term contracts with predatory networks who have no intention (or ability) to help them in building their channels. If you think a network is a shortcut to success, then a network probably isn't for you. That said, a good many number of YouTubers happily renew their contracts every year, so some networks must be doing something right.

Excellent advice @babyteeth4, but I think most renew contracts because they usually automatically renew.

 

[Video Cranker]

Most on YTTalk would agree!
Excellent advice @babyteeth4, but I think most renew contracts because they usually automatically renew.

That might be true for smaller channels but I doubt the large channels would let an auto-renew contract slip by, this is their livelihood and I would think most are very aware of network contracts. It's a pretty big deal to renew or renegotiate or go independent.

 

[Singing]

That might be true for smaller channels but I doubt the large channels would let an auto-renew contract slip by, this is their livelihood and I would think most are very aware of network contracts. It's a pretty big deal to renew or renegotiate or go independent.

When these contracts renew in 1 or 2 year cycles it can be hard to set reminders and remember to say you want out. You can have a large channel and not be earning a living from it.