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18 Jan 2024

YouTube Cutting 100 Jobs in Restructuring of Content and Creator Teams

The layoffs plaguing the tech sector have hit YouTube.

The streaming video platform will cut about 100 roles as part of a restructuring of its content teams. YouTube chief business officer Mary Ellen Coe announced the changes in a memo Wednesday, and a spokesperson for the platform confirmed them to The Hollywood Reporter.

TubeFilter first reported the restructuring.

As part of the changes, the company’s sports, media, TV and film teams will be consolidated into one group, as will all of YouTube’s music teams. The platform’s creator management teams will now report to leadership within each country.

“As we have seen the past few years, our creator base is broadening and diversifying, from our most experienced creators to a new generation of casual creators posting on YouTube for the first time,” Coe wrote in her memo. “Gen AI tools will further fuel new forms of creativity and bring even more creators to the platform. At the same time, our subscription businesses have momentum, powered by partnerships with music, sports and media companies. As the business evolves, we have an even greater need to ensure we’re running the business effectively and meeting the needs of all of our users.”

The cuts at YouTube come just a week after Amazon cut hundreds of jobs in its Prime Video and Twitch divisions, and a month after Spotify made dramatic cuts to its workforce. Roku also made cuts last fall.

The cuts in the tech space followed layoffs at entertainment companies earlier in the year, with Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount and Netflix all cutting staff.

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

29 Dec 2023

Oppa! Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ Video Hits 5 Billion Views on YouTube

Time to party like it’s 2012: Psy‘s culture-shifting “Gangnam Style” music video has officially topped 5 billion views on YouTube, 11 years after its initial release.

The K-pop hit made a massive splash in the summer of 2012, thanks in large part to a music video that saw Psy and a string of quirky co-stars doing the song’s signature galloping and lassoing dance moves. The song went No. 1 around the world, including on Billboard‘s Hot Rap Songs chart, and it peaked at No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. It also finished at No. 1 on Billboard‘s year-end World Digital Song Sales chart in both 2012 and 2013 and was chosen as one of the Billboard staff’s Songs That Defined the Decade in 2019.

In December 2012, “Gangnam Style” became the first video ever to hit 1 billion views on YouTube, just over 150 days after its debut. The video’s billion-views status remained untouched for more than a year until Justin Bieber’s breakout hit “Baby” — which hit the platform in February 2010 — reached 1 billion views by 2014. Today, “Gangnam Style” stands as the streaming platform’s 11th most popular video, with Pinkfong’s “Baby Shark Dance” coming in at No. 1 and creeping toward 14 billion views. It’s also the fifth most-viewed music video, following Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito” (feat. Daddy Yankee), Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” (feat. Charlie Puth) and Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk” (feat. Bruno Mars).

In a 2017 interview with Billboard celebrating the fifth anniversary of “Gangnam Style,” Psy admitted he was still trying to crack the code of why the song went internationally viral.

“I still don’t know why it was so special,” he said at the time. “If I knew why, I could make it again and again. After five years later, I still have to talk about ‘Gangnam Style.’ If I did it intentionally, it wouldn’t work as strongly. Right now, these days, when I make music or music videos, I try my best to focus and to become [like] me from before ‘Gangnam Style.’ Not to do something intentionally. Doing it with intention takes a lot of effort for things to be natural, so that’s what I’ve felt for the last five years.”

In the spring of 2022, Psy scored a new Hot 100 hit when “That That,” produced by and featuring BTS’ Suga, peaked at No. 80 on the chart.

Revisit the “Gangnam Style” video below:

21 Dec 2023

Peso Pluma Named YouTube’s Most-Viewed Artist of 2023

YouTube has unveiled its Top 5 Most-Viewed Artists in the US in 2023—and Peso Pluma takes the lead. 

The música Mexicana phenomenon takes the lead for the first time on the coveted list thanks to fans connecting through his live performance at Coachella, for example. The artist born Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija had more than 8.5 billion views throughout the year, according to a press release from the platform.

The massive success that songs such as Yng Lvcas’ “La Bebe (Remix),” “Ella Baila Sola” with Eslabon Armado, the Karol G-assisted “QLONA,” “Lady Gaga” in collaboration with Gabito Ballesteros and Junior H, and “Rubicon” had in 2023 ultimately made La Doble P the No. 1 most played artist on YouTube in the U.S. this year.

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He’s is followed by YoungBoy Never Broke Again at No. 2, Drake at No. 3, Bad Bunny at No. 4, and Taylor Swift at No. 5.

The 24-year-old artist from Zapopan also scored two songs on YouTube’s Top 10 Songs of the Year list with “Ella Baila Sola” at No.3 and “La Bebe (Remix)” at No. 4. 

The former also wrapped the year at No. 1 on the Billboard year-end Hot Latin Songs chart. Penned by Pedro Tovar about a man drawn by a woman’s beauty, “Ella Baila Sola” made history as the first regional Mexican song to dominate the Billboard Global 200 chart, where it led for six consecutive weeks.

Additionally, Pluma topped Billboard’s Top 5 New Latin Artists of 2023 list and was No. 2 on the Top Latin Artist of 2023 list, following Bad Bunny. 

15 Dec 2023

Bruh: Social Media Influencer Gets “Christian BBL”

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Adult man with hands together making a pray indoor at home. belief concept.

Source: Djavan Rodriguez / Getty

A Nigerian influencer has introduced a new term, “Christian BBL,” to explain a surgical procedure that she had, leaving many online confused.

According to Complex, the Internet was ablaze this week as Sophia Idahosa, known to her followers as Sophiology, posted a video to her YouTube channel to explain getting a surgical procedure that she referred to as a “Christian BBL.” In the 39-minute video, Idahosa explained the procedure to viewers beginning with her visit to Houston cosmetic surgeon Dr. Jung Money to get liposuction and a fat transfer to her hips. She then connected the procedure to her commitment to Christianity and addressed those making comments questioning her thinking behind this for being “judgmental” and “projecting their beliefs.”



“I have never presented myself to be [a] holy, perfect example,” Idahosa said at the 6:30-minute mark of the video. “I’ve always vouched for the girls that love God and are not accepted by others.” The 29-year-old had been hit with comments calling out her behavior. Later in the video, she stated that “having surgery is one thing, but aftercare is everything.” In a separate video, she explained further saying: “I’m not personally that person. I’m here for anything that makes you look better, feel better, have more confidence and just enjoy your life.”

Her use of the “Christian BBL” phrase had many online perplexed and expressing as much in posts on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I’ve been screaming at the idea of a Christian BBL for the last 13 hours,” wrote one user.

Others who commented jabbed her, with one YouTube commenter saying, “Leave religion out of it. You have the free will to be vain if that is what you want.” Another X user posted a meme featuring Blac Chyna (who has recently undergone surgery to reduce her butt and breasts) superimposed in front of a large cross, making fun of the term.

A Brazilian Butt Lift, or BBL, has become a common surgical procedure for women who want to be curvier, particularly around their hips. According to WebMD, there were 21,823 BBL surgeries done in the U.S. in 2020. That number dropped from 28,076 in 2019, but research suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the decline. It’s also regarded as a dangerous procedure, as a report from the Aesthetic Surgery Journal noted that there were one to two fatalities for every 6,000 of those BBL surgeries, the highest such rate among cosmetic surgeries.

06 Dec 2023

Demi Lovato & Clean Bandit’s ‘Solo’ Joins YouTube’s Billion Views Club

Demi Lovato and Clean Bandit‘s five-year-old duet “Solo” is the newest member of YouTube‘s Billion Views Club.

The electronic dance track’s music video has been watched more than one billion times on the video platform since it was uploaded in May 2018. The wide-lens project finds Lovato, whose vocals are featured on the song, singing to the camera in between shots of Clean Bandit’s Jack and Luke Patterson cooking up a mysterious drug in a basement lab underneath a laundromat.

At the end, a patron played by Clean Bandit’s Grace Chatto tests out the drug on her boyfriend — who promptly turns into a rainbow-colored dog.

“Since you been gone/ I’ve been dancing on my own,” Lovato sings. “There’s boys up in my zone/ But they can’t turn me on.”

“Solo” bowed at No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 about a month after it first debuted on the chart in July 2018. It was also that year’s most searched song on Shazam, with Nicky Jam and J Balvin’s “X” and Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa’s “One Kiss” following close behind in second and third place.

The song soared to No. 48 on the Streaming Songs chart in August 2018, showing 14 percent streaming gains that month. Shortly prior to the spike, Lovato was hospitalized due to a near-fatal overdose.

The “Cool for the Summer” singer is currently gearing up to release A Very Demi Holiday Special on Roku. The Dec. 8 program will feature live performances from Lovato as well as guest appearances from Paris Hilton, Tiffany Haddish and Trixie Mattell.

Watch the “Solo” music video above.

06 Dec 2023

See Which Musica Mexicana Hits Made YouTube’s Top 10 Songs of the Year List

YouTube has unveiled its Year on YouTube lists, including trending topics and songs that defined 2023.

Remarkably — but not surprisingly — four Música Mexicana songs have entered the Top Songs (U.S.) list, further proving the genre’s dominance this year. No Latin urban or pop songs are part of the top 10.

Driven by Shorts trends, according to a press release, the top Latin songs consumed in the U.S. were “Ella Baila Sola” by Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma (No. 3); “La Bebe (Remix)” by Yng Lvcas and Peso Pluma (No. 4); “Bebe Dame” by Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera (No. 6); and “Que Vuelvas” by Carín Leon and Grupo Frontera (No. 8).

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Additionally, the former of the four was No. 1 on the Billboard year-end Hot Latin Songs chart. “Ella Baila Sola” — a song penned by Pedro Tovar that narrates the story of a man drawn by a woman’s beauty — made history as the first regional Mexican song to dominate the Billboard Global 200 chart, where it led for six consecutive weeks. It also reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, the first of its genre to achieve the feat in the chart’s 65-year-old history.

Peso Pluma, Grupo Frontera and Yvng Lvcas were part of the Billboard’s Top 5 New Latin Artists of 2023; while Peso, Frontera, Eslabon and Carín made the Top Latin Artists of 2023 list.

The Year on YouTube’s: Top Songs (U.S.) list also includes hits by Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and SZA, to name a few. See the full list below.

  1. “Favorite Song,” Toosii
  2. “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus
  3. “Ella Baila Sola,” Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma
  4. “La Bebe (Remix),” Yng Lvcas, Peso Pluma
  5. “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen
  6. “Bebe Dame,” Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera
  7. “Calm Down,” Rema, Selena Gomez
  8. “Que Vuelvas,” Carin León, Grupo Frontera
  9. “Snooze,” SZA
  10. “All My Life,” Lil Durk feat. J. Cole

29 Nov 2023

Rihanna & Drake’s ‘What’s My Name’ Music Video Reaches 1 Billion YouTube Views

Rihanna and Drake’s sultry “What’s My Name?” music video has officially reached one billion YouTube views, 13 years since its release in 2010.

In the clip, the rumored ex-couple gets cozy in a convenience store, before cuddling up in a New York apartment, drinking wine, holding hands and even having a little pillow fight.

RiRi and Drake’s collaboration topped the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart upon its 2010 release, and also hit No. 1 on Digital Songs. Over the years, the two R&B powerhouses have collaborated a number of times on songs like 2016’s “Too Good,” 2016’s “Work” and 2011’s “Take Care.”

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“What’s My Name?” was featured on Rihanna’s November 2010 album, Loud, which was certified 3x platinum by the Recording Industry Associated of America and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The album also topped Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Watch Rihanna’s “What’s My Name” music video featuring Drake below.

29 Nov 2023

Foster the People’s ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ Joins YouTube’s Billion Views Club

Two years after Foster the People‘s 2010 hit “Pumped Up Kicks” hit a billion streams on Spotify, the track is adding yet another milestone. “Pumped Up Kicks” has officially joined YouTube‘s Billion Views Club this week, more than 12 years after it was first shared to the platform.

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The video features the original Foster the People lineup — ark Foster, Mark Pontious and Jacob Fink — performing the track live with a small audience in attendance. The video also features footage of the trio recording the song, hanging out with each other around town and surfing in full-body wetsuits on an overcast day.

“Pumped Up Kicks” was released as the first single from the group’s debut album, Torches, in 2010. The track, which goes into the mind of a homicidal youth named Robert, is the group’s most successful song to date. It spent a total of 40 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2011 and peaked at No. 3 on the chart, earning the group a Grammy nomination for best pop duo/group performance.

The track, however, wasn’t without its controversy. Due to the song’s intense lyrics, MTV censored the lines “outrun my gun” and “run faster than my bullet” in the track while playing its video on air, and the song later would be banned on certain radio stations throughout the United States following the 2012 school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Speaking about the track’s ties to such a tragic event, Foster told Billboard in a 2021 interview for Torches‘ 10th-anniversary reissue that the song is “always going to mark an ugly truth about our society,” loosely comparing it to “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival and its associations with the Vietnam War.

“A few years ago, I was seriously considering not playing it again because I never want to be a vessel that spreads pain, or reminds people of something traumatic. But the song made me realize… if artists stopped talking about ugly societal truths, then that means all those ideas are left to incubate inside people’s heads,” he explained, referring to when he told Billboard in 2019 he considered pulling the song from live shows. “It’s important that artist voices aren’t censored. Music, comedy, film, storytelling and dance are all forms of art that help relieve the pressures of society. If we close off pathways for people to be exposed to dark ideas, then we’re in danger of having real life consequences where people act out in a physical way.”

Revisit “Pumped Up Kicks” in the video above.

29 Nov 2023

Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ Dances Its Way Into YouTube’s Billion Views Club

The King of Pop reigns forever. Despite coming from a completely different era of media, Michael Jackson‘s seminal “Beat It” music video has become the latest clip to reach one billion views on YouTube, as confirmed by the streaming giant on Wednesday (Nov. 29).

“Beat It” is Jackson’s third music video to enter the Billion Views Club, following the Moonwalk-featuring “Billie Jean” and 1996’s “They Don’t Care About Us.” For the period of Nov. 17-23, MJ ranked at #58 on YouTube’s U.S. Top Artists chart and at #96 on their Global Top Artists chart.

Nearly 15 years removed from his tragic passing, Michael Jackson continues to earn new chart achievements off the strength of his timeless catalog. Earlier this month (on the chart dated Nov. 11), Jackson’s accidental Halloween anthem “Thriller” re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 21, marking the sixth consecutive year that the song has reappeared on Billboard’s marquee singles chart. During its original chart run, the track reached No. 4.

In a matter of days (Dec. 2), a new documentary commemorating 40 years of Jackson’s historic Billboard 200-topping Thriller album will premiere on Showtime and Paramount+. Scores of chart-topping artists, including Usher, Mary J. Blige, Maxwell and Mark Ronson, are slated to appear for interviews in the new film, which will also include previously unseen footage of the making of the album.

Of course, “Beat It” appears on Thriller as one of the album’s seven Hot 100 top 10 hits alongside “Billie Jean” (No. 1), “The Girl Is Mine” (with Paul McCartney, No. 2), “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” (No. 5), “Human Nature” (No. 7), “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” (No. 10) and the aforementioned title track.

Celebrate the King of Pop’s latest achievement by watching the official “Beat It” music video above.

21 Nov 2023

Little Brother Documentary Makes YouTube Debut on Black Friday

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Little Brother documentary

Source: Antoine Lyers / Handout

The dynamic duo of Little Brother has a new documentary on their journey, and the premiere will take place on Black Friday.

On Monday (November 20), Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh of Little Brother announced that they would release their highly anticipated documentary, May the Lord Watch: The Little Brother Story on their YouTube channel. It will air on November 24, the day after Thanksgiving that’s been dubbed “Black Friday”. Fans were invited to subscribe to the group’s channel and to donate towards the film through the Southern Documentary Fund.

“The heart of the documentary lies in the unraveling and reconciliation between members Phonte and Big Pooh,” reads the press release that was issued. “Their relationship begins in the wake of their challenging upbringings in the South, strains while coming of age together in the music industry, and resolves with an enduring friendship, as the two men reunite and record their 2019 album, May the Lord Watch.” The documentary captures the two MCs on their journey after formerly operating as a trio with producer 9th Wonder, and it features exclusive footage from their tours and performances, interviews with the duo, and interviews with Questlove, DJ Drama, and many more.

“One of the things I’ve been hearing people talk about is how our music was either shared with them or they shared our music with someone else, sometimes even forming lifelong bonds,” Rapper Big Pooh said in a statement released with the announcement. May The Lord Watch has already received great feedback at screenings held in Atlanta, New York City, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles within the last two weeks before the announcement of the world premiere. “YouTube is the perfect intersection where all demographics meet,” he continued. “Having the ability to release our documentary via YouTube felt like the perfect way to share our story with Little Brother fans while leaving open the possibility of introducing ourselves to an entirely new group of potential fans.”

May The Lord Watch: The Little Brother Story premieres at 8 PM ET on Little Brother’s YouTube channel. Donations towards the film can be made at the Southern Documentary Fund’s website.