You deserve the views. Having a passion for something was what UA-cam was about years ago. It's changed but that doesn't mean you can't have it. It takes time to land now. It's not an instant success
Just found the channel with the Xenoblade 3 analysis indeed, glad I got here when things are looking up, there is a serious lack of Video Game music dedicated channels, and those that there are, I think they spent way too much talking about theory and what not, and miss the point of what I believe that many look forward to about this subject, just sharing the love and emotion these tracks bring, sure a little bit of depth and explanation doesn't hurt, and your video talking about Time to Fight I believe strikes that balance perfectly. Really looking forward to that top 50 now.
Welp, I added a card and a link to help people through. It's normal to miss it, you wouldn't expect a 1h30-long video to be hidden at the end of a 5-minute channel discussion!
I'm a total nerd so I love the music theory, although it's cuz I sang choir and learned transcription - when 8 bit music theory starts talking about diminished 7th chords and even my eyes glaze over a bit cuz unless you've actually studied music theory the applications can be a bit obtuse. Some of my absolute favourite video game music theory is about leitmotif - a personal fetish I suppose lol but esp for classic games such as FFIV and VI - I thought I knew the soundtracks of those games inside out but it wasn't until watcing some videos that I made the connection my ears but not my brain had noticed about all the spots in which say Golbez theme of the main theme had recurred
I didn’t realize I wasn’t subbed to you, but I adored both of that Xenoblade 3 music videos you put out. Ironically this video told me you did more of it, so I’ve got a backlog to check out now!
Really love the game music series, many other Chinese game&music fans(I am one of them) do not have the chance to know you and those excellent videos you made, cause we don't use UA-cam. Until someday a guy uploaded your to Bilibili, added Chinese subtitles, that video received 1000+ likes, many people started talking about how they missed so many great tracks while playing the game. I came to here and subscribed your channel after watched it on Bilibili, just wanna say thank you for making it and please keep doing!
I'm actually glad for that! Our internet being partly segregated, plus the langage barrier... I'm just happy more people get to share in my appreciation for game music (and shopkeeper covers), even though I'll never be able to interact with most of them.
Dude I sincerely hope you get the recognition you deserve, because I didn't even know you did stuff on the Xenoblade series until as of now (even though I've searched and searched for xenoblade music analysis/reactions). Hopefully the algorithm will bless us sometime and keep doing what you like doing!
Necrodancer covers are "evergreen" for me, because they are perfect for the gym: they set up a pace, slowly ramp up, the singing brings back happy memories and hypes me up for the training. I love them.
Right! I meant "evergreen" as in they keep getting views in general, but didn't even think of repeat customers! Thanks for the views, and you're welcome for the singing. 😉
@@NicD i can also elaborate on why I didn't follow this series. First of all, the content: I have played some of the games, but not all of the games, so I knew I would have to sit through episodes I didn't care about. Also, possibly spoilers (if I ever got around to playing those games). Also, as form goes, there was too much variety of style and length, and one wouldn't know what to expect. OTOH, I would LOVE to hear you sing again. Idk, Hades has that one song that isn't in the OST. Or maybe dissect some big bandwagon like Elden Ring/Dead Souls.
An interesting take, and actually not the first time I hear it: people don't know what to expect from the series! I tried hard to give it a higher purpose, but I gave up with the TIme to Fight vid and had to think it over. In the end, yeah, this series is too subjective, so I'm calling it Game Music Done Right for now and its distinguishing feature is me, the way I appreciate game music, and my shenanigans. In any case, good thing the super-long XC3 video caught on: like I say in this video, it has *everything* my series stands for, so it can now stand as an anchor for the rest. Future episodes will be shorter and varied but I anyone who sat through that 1h30 know what to expect now...? Yeah I don't sing enough do I? I should really get back to it, and I did enjoy Hades. I know an Elden Rings video would be a smash hit, but I don't know what I'd fill it with. Same with a lot of AAA music: well-made, appropriate, but also *safe*, leaving little to talk about.
@@NicD once in a while I go back to shopkeeper videos because they are just crazy and nice thing to listen to. I had some of them on my grand playlist (called Very random everything and I think that's sums it up) so every once in a while I get them and it's always good :) So, although your series may be flop but still you made something that make people happy to this day, and they go back to :)
Ah yes, this is a case of just the expectations different kinds of video content have for their growth. For more cerebral content like this, they tend to get slow starts, they just tend to hold momentum well. I remember someone who did once a month longforms talking about how the new video never made enough money in the first month to cover that month on its own, but every upload brought in more subscribers, and it made people go back and watch the previous videos so they were now getting more views and earning the creator more funds. Quite different than music content which tends to kinda blow up and then decline quiet slowly.
@@NicD As with basically any form of content creation, if you care about the numbers the content alone isn't enough to satisfy, you need advertisement and community building to really push out.
A community! Probably more trouble than I am willing to go to at the moment, but I understand what you're saying and will keep my expectations in check.
The issue certainly isn't the quality of the videos themselves - you do a great job on them!! I am finding that as someone who is now 40 and a doctor working full time, my passion for retro gaming and classic video game music isn't something that a fuck ton of other gamers nowadays are as invested in.
Interesting take; part of why I went for a heavily-scripted format is that I'm actually a busy professional, so I can't afford any filler or downtime in what I watch, and I wanted this series to be something I'd watch if I wasn't making it.
@@NicD exactly why I appreciate your content. my point i guess is that it's just hard to find the audience of other similarly wired nerds who enjoy delving into this type of content with the same degree of zeal and intensity .... Cue: "hrm... am I that out of touch?... no Skinner, it's the children who are wrong" :P
As a tiny video creator that really only does it when I feel lik doing something, yeah, every once in a while, videos blow up and it is really cool. Glad it happened on a series you were looking forward to make and hope you can keep doing stuff you like
I've purchased Yodel Eclipse of The Heart the moment it was available, and I've been singing a duet with you in the privacy of my car to this day. You've been a huge inspiration to me for years
As someone who has also created content that didn't receive as many views as I had hoped, I can appreciate your frustration. I will say this though, as an educator (yes, even someone who teaches people how to better appreciate video game music on UA-cam), for every one like or positive comment, there are likely 10 more people that you have positively impacted and just don't realize it. Very rarely do people go out of their way to let others know that they have brightened their day, even if its just in a small way. I appreciate you and all of the hard work you put into your videos. If you are passionate in what you do, the love you put into your work will shine through and you will eventually find your audience (even if it is just a small but loyal one). Hang in there, brother!
"Success" on youtube (or perhaps, success in general) is littered with stories of passion projects going nowhere, while one--off jokes or low effort content seem to gain enormous traction. It's frustrating to see, and I must imagine it to be infinitely more so to experience. Don't beat yourself up about feeling like you're chasing views. While an attitude of "I'm making this for myself, and I'll be happy regardless how many people see it" is ultimately healthy, it's still alright to want to show people neat things!
I'm not interested in with all of your content, but I'm always interested enough to stay and see what's next. It is unfair of us to ask you for free content, so I won't push for it, but if you have something to tell or something to share, I'm here to listen and thank.
One thing I'd note about regarding your opinion of content finding a new audience, Nicolas, is that being an older, established channel is actually a detriment for new views; the algorithm pigeonholes you and stops recommending you to new users unless your content is very specifically associated with what is being looked at/for, and long periods of inactivity also harm you, via algorithm. Throw in it being something adjacent but not quite the same as what you've been making before, and it doesn't even recommend it to your subscribers (yes, even if the bell is at full; UA-cam really doesn't like actually giving you all the updates for all the channels you mark, and it is so goddamn infuriating). This is the first I've gotten notified for since the sax solo video, for example. This wasn't always the case, too. It's something YT actively has changed with how the algorithm promotes content, to try and push the more longform content of TV channels that were migrating to UA-cam at the time, rather than what people actually wanted.
As did many people, according to the analytics! Glad this sudden, in-your-face post-mortem-like entertained you, now go and treat yourself to the linked XC3 deep dive. 😁
@@NicD I haven't finished it yet but from what I see, "You're on fire Nicolas!" 😁Hope you enjoy making it as I enjoy watching. Btw is the video supposed to be unlisted?
Those views look painfull (especially if they count my repeats). I was so hyped for some of the titles in the spreadsheet so I'd be happy to see more, but...
i was subscribed to your channel for like 2 or 3 years and youtube only recommended this single video now lmao. I'm gonna watch almost all this series, as it's stuff i'm really interested into! i wonder if more people in my situation will appear but it's quite ironic. Does youtube try to spot """"drama"""" videos to make them more successful or sometinhg idk lmao this makes so little sense
I'm ambivalent about this, as I hate clickbait, and this arguably is, but I didn't quite know how else to present it, but it seems it did the job, and people haven't taken it wrong so far. UA-cam doesn't even have to "detect" drama, it's just naturally engaging and gets faster clicks. Was worth it to notify you fruitfully though, and surely others! I know most of my subscribers don't get notified, but I also know subscriptions have a pretty small weight in the algorithm, being more akin to membership cards.
Outer wilds video was really fun, i discovered it in recommendations, i knew i knew you somewhere and there were shopkeeper videos. Anyway, im not really a Nintendo fan so i casually unconsciously skip all Nintendo videos, dont even notice them. Anyway, love your style, i should probably check them out...
it's great to see you bounced back up! by the way, i am terribly sorry for never coming back on the Detroit analysis. I forgot about it for months at a time, along with having to short-term move places and look for/start at a new university. if you're still interested I could actually start working on it! my lecture schedule is quite relaxed.
It's on me: as I said, I'd stopped. I don't know what the future release schedule will be; initially I thought "I'll cover EVERYTHING", but ideas come faster than free time. My ridiculously-long XC3 video has shown me that research is the majority of the work! In this case, listening to the soundtrack over and over, watching and rewatching cutscenes, determining which parts of the music makes it into the video, accompanied by which images and footage, footage that I might not even get permission to use...
...What? I'm interested in this series, I think I only saw the episode on octopath traveller, and thought it was very good. It's been 8 months. None of it showed in my subscriptions until then, or I didn't notice. Honestly, I think the videos are high quality, informative, and I love them. Maybe your com needs some work? Looking at your channel now, I'm not too sure what is what from thumbnails alone, the only series that stands out to me is your skyrim playthrough. Not sure me writing this is helpful, thought it might. Good luck on your content, please know I really enjoy what you do ^^
Super helpful, actually; you're not the first to say the game-music videos don't stand out, especially since the shopkeeper covers are similar. I'm definitely revisiting the thumbnails.
I adored the deep dive into the DuckTales Moon track, but... I also never got notifications for the rest of them! Gonna use that playlist. In the case of DareDevil blowing up, didn't Ace Combat 7 get a big DLC (Top Gun Maverick) that would have brought peoples' attention back to the game around that time?
For a minute there I thought you had it! But I checked and the DLC was announced one week prior to the view bump, and came out weeks after... Will remain a mystery!
i have liek 5 times your sub count and a few videos over 1 mil ( and a couple beyond few mil each ) and the watchtime is insane, but my regular view counts are in the low 100's been that way for awhile, sometimes a thing goes slightly viral, and back to 3 digit returns but it doesnt botherme bc i dont monetize, it's just a hobby i do for fun, really and with that being the goal, i cant lose - bc as long as im having fun, then its worthwhile to me, even if only 5 ppl enjoy the thing i make. I hope you can find your groove, and do a thing that gets you the praise you desrve, the recognition you need, and to satisfy your own creative juices.
Huh! Didn't even know about your own content creation. Good to hear about your experience. You know, of course, that I'll happily sing for 3 digits. The game-music videos are fun too, but video editing is so time consuming! Mario 64 not breaking the threshold I'd set sent me into the "view-chasing" mindset. The XC3 top 50 is longer than all my non-XC3 content combined and I think I'm fine with it flopping, if it comes to that, so I'm probably in a better place.
The upcoming re release of Suikoden 1 and 2 next year will be a hella good time to release some suikoden content. The upcoming Octopath Traveller 2 release will be a big deal. And then of course Zelda tears of the kingdom will keep the video game youtube economy afloat once Elden Ring finally dies down.
Ooof, thinking of Octopath 2 and Ace Combat 8 is getting overwhelming, I can't picture how great the soundtracks will be, they don't fit in my head yet. Suikoden I must admit I don't know the series; I'm actually much less into RPGs, they're just a genre whose music quite often veers into greatness. I don't see myself playing it, no matter how good it is... Would you be willing to do some of the legwork for me? (The series has no financial ambitions, for what that's worth.)
I remember watching 2 or 3 of your videos in this series, but since most others weren't of any games I ever played, I didn't really watch more yet. However I now notice there are some other vids I didn't watch yet, like the Mario 64 one. Then, I'll make sure to watch any other new vid of this series if they're of games that interest me! May I maybe suggest anything from A Hat In Time someday? It has an incredibly good soundtrack through and through, and I would love to get your insight on any of it's songs! Or, I know this would be short-timed, but with Halloween right around the corner maybe you could analyze some tracks from spooky levels (like Mad Monster Mansion from Banjo-Kazooie, Creepy Castle from DK 64, or maybe even the soundtrack of Luigi's Mansion?) Anyways, I wish you luck in your project, you may just need to give it some time to hook more people in!
Certainly too late for Halloween! This XC3 video was a second full-time job for the past month, it's just THAT dense, and I've gained a lot of appreciation for reliable scheduled content creators. A Hat in Time do you have anything special in mind? I can't possibly cover all good music, so I try to focus on game music that does something more notable. The "founding" ideas were how A Link Between Worlds hits you with a glorious, unexpectedly new rendition of the overworld theme, and FF7 Remake keeps teasing the OG battle theme.
@@NicD For A Hat in Time, thinking about it quickly I would maybe say how the version of Your Contract has Expired, the song that plays when you do the most difficult challenge in the game, keeps you motivated to keep trying. Because when you fail over and over like in that fight, having good music that doesn't feel repetitive is key. Other than that, I guess the best would for you to give a listen to the soundtrack or a try to the games if you've got free time and interest, to see if anything resonates with you. For something with a clearer goal though, Battle Against a True Hero from Undertale would be great material I think, as the song really does make you feel like you're the bad guy. But these are only suggestions, go with what appeals to you most ^^
I feel like there's a branding problem with these videos. With the naming and thumbnail I never knew what I was gonna see if I clicked on the video, so I didn't!
@@NicD if I had to say, it's related to: 1- no way to differentiate this content from your other content at a glance (video series title is at end of long title often cut off especially on mobile) 2- video series title is not really evocative or unique. "Game & music" could be a series about a ton of different things. Find out what's unique about your take and put it right in the video series name and in the video title (for instance, I see a ton of "composer reacts to x music" being really popular - the interest for viewers here is clear: a professional take on their favorite media. Just an example among others) 3- your thumbnails are maybe too flat. No series logo or branding makes them feel "low-budget". Also, although quite clickbaity in nature, strong quotes in the thumbnail are proven to improve CTR. Stuff like "the SECRETS of this music!" or "how it makes you cry", etc. awaken your curiosity. If you have other questions feel free to question me
All interesting points, that I agree with. I appreciate the input. For the thumbnails: early on I simply used a screenshot of a key point of the video! I figured I'd never get anything out if I waited for a good logo, title, or visual identity. I should probably do something about them fast. I don't have a logo lying around, but just bringing in the orange I've been using in-video could make a difference, as well as a stronger structure - maybe something like a distinctive orange divider, for starters. And probably less detail: just enough to grab attention and let the viewer tell whether they want to click. Like the successful Ace Combat video: the title is "Daredevil gives the producer goosebumps", saying what song it is, while the thumbnail quotes the producer with "I want one music track, and it has to be a great one." But I could simply split that quote between the title and thumbnail, leaving the Ace Combat logo and art say what the series is, and leaving the actual track unmentioned. But then again the “goosebumps” part might be too strong to drop. My previous XC3 video has this approach, keeping infromation sparse and leaving viewers guessing. It also met with the most success. For my soon-to-be-published XC3 video, right now the title-thumbnail combo is informative, but the thumbnail, if clever, has scarce visual identity. Initially I'd titled the series "Game-Music Synergy" with a nice spiel... but dropped all that with my Time to Fight video as I realized I was just doing everything: a top 10, an analysis, and a reaction video. I was like, what's my concept, anymore? Changed it to "Game & Music" as a placeholder and a sutble reference to the old Game & Watch. Now I just finished my XC3 top 50, and it's as long as the rest of my series combined, and it's all over the place: • top 50 • specific moments • reactions • leitmotifs • trivia, history, context, and the like Yet I think it’s strangely cohesive. Couldn’t put it in words, though, much less come up with a name for the series: “Nicolas Daoust On Game Music”?! The core is mostly “everything about this awesome song and why it’s awesome”, I guess, but even that feels restrictive to me. Maybe something like “Game Music Done Right”, which is relevant, assertive and slightly provocative? @Batabii Be assured that this post-mortem video will remain the worst case.
@@NicD lol the game & watch reference went completely over my head! Your answer shows you're self-aware and can see your own content objectively. So I think you're on the right track! As for branding, I'd advise giving a look at Masahiro Sakurai's videos. I think they do a great job of covering a large amount of topics while keeping a cohesive brand image and being really attractive at a glance. Hope I could help and good luck for the rest, Nicolas !
@@NicD I love your channel Nic so really sad to see you crestfallen. I don't have much in the way of ideas to help - I transcribe a ton of video game music to piano sheet music and am passionate about video game music in the same way you are, but it's a pretty niche interest and REALLY hard to find other friends or community that feels the same way. Reaching out to some popular content creators and asking if they wanted to do a collab or focusing on some of the most popular games initially (anything about Hollow Knight people eat up while we're all waiting for silk song). An example would be say IronPineapple and Vaatividya have teamed up on several videos about Elden Ring and Dark souls content in general and they both now have well over a million subscribers. your hook about being the shopkeeper voice for Crypt of the Necrodancer/Cadence of Hyrule is something that I thought would be a strong jumping off point. Apologies for asking this - but I've watched almsot all of your vids and I still am not entirely clear - are you the ACTUAL real voice actor for the shopkeeper whose voice was recorded in both games or are you just doing really amazing covers of them. I honestly still don't know the answer. It's probably somewhere really obvious and my dumbass just didn't look. I have a very good voice (nowhere near yours) but I wish I was a stronger instrumentalist on piano and could contribute in someway. I often find my transcriptions are too difficult for me to play, and even with the stuff I do play my musicianship (as you could see from the few ancient piddly vids on my channel) is nowhere near good enough to accompany anyone. Made worse by a progressively disabling condition called Dupuytren's diathesis which causes my hands and feet to dvp scarring and curve in on themselves. Anyways - as a fellow Canadian your channel always brightens my day and I appreciate what you bring to the table.
You might have been "algorithmed". I've been following for years, but I never saw any of these show up in my feed (this is the first thing I've seen from you pop up in a long time). Suddenly posting a bunch of stuff that isn't like the stuff you posted before might not be a good strategy on UA-cam
Maybe not! I debated for/against quite a bit and concluded there would be enough overlap, and I don't think I'll ever know for sure if it was the right decision.
I think you just choose not that fan facorite game music, I think when it comes to game music, things like Octopath, Fire emblem and Genshin have a big fanbase that loves music. Also Umineko while not a huge franchise is known fot it´s amazing soundtrack. But in the end you have to to what you like ^-^
I was sad when I saw the title on the video, but I'm happy it's still going, do whatever makes you happy Nicolas!
No commitment on my part, but the uptick in views has certainly given me back some energy! As exemplified by that 1h32 video.
You deserve the views. Having a passion for something was what UA-cam was about years ago. It's changed but that doesn't mean you can't have it. It takes time to land now. It's not an instant success
Just found the channel with the Xenoblade 3 analysis indeed, glad I got here when things are looking up, there is a serious lack of Video Game music dedicated channels, and those that there are, I think they spent way too much talking about theory and what not, and miss the point of what I believe that many look forward to about this subject, just sharing the love and emotion these tracks bring, sure a little bit of depth and explanation doesn't hurt, and your video talking about Time to Fight I believe strikes that balance perfectly.
Really looking forward to that top 50 now.
Whoops, is the link at 5:27 not showing for you? I'll add it in the description in case.
@@NicD I somehow missed it, the oops is on me, already started watching it!
Welp, I added a card and a link to help people through.
It's normal to miss it, you wouldn't expect a 1h30-long video to be hidden at the end of a 5-minute channel discussion!
I'm a total nerd so I love the music theory, although it's cuz I sang choir and learned transcription - when 8 bit music theory starts talking about diminished 7th chords and even my eyes glaze over a bit cuz unless you've actually studied music theory the applications can be a bit obtuse.
Some of my absolute favourite video game music theory is about leitmotif - a personal fetish I suppose lol but esp for classic games such as FFIV and VI - I thought I knew the soundtracks of those games inside out but it wasn't until watcing some videos that I made the connection my ears but not my brain had noticed about all the spots in which say Golbez theme of the main theme had recurred
I didn’t realize I wasn’t subbed to you, but I adored both of that Xenoblade 3 music videos you put out. Ironically this video told me you did more of it, so I’ve got a backlog to check out now!
Really love the game music series, many other Chinese game&music fans(I am one of them) do not have the chance to know you and those excellent videos you made, cause we don't use UA-cam. Until someday a guy uploaded your to Bilibili, added Chinese subtitles, that video received 1000+ likes, many people started talking about how they missed so many great tracks while playing the game. I came to here and subscribed your channel after watched it on Bilibili, just wanna say thank you for making it and please keep doing!
I'm actually glad for that! Our internet being partly segregated, plus the langage barrier... I'm just happy more people get to share in my appreciation for game music (and shopkeeper covers), even though I'll never be able to interact with most of them.
Dude I sincerely hope you get the recognition you deserve, because I didn't even know you did stuff on the Xenoblade series until as of now (even though I've searched and searched for xenoblade music analysis/reactions). Hopefully the algorithm will bless us sometime and keep doing what you like doing!
Necrodancer covers are "evergreen" for me, because they are perfect for the gym: they set up a pace, slowly ramp up, the singing brings back happy memories and hypes me up for the training. I love them.
Right! I meant "evergreen" as in they keep getting views in general, but didn't even think of repeat customers!
Thanks for the views, and you're welcome for the singing. 😉
@@NicD i can also elaborate on why I didn't follow this series. First of all, the content: I have played some of the games, but not all of the games, so I knew I would have to sit through episodes I didn't care about. Also, possibly spoilers (if I ever got around to playing those games). Also, as form goes, there was too much variety of style and length, and one wouldn't know what to expect.
OTOH, I would LOVE to hear you sing again. Idk, Hades has that one song that isn't in the OST. Or maybe dissect some big bandwagon like Elden Ring/Dead Souls.
An interesting take, and actually not the first time I hear it: people don't know what to expect from the series! I tried hard to give it a higher purpose, but I gave up with the TIme to Fight vid and had to think it over. In the end, yeah, this series is too subjective, so I'm calling it Game Music Done Right for now and its distinguishing feature is me, the way I appreciate game music, and my shenanigans.
In any case, good thing the super-long XC3 video caught on: like I say in this video, it has *everything* my series stands for, so it can now stand as an anchor for the rest. Future episodes will be shorter and varied but I anyone who sat through that 1h30 know what to expect now...?
Yeah I don't sing enough do I? I should really get back to it, and I did enjoy Hades.
I know an Elden Rings video would be a smash hit, but I don't know what I'd fill it with. Same with a lot of AAA music: well-made, appropriate, but also *safe*, leaving little to talk about.
@@NicD once in a while I go back to shopkeeper videos because they are just crazy and nice thing to listen to. I had some of them on my grand playlist (called Very random everything and I think that's sums it up) so every once in a while I get them and it's always good :)
So, although your series may be flop but still you made something that make people happy to this day, and they go back to :)
Ah yes, this is a case of just the expectations different kinds of video content have for their growth. For more cerebral content like this, they tend to get slow starts, they just tend to hold momentum well. I remember someone who did once a month longforms talking about how the new video never made enough money in the first month to cover that month on its own, but every upload brought in more subscribers, and it made people go back and watch the previous videos so they were now getting more views and earning the creator more funds.
Quite different than music content which tends to kinda blow up and then decline quiet slowly.
Appreciate the input! I might be getting on that "momentum" road now.
@@NicD As with basically any form of content creation, if you care about the numbers the content alone isn't enough to satisfy, you need advertisement and community building to really push out.
A community! Probably more trouble than I am willing to go to at the moment, but I understand what you're saying and will keep my expectations in check.
The issue certainly isn't the quality of the videos themselves - you do a great job on them!!
I am finding that as someone who is now 40 and a doctor working full time, my passion for retro gaming and classic video game music isn't something that a fuck ton of other gamers nowadays are as invested in.
Interesting take; part of why I went for a heavily-scripted format is that I'm actually a busy professional, so I can't afford any filler or downtime in what I watch, and I wanted this series to be something I'd watch if I wasn't making it.
@@NicD exactly why I appreciate your content. my point i guess is that it's just hard to find the audience of other similarly wired nerds who enjoy delving into this type of content with the same degree of zeal and intensity ....
Cue: "hrm... am I that out of touch?... no Skinner, it's the children who are wrong"
:P
As a tiny video creator that really only does it when I feel lik doing something, yeah, every once in a while, videos blow up and it is really cool. Glad it happened on a series you were looking forward to make and hope you can keep doing stuff you like
I've purchased Yodel Eclipse of The Heart the moment it was available, and I've been singing a duet with you in the privacy of my car to this day. You've been a huge inspiration to me for years
As someone who has also created content that didn't receive as many views as I had hoped, I can appreciate your frustration. I will say this though, as an educator (yes, even someone who teaches people how to better appreciate video game music on UA-cam), for every one like or positive comment, there are likely 10 more people that you have positively impacted and just don't realize it. Very rarely do people go out of their way to let others know that they have brightened their day, even if its just in a small way. I appreciate you and all of the hard work you put into your videos. If you are passionate in what you do, the love you put into your work will shine through and you will eventually find your audience (even if it is just a small but loyal one). Hang in there, brother!
"Success" on youtube (or perhaps, success in general) is littered with stories of passion projects going nowhere, while one--off jokes or low effort content seem to gain enormous traction. It's frustrating to see, and I must imagine it to be infinitely more so to experience.
Don't beat yourself up about feeling like you're chasing views. While an attitude of "I'm making this for myself, and I'll be happy regardless how many people see it" is ultimately healthy, it's still alright to want to show people neat things!
Hahaha I do love to show people neat things! I was already doing so and figured pre-prepared videos would be more efficient. 😁
ugh - the Tiktokification of social media. Gross.
Awwww your sense of humor is adorable :)
I'm not interested in with all of your content, but I'm always interested enough to stay and see what's next. It is unfair of us to ask you for free content, so I won't push for it, but if you have something to tell or something to share, I'm here to listen and thank.
One thing I'd note about regarding your opinion of content finding a new audience, Nicolas, is that being an older, established channel is actually a detriment for new views; the algorithm pigeonholes you and stops recommending you to new users unless your content is very specifically associated with what is being looked at/for, and long periods of inactivity also harm you, via algorithm. Throw in it being something adjacent but not quite the same as what you've been making before, and it doesn't even recommend it to your subscribers (yes, even if the bell is at full; UA-cam really doesn't like actually giving you all the updates for all the channels you mark, and it is so goddamn infuriating). This is the first I've gotten notified for since the sax solo video, for example.
This wasn't always the case, too. It's something YT actively has changed with how the algorithm promotes content, to try and push the more longform content of TV channels that were migrating to UA-cam at the time, rather than what people actually wanted.
thank you for sharing the behind the scene look. I found your channel with the Time To Fight video.
As did many people, according to the analytics! Glad this sudden, in-your-face post-mortem-like entertained you, now go and treat yourself to the linked XC3 deep dive. 😁
@@NicD I haven't finished it yet but from what I see, "You're on fire Nicolas!" 😁Hope you enjoy making it as I enjoy watching. Btw is the video supposed to be unlisted?
Took way too long to make but I did enjoy! I'm keeping the video unlisted until Friday as I feel it's too long for a weekday.
Those views look painfull (especially if they count my repeats). I was so hyped for some of the titles in the spreadsheet so I'd be happy to see more, but...
i was subscribed to your channel for like 2 or 3 years and youtube only recommended this single video now lmao. I'm gonna watch almost all this series, as it's stuff i'm really interested into!
i wonder if more people in my situation will appear but it's quite ironic.
Does youtube try to spot """"drama"""" videos to make them more successful or sometinhg idk lmao this makes so little sense
I'm ambivalent about this, as I hate clickbait, and this arguably is, but I didn't quite know how else to present it, but it seems it did the job, and people haven't taken it wrong so far. UA-cam doesn't even have to "detect" drama, it's just naturally engaging and gets faster clicks.
Was worth it to notify you fruitfully though, and surely others! I know most of my subscribers don't get notified, but I also know subscriptions have a pretty small weight in the algorithm, being more akin to membership cards.
Outer wilds video was really fun, i discovered it in recommendations, i knew i knew you somewhere and there were shopkeeper videos. Anyway, im not really a Nintendo fan so i casually unconsciously skip all Nintendo videos, dont even notice them. Anyway, love your style, i should probably check them out...
it's great to see you bounced back up! by the way, i am terribly sorry for never coming back on the Detroit analysis. I forgot about it for months at a time, along with having to short-term move places and look for/start at a new university. if you're still interested I could actually start working on it! my lecture schedule is quite relaxed.
It's on me: as I said, I'd stopped. I don't know what the future release schedule will be; initially I thought "I'll cover EVERYTHING", but ideas come faster than free time.
My ridiculously-long XC3 video has shown me that research is the majority of the work! In this case, listening to the soundtrack over and over, watching and rewatching cutscenes, determining which parts of the music makes it into the video, accompanied by which images and footage, footage that I might not even get permission to use...
...What?
I'm interested in this series, I think I only saw the episode on octopath traveller, and thought it was very good. It's been 8 months.
None of it showed in my subscriptions until then, or I didn't notice. Honestly, I think the videos are high quality, informative, and I love them. Maybe your com needs some work? Looking at your channel now, I'm not too sure what is what from thumbnails alone, the only series that stands out to me is your skyrim playthrough. Not sure me writing this is helpful, thought it might.
Good luck on your content, please know I really enjoy what you do ^^
Super helpful, actually; you're not the first to say the game-music videos don't stand out, especially since the shopkeeper covers are similar. I'm definitely revisiting the thumbnails.
I adored the deep dive into the DuckTales Moon track, but... I also never got notifications for the rest of them! Gonna use that playlist.
In the case of DareDevil blowing up, didn't Ace Combat 7 get a big DLC (Top Gun Maverick) that would have brought peoples' attention back to the game around that time?
For a minute there I thought you had it! But I checked and the DLC was announced one week prior to the view bump, and came out weeks after... Will remain a mystery!
i have liek 5 times your sub count and a few videos over 1 mil ( and a couple beyond few mil each ) and the watchtime is insane, but my regular view counts are in the low 100's
been that way for awhile, sometimes a thing goes slightly viral, and back to 3 digit returns
but it doesnt botherme bc i dont monetize, it's just a hobby i do for fun, really
and with that being the goal, i cant lose - bc as long as im having fun, then its worthwhile to me, even if only 5 ppl enjoy the thing i make.
I hope you can find your groove, and do a thing that gets you the praise you desrve, the recognition you need, and to satisfy your own creative juices.
Huh! Didn't even know about your own content creation. Good to hear about your experience.
You know, of course, that I'll happily sing for 3 digits. The game-music videos are fun too, but video editing is so time consuming! Mario 64 not breaking the threshold I'd set sent me into the "view-chasing" mindset.
The XC3 top 50 is longer than all my non-XC3 content combined and I think I'm fine with it flopping, if it comes to that, so I'm probably in a better place.
The upcoming re release of Suikoden 1 and 2 next year will be a hella good time to release some suikoden content. The upcoming Octopath Traveller 2 release will be a big deal. And then of course Zelda tears of the kingdom will keep the video game youtube economy afloat once Elden Ring finally dies down.
Ooof, thinking of Octopath 2 and Ace Combat 8 is getting overwhelming, I can't picture how great the soundtracks will be, they don't fit in my head yet.
Suikoden I must admit I don't know the series; I'm actually much less into RPGs, they're just a genre whose music quite often veers into greatness. I don't see myself playing it, no matter how good it is... Would you be willing to do some of the legwork for me? (The series has no financial ambitions, for what that's worth.)
@@NicD lol sure - I own the soundtrack to the first game - it's a fairly short rpg under 20 hours but my god is the soundtrack amazing
@@NicD check these samples out
ua-cam.com/video/EE5PpFI8CrI/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/0tXniJj6vN4/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/TehXFA6jV5Q/v-deo.html
I remember watching 2 or 3 of your videos in this series, but since most others weren't of any games I ever played, I didn't really watch more yet. However I now notice there are some other vids I didn't watch yet, like the Mario 64 one. Then, I'll make sure to watch any other new vid of this series if they're of games that interest me! May I maybe suggest anything from A Hat In Time someday? It has an incredibly good soundtrack through and through, and I would love to get your insight on any of it's songs! Or, I know this would be short-timed, but with Halloween right around the corner maybe you could analyze some tracks from spooky levels (like Mad Monster Mansion from Banjo-Kazooie, Creepy Castle from DK 64, or maybe even the soundtrack of Luigi's Mansion?) Anyways, I wish you luck in your project, you may just need to give it some time to hook more people in!
Certainly too late for Halloween! This XC3 video was a second full-time job for the past month, it's just THAT dense, and I've gained a lot of appreciation for reliable scheduled content creators.
A Hat in Time do you have anything special in mind? I can't possibly cover all good music, so I try to focus on game music that does something more notable. The "founding" ideas were how A Link Between Worlds hits you with a glorious, unexpectedly new rendition of the overworld theme, and FF7 Remake keeps teasing the OG battle theme.
@@NicD For A Hat in Time, thinking about it quickly I would maybe say how the version of Your Contract has Expired, the song that plays when you do the most difficult challenge in the game, keeps you motivated to keep trying. Because when you fail over and over like in that fight, having good music that doesn't feel repetitive is key. Other than that, I guess the best would for you to give a listen to the soundtrack or a try to the games if you've got free time and interest, to see if anything resonates with you.
For something with a clearer goal though, Battle Against a True Hero from Undertale would be great material I think, as the song really does make you feel like you're the bad guy.
But these are only suggestions, go with what appeals to you most ^^
I feel like there's a branding problem with these videos. With the naming and thumbnail I never knew what I was gonna see if I clicked on the video, so I didn't!
Really happy to hear that, as I have no idea what I'm doing! A slight increase inclick-through rate would make all the diffrence. May I question you?
@@NicD if I had to say, it's related to:
1- no way to differentiate this content from your other content at a glance (video series title is at end of long title often cut off especially on mobile)
2- video series title is not really evocative or unique. "Game & music" could be a series about a ton of different things. Find out what's unique about your take and put it right in the video series name and in the video title (for instance, I see a ton of "composer reacts to x music" being really popular - the interest for viewers here is clear: a professional take on their favorite media. Just an example among others)
3- your thumbnails are maybe too flat. No series logo or branding makes them feel "low-budget". Also, although quite clickbaity in nature, strong quotes in the thumbnail are proven to improve CTR. Stuff like "the SECRETS of this music!" or "how it makes you cry", etc. awaken your curiosity.
If you have other questions feel free to question me
All interesting points, that I agree with. I appreciate the input.
For the thumbnails: early on I simply used a screenshot of a key point of the video! I figured I'd never get anything out if I waited for a good logo, title, or visual identity.
I should probably do something about them fast. I don't have a logo lying around, but just bringing in the orange I've been using in-video could make a difference, as well as a stronger structure - maybe something like a distinctive orange divider, for starters.
And probably less detail: just enough to grab attention and let the viewer tell whether they want to click. Like the successful Ace Combat video: the title is "Daredevil gives the producer goosebumps", saying what song it is, while the thumbnail quotes the producer with "I want one music track, and it has to be a great one." But I could simply split that quote between the title and thumbnail, leaving the Ace Combat logo and art say what the series is, and leaving the actual track unmentioned.
But then again the “goosebumps” part might be too strong to drop.
My previous XC3 video has this approach, keeping infromation sparse and leaving viewers guessing. It also met with the most success.
For my soon-to-be-published XC3 video, right now the title-thumbnail combo is informative, but the thumbnail, if clever, has scarce visual identity.
Initially I'd titled the series "Game-Music Synergy" with a nice spiel... but dropped all that with my Time to Fight video as I realized I was just doing everything: a top 10, an analysis, and a reaction video. I was like, what's my concept, anymore? Changed it to "Game & Music" as a placeholder and a sutble reference to the old Game & Watch.
Now I just finished my XC3 top 50, and it's as long as the rest of my series combined, and it's all over the place:
• top 50
• specific moments
• reactions
• leitmotifs
• trivia, history, context, and the like
Yet I think it’s strangely cohesive. Couldn’t put it in words, though, much less come up with a name for the series: “Nicolas Daoust On Game Music”?! The core is mostly “everything about this awesome song and why it’s awesome”, I guess, but even that feels restrictive to me.
Maybe something like “Game Music Done Right”, which is relevant, assertive and slightly provocative?
@Batabii Be assured that this post-mortem video will remain the worst case.
@@NicD lol the game & watch reference went completely over my head!
Your answer shows you're self-aware and can see your own content objectively. So I think you're on the right track!
As for branding, I'd advise giving a look at Masahiro Sakurai's videos. I think they do a great job of covering a large amount of topics while keeping a cohesive brand image and being really attractive at a glance.
Hope I could help and good luck for the rest, Nicolas !
@@NicD I love your channel Nic so really sad to see you crestfallen. I don't have much in the way of ideas to help - I transcribe a ton of video game music to piano sheet music and am passionate about video game music in the same way you are, but it's a pretty niche interest and REALLY hard to find other friends or community that feels the same way. Reaching out to some popular content creators and asking if they wanted to do a collab or focusing on some of the most popular games initially (anything about Hollow Knight people eat up while we're all waiting for silk song).
An example would be say IronPineapple and Vaatividya have teamed up on several videos about Elden Ring and Dark souls content in general and they both now have well over a million subscribers.
your hook about being the shopkeeper voice for Crypt of the Necrodancer/Cadence of Hyrule is something that I thought would be a strong jumping off point. Apologies for asking this - but I've watched almsot all of your vids and I still am not entirely clear - are you the ACTUAL real voice actor for the shopkeeper whose voice was recorded in both games or are you just doing really amazing covers of them. I honestly still don't know the answer. It's probably somewhere really obvious and my dumbass just didn't look.
I have a very good voice (nowhere near yours) but I wish I was a stronger instrumentalist on piano and could contribute in someway. I often find my transcriptions are too difficult for me to play, and even with the stuff I do play my musicianship (as you could see from the few ancient piddly vids on my channel) is nowhere near good enough to accompany anyone. Made worse by a progressively disabling condition called Dupuytren's diathesis which causes my hands and feet to dvp scarring and curve in on themselves.
Anyways - as a fellow Canadian your channel always brightens my day and I appreciate what you bring to the table.
You might have been "algorithmed". I've been following for years, but I never saw any of these show up in my feed (this is the first thing I've seen from you pop up in a long time). Suddenly posting a bunch of stuff that isn't like the stuff you posted before might not be a good strategy on UA-cam
Maybe not! I debated for/against quite a bit and concluded there would be enough overlap, and I don't think I'll ever know for sure if it was the right decision.
I hope you succeed.
is this ... a trailer? :D
ó_ò top 50 plz
ò_ó il est à la fin! Go!
I think some of the titles and thumbnails don't do a good job of telling people what the video is.
I think you just choose not that fan facorite game music, I think when it comes to game music, things like Octopath, Fire emblem and Genshin have a big fanbase that loves music. Also Umineko while not a huge franchise is known fot it´s amazing soundtrack. But in the end you have to to what you like ^-^
Give streaming a try, it might be hard to gather an audience on UA-cam but twitch but be easier for you.