YouTube’s New Collaborations Feature: What You Need to Know

YouTube just made it easier for musicians to share the spotlight. Their new Collaboration feature lets up to five creators appear on a single video, with each channel automatically credited directly below the video player, and complete with Subscribe buttons.

For labels and their artists, this is a game-changer. It streamlines fan engagement, cross-promotion and crediting across multiple channels without extra work. One video that drives subscribers to each individual artist channel.

More visibility: Every collaborator’s channel appears directly on the video, boosting discovery for smaller or featured artists.

*More subscribers: *Fans can follow all contributors with one click.

More collaboration power: Perfect for featured artist singles, joint-label releases, live sessions, or co-produced visuals — making sure everyone involved gets equal exposure.

Let's break down how to use it and how to make the most of it.

What the Collaboration Feature Does

With YouTube’s new collaboration feature, you can:

• Add up to five channels to a single video as official collaborators.
• Display each collaborator’s name, avatar, and share a subscribe button below the video.
• Push the video to the subscriber feeds.
• Share video analytics with all of the collaborators through YouTube Studio.
• Thie feature can now be applied to longform videos, YouTube Shorts, YouTube Premieres, and archived livestreams on YouTube.

Note: The video must be uploaded by a single channel. That channel retains *full control** over monetization. Revenue is not shared between collaborators.*

Why It Matters for Labels and Artists

1. Share Visibility Across Fanbases

When multiple artists, labels, or collaborators are tagged in a video, it’s published across all their channels — not just one. That means the same video appears in each creator’s subscriber feed, reaching multiple audiences at once.

2. Grow Your Subscriber Base

Each credited channel now features its own Subscribe button directly within the video interface. This means smaller or emerging artists gain visibility right alongside more established channels — giving every collaborator a fair share of attention.

It’s a simple, low-effort way to grow your audience and turn shared releases into real subscriber growth.

3. Credit Collaborators Properly

You no longer have to pick between uploading a video to the main artist’s or the label’s channel. With YouTube’s new feature, you can give credit to featured artists, producers, visual collaborators, and per labels directly — giving everyone proper recognition and visibility, just as it should be.

4. Share Access to Video Performance

Collaborators can access the video’s analytics in their own YouTube Studio. No more chasing screenshots from the team that uploaded the video. Now everyone can see how the release is performing, including views, watch time, and audience insights.

How to Use the Feature

You can add collaborators during the upload process or by editing an existing video.

During Upload

1. Go to YouTube Studio
2. Click Create → Upload Videos
3. Choose your video file
4. In the Details tab, scroll to Audience → Show More
5. Find the Collaboration section and click Invite a collaborator
6. Search by channel handle (e.g., @artistname)
7. Send the invite. The collaborator will appear once they accept.

For a full walkthrough, watch this YouTube tutorial below.

These aren’t just artist credits in a title — they’re fully shared, co-published videos using YouTube’s new collaboration feature.

If you’re releasing music with multiple artists, partners, or collaborators on YouTube, we recommend that you start using the collaboration feature to grow your audience!