YouTube Integration

LabelGrid’s YouTube integration automatically generates videos from your track audio and artwork, then uploads them directly to your YouTube channel.

What You Can Do

• Generate videos from tracks with album artwork
• Choose from multiple video layout styles
• Add audio visualizations to videos
• Upload full-length tracks or clips
• Control privacy settings (public/private/unlisted)
• Schedule uploads for specific times
• Manage posting rules to stay within limits

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Connecting Your YouTube Account

Before uploading, you need to connect your YouTube account to LabelGrid.

Adding a YouTube Account

1. Click Distribution in the main menu, then click the YouTube tab
2. Click the Manage Accounts button in the top right
3. Click Add Account
4. Enter your account details:

Field	Description
Name	A friendly name for this account
Posting Rules	Throttling setting to prevent rate limits

4. Click Submit to save
5. Complete OAuth authorization with Google

Note

YouTube uses OAuth for authentication. You’ll be redirected to Google to authorize LabelGrid to upload to your channel.

Posting Rules

Posting rules prevent you from hitting YouTube’s rate limits:

Rule	Description
Unlimited	No throttling - use carefully
1 per hour	Maximum one upload per hour
1 per day	Maximum one upload per day
1 per week	Maximum one upload per week

Caution

YouTube has strict upload limits. Using conservative posting rules (1 per day or less) is recommended.

Account Properties

Property	Description
Long Uploads Status	Whether your channel is verified for uploads > 15 minutes
Connection Status	Current authorization status

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Creating YouTube Videos

Creating a YouTube Upload

1. Click Distribution in the main menu, then click the YouTube tab
2. Click the + Add YouTube Delivery button
3. Configure your video settings

Upload Settings

Setting	Description	Notes
Post Individual Track(s)	Select tracks to create videos for	Required
YouTube Destination	Choose which channel to upload to	Required
Scheduled Delivery Time (GMT)	When to upload	Respects posting rules
Privacy Status	Video visibility	Public/Private/Unlisted
Video Layout	How artwork is displayed	See layout options
Upload full-length track	Full audio or clip	On/Off toggle
Clip Start	Start position for clips	If not full-length
Clip Length	Duration in seconds	If not full-length
Include visuals	Add audio visualization	On/Off toggle
Force Delivery	Bypass duplicate check	Use only if getting errors

Video Layouts

LabelGrid auto-generates videos using your release artwork:

Layout	Description
art background and square packshot	Full artwork background with centered square album art
blurred art background and square packshot	Blurred artwork background with sharp centered album art
square packshot only	Just the album artwork, no background effects

Privacy Settings

Setting	Description
public	Anyone can see the video
private	Only you can see the video
unlisted	Anyone with the link can see it

Audio Visualization

Enable “Include visuals” to add an audio-oscilloscope visualization blended on top of your generated video. This creates an animated waveform that reacts to the music.

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Managing the Upload Queue

Queue List View

Click Distribution in the main menu, then click the YouTube tab to see all your uploads.

The queue displays:

Column	Description
Title	Track/video title
Destination	YouTube channel account
Visibility	Public, private, or unlisted
Deliver At	Scheduled delivery time
Video Settings	Layout and visualization settings
Status	Current queue status
Actions	Open the video on YouTube, cancel, or archive

Queue Statuses

Status	Shown in the queue as	Meaning	What to Do
pending	Pending	Waiting for its scheduled time, its turn under your posting rules, or an automatic retry	Nothing. It runs on its own
processing	Processing	The video is being generated and uploaded	Nothing
complete	Complete	The video is on your channel	Click the link icon to open it
error	Queued	The delivery stopped and will not run again by itself	Archive the item and create a new delivery, or contact support
cancelled	Cancelled	You cancelled it	Archive it if you want to set up a new delivery for that track
deleted	Deleted	You archived it	The track is free for a new YouTube delivery

Note

The Status column does not show a separate error state, which is why an errored delivery still reads Queued. We email the account owner every time a delivery fails; that email contains the error message.

Queue Actions

The Actions column holds up to three controls; which ones appear depends on the item’s status.

Open on YouTube: appears once the upload has finished. Click the link icon to open the video on your channel.

Cancel: stops an item before it uploads. The button disappears once the item is complete, cancelled, or has stopped with an error, since there is nothing left to stop.

1. Find the item in the queue
2. Click Cancel and confirm

Archive: available on items that are complete, cancelled, or errored. Archiving keeps the row in the queue with a deleted status and releases the track, so you can set up a new YouTube delivery for it.

1. Find the item in the queue
2. Click Archive and confirm

There is no retry button in the YouTube queue. If a delivery stops with an error, archive it and create a new delivery, or contact support.

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Label Default Settings

Your label can set default settings that apply to all YouTube uploads:

• Default Clip Start - Starting position for clips
• Default Clip Length - Default duration

These defaults can be overridden per upload.

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Best Practices

Video Quality

• Use high-resolution artwork (3000x3000 recommended)
• Ensure artwork is properly cropped and formatted
• Test different layouts to see what looks best

Content Strategy

• Create videos for singles and key album tracks
• Use clips for teasers before release
• Schedule videos to release with other promotional activities

Metadata

Videos are automatically titled using track and artist information:

• Format: Artist Name - Track Title
• Description is auto-generated from release metadata
• Tags are derived from release tags

Channel Health

• Use posting rules to maintain steady upload schedule
• Avoid bulk uploads that might trigger rate limits
• Verify your channel for uploads longer than 15 minutes

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Troubleshooting

Upload Failed - Authentication Error

Cause: YouTube token expired or revoked. When this happens, we email you asking you to reconnect the channel.

Solution:

1. Click Distribution in the main menu, then click the YouTube tab
2. Click Manage Accounts and re-authorize the account
3. Archive the failed item and create a new delivery for the track (reconnecting does not restart an item that has already failed)

YouTube Upload Limit Reached

Cause: Your channel has hit YouTube’s upload limit for the moment.

Solution: Nothing to do. The item stays in the queue and LabelGrid tries again roughly six hours later. Anything else waiting on the same channel is pushed back with it. If it keeps happening, choose a more conservative posting rule so uploads are spread further apart.

Delivery Rejected - Already in the Queue

Cause: That track already has a YouTube delivery for the same channel. A second one is blocked unless the first has been cancelled or archived.

Solution:

1. Find the existing item in the queue
2. Cancel it if it has not run yet, or archive it if it is complete or errored
3. Create the new delivery

Turning on Force Delivery skips this check and replaces the earlier queue entries for that track and channel.

Failed to Generate Audio Clip

Cause: LabelGrid could not produce the audio for the video from your track file. The message names the step that stopped, not the reason behind it, so there is nothing in the queue for you to act on.

Solution: There is no retry button, and creating the same delivery again usually runs into the same problem. Contact support with the track title and the queue item ID, shown under the title in the queue list.

Video Longer Than 15 Minutes Failed

Cause: Channel not verified for long uploads

Solution:

1. Verify your YouTube channel with Google
2. Check your account shows “Long Uploads Status” as enabled
3. Archive the item that failed, then create a new delivery for the track

Video Quality Issues

Cause: Low-resolution artwork or processing issues

Solution:

1. Use artwork at least 3000x3000 pixels
2. Ensure artwork is square (1:1 aspect ratio)
3. Try a different video layout

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Limitations

• Videos are auto-generated (no custom video uploads)
• One video per track (track videos, not album videos)
• Long uploads require YouTube channel verification
• Processing time varies based on queue length
• YouTube API quotas may limit daily uploads

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YouTube vs DDEX Distribution

Feature	YouTube Direct Upload	DDEX to YouTube Music
Content Type	Auto-generated videos	Audio for YouTube Music
Destination	Your YouTube channel	YouTube Music platform
Control	Full control over posting	Standard distribution
Monetization	Your channel, your ads	YouTube Music royalties
Best For	Visual presence, promotion	Streaming royalties

Tip

Use both approaches - direct upload for your channel presence and DDEX for YouTube Music streaming revenue.

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Related Guides

• Direct Upload Services Overview - Overview of all direct upload platforms
• Bandcamp Integration - Upload to Bandcamp
• SoundCloud Integration - Post to SoundCloud
• Creating a Release - Prepare your release for distribution

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Need Help?

If you have questions about YouTube uploads, contact our support team.