Search your artist name on YouTube after your first release and you may find a channel you never created, called "Your Name - Topic". Nobody hacked you. YouTube builds this channel automatically for artists whose music it receives from distributors and labels, and it fills it with Art Tracks.
What a Topic channel is
When a release is delivered to YouTube, YouTube needs a place to put the audio. If the artist doesn't have an Official Artist Channel yet, it creates (or reuses) an auto-generated channel named after the artist with "- Topic" added. The channel description usually says it was auto-generated by YouTube.
The videos on it are Art Tracks: each track of your release as a video, with the cover art as a still image. An Art Track's description normally starts with a line saying who provided the track to YouTube, followed by the release name, the label line and the release date. Those details come from the metadata you submitted, which is why a typo there shows up here too.
Topic channels also hold playlists for your albums and singles, so a listener can play a whole release in order. On YouTube Music, the same Art Tracks are what people hear when they tap a song.
What you can and cannot do with it
You can't sign in to a Topic channel. It has no owner in the usual sense, so you can't upload, change the banner, edit titles or delete videos there. Everything on it reflects your releases as they were delivered:
- Wrong title or cover? Fix the release through your distributor; the Art Track updates after YouTube processes the change.
- A song you never released? It may belong to someone with the same name. Send both links to your distributor.
- Want a track gone? Taking a release down from YouTube through your distributor removes its Art Tracks.
Plays of Art Tracks are counted on YouTube like any other video, and the income from them reaches you through your distributor's reports, not through a monetised channel of your own. If your distributor uses Content ID for the release, copies that other people upload are matched as well.
Why you may have two or more channels
Most artists end up with at least two channels: the one they run and the Topic channel. Some end up with more, and the reason is almost always metadata:
- the name was spelled differently on different releases, for example with and without a special letter, or in Latin and Cyrillic;
- another artist shares your name, and your songs landed on their Topic channel or theirs on yours;
- a featured artist was entered as a main artist, which created a second channel for the pair;
- older songs were released years ago by a label that spelled your name another way.
Write your artist name the same way on every release. If someone shares your name, tell your distributor before release so the songs are routed correctly.
How the Topic channel relates to your own channel
Until anything is merged, YouTube treats the two as separate channels. Subscribers to the Topic channel are not your subscribers, and your music videos don't appear next to the Art Tracks. A fan who searches for your name may land on either one.
Until you have an Official Artist Channel, you can still help people find their way:
- Create playlists of your Art Tracks on your own channel, one per release. Any public video can go into your playlist, Art Tracks included.
- Mention the Topic channel in your channel description so fans know it is official.
- Keep your channel name identical to the artist name on your releases, letter for letter.
What an Official Artist Channel changes
An Official Artist Channel (OAC) brings the Topic channel and your own channel together. Your releases appear on your channel as albums and singles, subscribers are generally combined, and a music note badge appears next to the channel name. YouTube decides who qualifies and the rules change, so check the current requirements.
In the CULT portal there is a request form for an Official Artist Channel. You enter the UPC of one of your releases, your YouTube channel link and your Topic channel link, and the request goes to YouTube. Approval is not automatic.
Short answers
Can I delete my Topic channel?
Not directly. It exists because your releases are on YouTube. If the releases are taken down, its tracks disappear with them.
Why do my Art Track and my music video have different view counts?
Because they are different videos. The Art Track is the audio release; your video is a separate upload. Their views are not added together, even after you get an OAC.
Why did a new Topic channel appear after my latest release?
Most likely the artist name was written differently this time, or a featured artist was entered as a main artist. Check the release metadata and contact your distributor with links to both channels.