YouTube will soon let you crowdfund fresh content from channel partners

Attention video content creators: YouTube is working on a bunch of stuff to help you.

The Google-owned video-streaming site today announced a slew of upcoming plans for the streaming video service, including new crowdsourcing features and tools geared toward creators.

While YouTube is the most trafficked streaming-video site in the world, it has struggled to find ways to help its creators earn money beyond simply giving them a cut of advertising revenue. Over the last two years, Google committed millions to promote original content from YouTube channel partners, rolled out a monthly channel subscription feature, and opened up production studios that channel partners can use. But thus far, it’s not been enough.

In today’s announcement video , YouTube said it will soon add a crowdfunding option that will enable fans to donate money to their favorite channels without leaving the site. It’ll be interesting to see if this is something YouTube users are willing to do, especially since the general public doesn’t usually associate the site as a place where you enter in credit card numbers to pay for stuff.

It’s also planning to roll out a few other additions: a feature that enables viewers to add captions to video content in over 60 different languages (if content creators ask for help), enhancements to its new comments system, and a larger selection of audio tracks for its library of royalty-free music. YouTube creators are getting a standalone mobile app, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jR8XBZRkkao