Music Tuesday: Garbage, Kimbra and the Gossip

It seems appropriate, in the wake of Donna Summer’s untimely death last week at the age of 63, that we are devoting an entire Music Tuesday today to behind-kicking female musicians. Summer herself was a force to be reckoned with. She was at the forefront of disco’s transformation from fringe movement to global phenomenon, all on the strength of her groundbreaking collaboration with Italian producer Giorgio Moroder. Many of her biggest hits sound as vital and provocative today as they did 30+ years ago, and though she always seemed too down-to-earth to be called a diva, she undeniably was one. Check out some of her best moments, and check out three contemporary musicians who also follow their own muses -- with inspiring results.

Garbage’s Favorite New Tracks
The alt-rock band best known for their late-‘90s work returns to recording after a seven-year hiatus. Lead singer Shirley Manson is still acerbic, and the band still knows to marry snarling guitars and danceable beats. (Hurray!) But just as enjoyable is Manson’s playlist of her favorite videos. From the frayed, strange Dirty Beaches to gloriously over-the-top offerings from MIA and Jack White, she hits the sweet spot with videos that rock and unsettle you simultaneously. And which video do you think she had on repeat until she started to freak out her husband? Watch her introduction to find out.


Introducing Kimbra
The New Zealand-based singer Kimbra set the blogosphere afire late last year. Though her debut album Vows only released down under in 2011, her videos gave her global reach, and people were quickly entranced by her precise, crystalline voice and striking aesthetic. (That was before her duet with Gotye claimed a parking spot on top of U.S. charts.) Vows releases today in the U.S., and to celebrate, the singer drops a little science about the music videos she loves.



Watch Gossip Live Tonight!
Today, Gossip release A Joyful Noise, the next step on their evolution from underground alt-dance stars to bona fide members of the dance pop elite. Check them out live tonight on Bowery Presents’ channel at 9:45 ET/6:45 PT. And in the meantime, let Beth Ditto school you in the ways of Gossip.



Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently watched “Ceu - Retrovisor.”

It's YouTube's 7th birthday... and you’ve outdone yourselves, again

In May 2005 we first shared YouTube with the world. Seven years later, you’re the ones doing the sharing! We’re so honored that you’ve used YouTube to share how-to tips, political moments, home videos, comedy, music, and so much more.

Last year to celebrate our birthday, we wrote you, the YouTube Community, a thank you note for making our first 6 years so special. And on that birthday you gave us a great present by reaching a record rate of 48 hours of video uploaded to the site every minute. Well Community, this year, on our 7th birthday, you’ve outdone yourselves once again.

Today 72 hours of video are uploaded to the site every minute. Like many 7 year olds around the world, we’re growing up so fast! In other words, every single minute you now upload three whole days worth of video instead of two. That's 61 Royal Wedding Ceremonies, 841 Bad Romances, and 1,194 Nyan Cats.

We’ve come along way in the past 7 years. What started as a handful of videos shared among friends has transformed into a global platform delivering the next generation of channels to anyone, anywhere, and on any device. This last year was especially big for us. We helped bring more great channels to YouTube and we redesigned the site, making it easier for you to discover, watch and subscribe to the videos you love. And all 800 million of you all over the world have shown us we’re on the right track by increasing subscriptions 50% and watching over 3 billion hours a month.

Behind the tens of millions of channels on YouTube featuring talented filmmakers, home videos, skateboarding tricks, music, and car enthusiasts there has always been one consistent voice: you. Throughout our seven years you’ve made the YouTube community what it is. Thank you!



The YouTube Team, recently watched “"How to" throw the PERFECT *Princess Birthday Party*”

Khan Sheikhoun attack, Wildfires rage across Arizona, NATO Protests

Everyday on the CitizenTube channel (and @CitizenTube on Twitter), along with our curation partners @storyful, we look at how the top news stories are covered on YouTube. Each week we post a weekly recap of the top news stories of the week, as seen through the lens of both citizen-reported footage and professional news coverage.

• We witnessed Syrian activists claim the government was responsible for the deaths of at least 21 people in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun after attacks on a funeral procession and on UN vehicles.
• We viewed wildfires raging across parts of Arizona, increasing in size due to strong winds and continuing dry weather.
• We watched protests against the upcoming NATO summit lead to arrests outside buildings in the downtown Chicago area.
• We saw newly-elected French president François Hollande's inauguration take place in Paris.
• We followed the presidential candidates on the US campaign trail, as Mitt Romney stuck to his guns over marriage equality.
• We saw two Russians and an American board the International Space Station from a Soyuz spacecraft.
• We heard boos and mocking remarks towards Mexican presidential race front-runner, Enrique Pena Nieto, during campaign events in Mexico City.
• We monitored the deepening crisis in Greece where there were repeated attempts to form a coalition government in an effort to avoid a new election and a possible exit from the euro. 
• We bade a sad farewell to 'Queen of Disco' Donna Summer, who passed away this week in Florida after a battle with cancer.

Come back next week to watch the news unfold on YouTube. 

Olivia Ma, YouTube News & Politics, recently watched "Drinking Coffee for Longer Life".

YouTube creators can help make Mother's Day a piece of cake

Remember the days when you could give your mom a macaroni necklace, a crayon drawing of her face, or a clay imprint of your hand and her Mother’s Day was complete? Well, those days are over, but that doesn’t mean Mother’s Day can’t still be simple. Great YouTube creators are here to help make this special day as easy as possible with wonderful ideas for food, gifts, and entertainment for moms. Treat your mom’s taste buds to some home cooked grub this holiday with great tips and recipe ideas. Channels like Food. Farmer. Earth. and Kin Community are offering recipes that moms everywhere will love.

 

Forgot to get a card or a gift? Or are you looking to make something memorable, but higher quality than a pipe cleaner tiara? Look no further. Channels like ClevverStyle have great last minute gifts ideas you can go out and buy, while other channels like Digs will teach you how to whip up a DIY gift, like an indoor herb garden.

 

Finally, they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well then a video must be worth about a trillion. Show your mom how much you love her a trillion times over by building her entertaining video playlists that she will love. There are great videos for moms all over YouTube. Check out channels like CafeMom Studios, ModernMom, or The Mom’s View. Or turn to ForMom, our online survival guide for moms, with Tide and Downy that curates videos on a wide range of topics your mom might be interested in. There's everything from styling tutorials by CuteGirlsHairstyles, to budget-conscious gourmet recipes from the wcfoodies channel, to provocative conversation starters from momversation.

 

Happy Mother’s Day!

Jessica Mason, communications associate, recently watched "HELP! MOM'S MAKING A MESS!"

Obama supports marriage equality, Double explosion in Damascus, Supermoon occurs worldwide

Everyday on the CitizenTube channel (and @CitizenTube on Twitter), along with our curation partners @storyful, we look at how the top news stories are covered on YouTube. Each week we post a weekly recap of the top news stories of the week, as seen through the lens of both citizen-reported footage and professional news coverage.

• We saw marriage equality activists celebrate as Barack Obama became the first sitting US President to announce his support for same-sex marriage.
• We witnessed a double bombing at rush hour in Damascus just days after Syria held its first parliamentary election for half a century.
• We watched people worldwide turning their eyes to the sky for the supermoon phenomenon.
• We viewed a political shift in France as socialist candidate Francois Hollande emerged the victor of France's presidential election.
• We followed the presidential candidates on the US campaign trail, with the divisive Barack Obama choosing this week to officially launch his bid for re-election.
• We monitored clashes between anti-Putin protesters and police in Moscow in the hours leading up to Vladimir Putin's inauguration as president.
• We saw the Olympics torch lighting ceremony and over 175,000 people visit London's Olympic park to mark 2012 hours to go until the Games.
• We observed scenes that looked to come straight from a science fiction movie as twisters were spotted in different locations all over the world.
• We said a sad goodbye to author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, creator of children's favorite 'Where the Wild Things Are'.

Olivia Ma, YouTube News & Politics Manager, recently watched "President Obama - Gay Marriage".

70 Korean cinema classics come to YouTube

In the last few decades, South Korea has emerged as a powerhouse of cinema, with both Korean-made films winning global accolades and Hollywood remaking Korean mega-hits like My Sassy Girl, and, if industry gossip is true, Oldboy. Many of the all-time classic Korean films, however, have been hard for global audiences to get their hands on.

Working together with the Korean Film Archive, we now have 70 classic Korean films available globally for free on YouTube—complete with English and other translated subtitles. The films are all available at youtube.com/koreanfilm, organized in playlists by decade as well as by director.

Movies include A Hometown in Heart, made in the early years of Korean Independence; debut film of noted auteur Sang-soo Hong The day a pig fell into a well; A Coachman, the first Korean film to win awards internationally; and more. Many other titles like Aimless Bullet and The Barefooted Young are available in HD.

We hope this archive will keep Korean cinephiles busy for a while with films that have been too hard to find outside of Korea for too long.

Jae Hoon Jung, YouTube contents partnership manager, Google Korea, recently watched Woman of Fire.

Meet our May “On The Rise” nominees

Each month, we identify four YouTube partners whose channels have recently experienced significant growth but haven’t yet reached the 100,000 subscriber count for our On The Rise program. This month’s featured partners still have a ways to go to hit that mark, but we’re excited about how they’re exploring their passions on YouTube. Our May 2012 nominees have each tailored their channel to provide instruction to their viewers, so you can learn how to play blues guitar, about astronomy concepts, how to cook new recipes, or about gardening and sustainable living.

And not only can you learn from these partners, but you can help them grow their YouTube presence, starting with the opportunity for one of these partners to be featured on the YouTube homepage. Check out the videos below and vote for your favorite in the top right corner of this blog. In addition to your votes, each channel will be evaluated (by YouTube) on criteria such as viewer engagement and channel optimization techniques to decide which partner will be featured on the homepage, Google+, Facebook and Twitter at the end of the month.

In past months On The Rise nominees, partners like AnyoneButMeWebSeries and STRskillschool have gained many subscribers thanks to your support. The poll will be open until May 17 at 5pm PT, so don’t forget to vote for your favorite channel. Check back to see who secured the homepage feature on May 29th.

gr8bluesgtr
Anthony Stauffer has made a full-time job out of his music hobby: he was inspired by the music of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and now provides his own Texas-style blues guitar lessons online. Check out Anthony’s channel for free tutorials, premium tutorial previews, and gear reviews, and start learning how to play the blues!



tdarnell
Are you interested in astronomy concepts and news, or do you wonder how astronomy impacts our lives on a daily basis? Whether you have specific questions or are just curious, Tony Darnell’s Deep Astronomy channel will give you insight to and appreciation for the cosmos.



jakatak69
Jack Scalfani prefers “food guy” over the word “chef.” With no formal training, he fell into cooking and focuses his videos on no-fuss, easy-to-make recipes. Check out his Cooking with Jack channel which hosts a library of recipes, cooking tips, and honest product reviews.



GardenGirlTV
Patty Moreno, the Garden Girl, has a variety of videos on sustainable living, cooking, and gardening. Check out her channel to learn everything from pruning a tree and growing your own organic vegetable garden to making a rosemary infused martini and homemade jam.



If you’re interested in checking out more rising YouTube Partners, visit our On The Rise Channel, which features nominees, trending partners and monthly blog winners.

Devon Storbeck and Christine Wang, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “Lion tries to eat baby PART 1.”