Company type | GmbH |
---|---|
Industry | Music |
Founded | February 2016 |
Founders |
|
Headquarters | Oranienstrasse 183, 10999 , , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Brandon Payano (A&R) [1] Jimi Steil (Film Director) [2] |
YouTube information | |
Channel | |
Years active | 2016–present |
Genre | Music |
Subscribers | 7.23 million [3] |
Total views | 2.76 billion [3] |
Last updated: 16 Jan 2024 | |
Website | colorsxstudios.com |
Footnotes /references [4] [5] [6] [7] |
ColorsxStudios GmbH (formerly Colors Media UG ), commonly known as Colors (stylized in all caps), is a German music performance platform that aims at introducing and showcasing emerging artist talent in the form of videos with minimalist aesthetics. Since its inception in February 2016, their eponymous YouTube channel has amassed over five million subscribers and almost two billion cumulative views. The recognisable peculiarity of their videos is that each band or artist is filmed alone on stage with a neutral background of a particular color. [8] [2] [9] [10] [11]
Having hosted artists such as Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Jorja Smith, Takeoff, Daniel Caesar, Elmiene, Kali Uchis, Mahalia, Angèle and Mac DeMarco, [12] [13] [8] ColorsxStudios is credited with somewhat helping upstage and promote new artists in the music, traditional media and fashion industries. [10] [14] It is also commonly acknowledged alongside Tiny Desk Concerts, Sofar Sounds, Live Lounge and Mahogany Sessions as one of the biggest live music channels on YouTube. [15] [16] [8] [2]
In 2016, Philipp Starcke left his advertising job in Hamburg to fully embark on a new project concerning his passion for music and the discovery of new artists. His concept was simply to create quality music videos in a clean style that stands out from the multitude of content on social networks. Starcke believed that this would "connect people, countries and cultures on a creative and emotional level." He then contacted his friend Felix Glasmeyer, who was then a fashion photographer in New York, to present his project to him. Glasmeyer was quickly convinced and then moved to Berlin to help Starcke set up a new studio. At first, it was Starcke’s savings that made it possible to rent a small former broadcasting studio located within the Funkhaus building on Nalepastraße. Without any recording equipment or contact in the music industry, the beginnings of ColorsxStudios were complicated according to its creators. Jonas Weber, an expert in the digital economy, also joined Starcke and Glasmeyer to help develop this concept. [2] [5] The first artist invited to perform on stage was Australian folk singer Emilio Mercuri (Redcoats), who performed his song "Sienna" accompanied only by his acoustic guitar. [8] [17] The video of this recording was posted on February 19, 2016, on YouTube and marks the first episode of a long series titled "A Colors Show". [18]
Initially, the company was officially registered as Colors Media UG by Philipp Starcke on 14 March 2017, but later rebranded as ColorsxStudios GmbH in September 2019, increasing its share capital up from €900 to €25,000 and crediting Felix Glasmeyer and Jonas Weber as co-founders. [5] [4] [19] Apart from earning revenue from advertisements running before videos, ColorsxStudios also used partnerships with brands like Adidas and WeTransfer in 2018. [20] [21] In December 2020, over 200 recordings from ColorsxStudios sessions were made available on streaming platforms, with a comprehensive playlist on Spotify amassing over 200 thousand followers within only one month of creation. [22] On social media platforms other than YouTube, ColorsxStudios has amassed over one million followers on their Instagram page, [23] and over 266 thousand followers on their Facebook page. [24]
The main Colors video series are categorized under the following names:
The artistic and committed identity of ColorsxStudios has become increasingly defined since their inception. Their social engagement charter states that their responsibility is to choose artists whose voices and messages are part of an inclusive and culturally diverse structure, whose goal is to build bridges between cultures and artistic disciplines. [26] This diversification of means of expression and this choice to broadcast committed artists are fully in line with the founding principles of the studio, which is now defined as a "musical platform" in the broad sense. [27] In the same vein, ColorsxStudios has launched an online store where they sell a range of products ranging from environmentally responsible clothing to vinyls featuring certain original titles. [28]
YouTube (YT) is an American online video sharing platform owned by Google. Accessible worldwide, YouTube was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States, it is the second-most visited website in the world, after Google Search. As of January 2024, YouTube has more than 2.7 billion monthly users, who collectively watch more than one billion hours of videos every day. As of May 2019, videos were being uploaded to the platform at a rate of more than 500 hours of content per minute, and as of 2021, there were approximately 14 billion videos in total.
Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie, is a Swedish YouTuber known for his comedic videos. Kjellberg's popularity on YouTube and extensive media coverage has made him one of the most noted online personalities and content creators. He has been portrayed in media as a figurehead for YouTube, especially in the genre of gaming.
NTS Radio is an online radio station and media platform which launched in Hackney, East London. The station was founded in April 2011 by Femi Adeyemi "for an international community of music lovers". NTS broadcasts from its studios in London and Los Angeles, as well as remote worldwide broadcasts from its mix of resident hosts and guests. NTS produces a diverse range of live radio shows, digital media and events.
Shots Podcast Network is a podcasting company founded by brothers John Shahidi and Sam Shahidi.
Yseult Marie Onguenet, known mononymously as Yseult, is a French singer-songwriter and model. She rose to prominence after becoming the runner-up on the tenth season of Nouvelle Star, a French singing reality competition television series. She subsequently signed to Polydor Records, before releasing her debut album, Yseult, in 2015. Since leaving Polydor, she has released three extended plays as an independent artist: Rouge (2019), Noir (2019) and Brut (2020). She performed the song "My Way" for the 2024 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony.
YouTube is the official YouTube channel for the American video-sharing platform YouTube, spotlighting videos and events on the platform. Events shown on the channel include YouTube Comedy Week and the YouTube Music Awards. Additionally, the channel uploaded annual installments of YouTube Rewind between 2010 and 2019. For two brief periods of 36 and 11 days in late 2013, this channel was ranked as the most-subscribed on the platform. As of March 2024, the channel has earned 39.8 million subscribers and 3.05 billion video views.
Evan Fong, known online as VanossGaming, is a Canadian YouTuber, music producer, and DJ. As one of the most popular gaming personalities on YouTube, his videography consists of montage-style videos of him and other creators playing various video games, such as Grand Theft Auto V, Garry's Mod, and various titles from the Call of Duty franchise. Born in Toronto, Fong dropped out of his Economics degree at the University of Pennsylvania to focus on his YouTube channel. On September 15, 2011, Fong registered his gaming channel "VanossGaming", where he would later find sustained success. Signing with multi-channel network (MCN) Machinima early in his career to monetize content, Fong was regularly the most viewed Machinima channel during his time with the MCM; "VanossGaming" was also one of the most subscribed channels on YouTube during the 2010s. Fong has since developed into a central figure in the video game commentary subculture.
Elizabeth Eden Harris, known professionally as Cupcakke, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter known for her hypersexualized, brazen, and often comical persona and music.
Audiotree is an American music record label located in Chicago, founded in 2011. The company records and publishes live music sessions. It also promotes artists and organizes live events, and invites artists from around the world to enter a professional studio setting, to record, perform, and release a live EP free of cost.
Yellow Flower is the sixth extended play (EP) by South Korean girl group Mamamoo. It was released by RBW on March 7, 2018 and distributed by LOEN Entertainment. The EP contains seven total songs, including the singles "Paint Me" and "Starry Night". The EP is the first album under the Four Seasons, Four Colors project.
A YouTuber is a type of content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006, and subsequently appeared in the 2006 Time Person of the Year issue.
Robin Daniel "Robbie" Skinner, known professionally as Cavetown, is a British singer-songwriter, record producer, and YouTuber. His style blends elements of indie rock, indie pop and bedroom pop with mellow, gentle ukulele ballads.
Black Pumas is an American psychedelic soul band based in Austin, Texas, led by singer/songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada. The group received its first Grammy Award nomination in 2020 for Best New Artist.
"Blue" is a song by Dutch disc jockey and producer Tiësto with vocals by British singer and songwriter Stevie Appleton. It was released on 13 December 2019 by Musical Freedom in the Netherlands as the fourth single from Tiësto's seventh studio album The London Sessions.
Niki and Gabi were an American duo composed of twin sisters Niki DeMar and Gabi DeMartino. They rose to fame following the creation of their YouTube channel, where they posted covers and vlogs. They partnered with Awesomeness to produce several web shows, including their self-titled reality series which has run for five seasons. They made their acting debut in the 2016 comedy-drama film Dance Camp, and their official debut single "First" was released in 2017.
Moonbug Entertainment is a British children's media company and multi-channel network headquartered in London, with an office in Los Angeles. Founded in 2018 and owned by Candle Media, Moonbug creates and distributes children’s video and audio content. It is known for managing popular YouTube channels Cocomelon and Little Baby Bum, as well as series such as Mia's Magic Playground, Blippi, and My Magic Pet Morphle.
Collapsed in Sunbeams is the debut studio album by British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks, released via Transgressive Records on 29 January 2021. The album received widespread acclaim, with many music critics praising Parks' versatility and vulnerability. The record was supported by seven singles including "Black Dog" and "Hurt". The album won the 2021 Mercury Prize, and was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.
Shaeem Santino Wright known as Lord Apex, is a British MC who grew up in White City, London, United Kingdom. His music crosses multiple styles of rap, including UK hip-hop, alternative hip hop, and lo-fi hip hop.
Carla Prata is an Angolan-Portuguese R&B singer-songwriter.
YouTube Studio, formerly known as YouTube Creator Studio, is a platform created by the American video-sharing platform YouTube. YouTube Studio enables content creators to manage their online presence on YouTube, analyze audience engagement, and generate revenue if they are in the YouTube Partner Program.
The studio itself is tucked away in Funkhaus Berlin. Originally registered as Colors Media UG in Berlin by Philipp Starcke in 2017, COLORS rebranded as Colorsxstudio GmbH last month, bringing its share capital up to €25,000 from €900 and adding Felix Glasmeyer and Jonas Weber on board as co-founders.