> Examination: YouTube Top Content Providers

Please visit
Social Brain Wave
@ facebook to learn more about how a group of us are
helping promote the works of the individual members to
a level that is beyond what could be done alone.
http://www.facebook.com/SocialBrainWave/info

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This is the investigation, analysis, and dissection of the top youtube content providers defined by those with the most subscribers.
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=44191

The intent is that by understanding what elements go into the concept, design, execution, and promotion of market valued content that we ourselves may adopt some of these practices in developing our own content.

Why would we want to do that?
Why would we even care?

For my own reason -
From the light research I've conducted in crowdsourcing at the beginning of the filmmaking process and the marketing and promotion of the completed film products the key is to come to the table having already cultivated a following.
> Cold calling for fi$cal attention is grossly ineffective.
> Bring an interested crowd to your crowdsourcing campaign.
> Bring an interested crowd to marketing and promoting your finished film.


I would like to see some of the reasons others here at IT are interested in top youtube content providers.
Zen Steve?
Lucky Hardwood?
Icba Pictures?
Paul Griffith?
Any one else?



__________________________________________________________

http://vidstatsx.com/youtube-top-100-most-subscribed-channels

http://www.statsheep.com/p/Top-Subscribers

Looks interesting: http://willvideoforfood.com/

http://willvideoforfood.com/2012/10/19/why-are-ray-william-johnson-and-maker-studio-separating/

http://willvideoforfood.com/2012/05...ios-machinima-maker-full-screen-and-bigframe/
OVS = Online Video Studio
OVC = Online Video Company

http://www.comscore.com/Insights/Pr...eleases_March_2012_U.S._Online_Video_Rankings

www.reelseo.com/online-video-studios/

http://newmediarockstars.com/2012/09/which-youtube-network-should-you-sign-with/
This looks waaaaaay more complicated than just hanging out your shingle and hassling your family, friends, and forum friends to watch and subscibe.

Getting a little off the path with this one: http://videoproductiontips.com/equipment-needed-to-set-up-a-simple-video-studio/
 
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I'm hoping we can get away from a bulk of the material on those initial lists. I'm not going to be talking about any of the musician channels, for starters. Ditto for popular, but irregular, producers who maintain large legacy numbers while putting almost nothing new out.

Much more interested in ongoing narrative content generation, the viability (for producers) of working towards joining online "network" channels such as KoldCast (smaller) or Crackle (owned by Sony), the rapid growth of 'net-ready televisions and the content to feed the infinite channels, and a few other things I'm spacing on right now 'cos it's late.
 
I would like to see some of the reasons others here at IT are interested in top youtube content providers.

I think YouTube and other advertising-revenue based online video outlets paying your bills so you can be a full time "filmmaker" is a lot more feasible today than winning the lottery with an excellent feature made for no money and getting picked up at a festival. Not easy by any means, but easier.

Plus, YouTube videos have a better paying shelf-life than a feature. Though not much, we're still getting views and therefore ad revenue from videos made two and a half years ago. If we could repeat that a few hundred times even without increasing per-video views it would be a decent check each month.

Thanks Ray, looking forward to seeing where this goes!
 
I'm hoping we can get away from a bulk of the material on those initial lists. I'm not going to be talking about any of the musician channels, for starters. Ditto for popular, but irregular, producers who maintain large legacy numbers while putting almost nothing new out.

Much more interested in ongoing narrative content generation, the viability (for producers) of working towards joining online "network" channels such as KoldCast (smaller) or Crackle (owned by Sony), the rapid growth of 'net-ready televisions and the content to feed the infinite channels, and a few other things I'm spacing on right now 'cos it's late.
We're on the same page, fo sho.

I don't care about all of the VEVO stuff.
Peeps that produce something (even if it's really cool) at sporadic intervals don't do us much good.
That preliminary macro homework I've begun seems to geehaw with your network interets.

When that sleepy head of your's clears up I'm game for more dark corners to illuminate.



I think YouTube and other advertising-revenue based online video outlets paying your bills so you can be a full time "filmmaker" is a lot more feasible today than winning the lottery with an excellent feature made for no money and getting picked up at a festival. Not easy by any means, but easier.

Plus, YouTube videos have a better paying shelf-life than a feature. Though not much, we're still getting views and therefore ad revenue from videos made two and a half years ago. If we could repeat that a few hundred times even without increasing per-video views it would be a decent check each month.

Thanks Ray, looking forward to seeing where this goes!
Film Festivals = Vinyl/8 track/tape/CD
YouTube = MP3/Flash Memory/Cloud Storage
Times be a'changin'.
Yup.

I like the potential to BOTH cultivate a following for a larger project while monetizing that following.
Double bonus as far as I'm concerned.

Agreed. Easi-er, but not easy.

Yeah, realistically I'm not looking to grow a million or even a few hundred-thousand subscribers or viewers to a "beyond youtube" project.
I think a ten or twenty thousand subscribers/viewers would be sufficient for many of the crowdsourcing goal amounts we're accustomed to seeing.
http://www.kickstarter.com/help/stats
 
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Same goes here.
Wanting to understand the needs of the masses in order to supply their demands. Wanting a way to fund bigger projects with little ones. It's hard to do with a full/full time life. I've written 2 of 5 webisodes for a 5 min. comedy series to get my feet wet. Still need 3 more that will be good enough to get noticed, find talent, schedule shoot, edit, then release on a time frame I don't understand... Oh yeah, and feed the family at the same time.
It's creating a (new) name for consumers to look to, for entertainment. New school of thought.
I like the shelf-life Paul mentioned. But the regular production of creative content is what I want to be a part of for sure. I like to make things other people like.
 
Same goes here.
Wanting to understand the needs of the masses in order to supply their demands. Wanting a way to fund bigger projects with little ones. It's hard to do with a full/full time life. I've written 2 of 5 webisodes for a 5 min. comedy series to get my feet wet. Still need 3 more that will be good enough to get noticed, find talent, schedule shoot, edit, then release on a time frame I don't understand... Oh yeah, and feed the family at the same time.
It's creating a (new) name for consumers to look to, for entertainment. New school of thought.
I like the shelf-life Paul mentioned. But the regular production of creative content is what I want to be a part of for sure. I like to make things other people like.
Hot d@mn!
Looks like the four of us are all on the same page.

Yup, yup, yup. IDK why so may wannabe filmmakers believe that all they gotta do is ONLY make content (a single piece, at that) - and that's their golden ticket to Willy Wonka's movie studio and a Tony Stark house in BelAir.
Pfft. Disillusioned nubes.

No.
A film, feature or short, is a product just like you'd see on a shelf at WalMart or the drug store/pharmacy or gas station or home improvement center.

No one in their right mind spends a few hours and a couple hundred bucks in their garage making a widget, hit it with a couple coaks of Krylon, and think they're just going to mail it to WMT's Bentonville Arkansas HQ, get a $100k check for 100k widgets, and see 'em on the shelf next week.
Pfft. Fools.

Uh... No.

Film is a product.

To entertain or educate, it's a product that people have the choice to spend at a minimum their time (which does actually have both a opportunity and monetary cost associated with it) and if we're lucky some dinero to us.

Make/Provide a product that serves the needs of a market that can be marketed to.




One of my keenest interests in this examination is to bring to the forefront the elements that go into making cost effective content.

I've recently begun watching King of Thrones: Season One on DVD and have been not only impressed with the story but also the production quality.
Yeah, well... @ $6M per episode ($10M for the debut premiere and another $10M for season two's large battle sequence in the latter episodes) I can see why.

So, working schmucks with families like ourselves (same boat as you, here!) have gotta determine, in addition to the simple dedication/commitment of X hours per period to consistantly provide a pellet of entertainment/education to our rats, "What is a sensible and sustainable budget coming out of my zero-sum income until this little pet project can financially sustain itself?"

The time commitment, even at two, three, five hours per week or biweekly, is often enough to be robbing Peter to pay Paul. Our own opportunity cost. AND to have a $$$ cost to boot is... possibly contentious for those of us with arguably more concrete or objective demands placed upon us.

"All he needed was a $2,000 Canon camera, a $6 piece of fabric for a backdrop and a pair of work lights from Home Depot. Mr. Buckley is an example of the Internet’s democratizing effect on publishing. Sites like YouTube allow anyone with a high-speed connection to find a fan following, simply by posting material and promoting it online.

Granted, building an audience online takes time. “I was spending 40 hours a week on YouTube for over a year before I made a dime,” Mr. Buckley said — but, at least in some cases, it is paying off."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/11/business/media/11youtube.html?_r=0




Shelf-life is a treasure chest of views.
How many of us have personally "discovered" a single episode of Freddie Wong or The Annoying Orange or Charlie the Unicorn or The Mystery Guitar Man or Cyriak - and have THEN felt semi-obligated to spend another half hour watching their other content?
Guilty. More than once.
I don't really care if it's three years old.
It's new to me. So, I'm going to watch JUST ONE MORE!

Eight, ten, twenty videos later...

And the revenue keeps on rollin' in!
THAT'S the gravy.
Legacy residuals.
Can't beat it with a stick.

_____________________________________________________


"Before you get excited (or jealous), it’s a long haul to cashville. And if you start with the hope of making money, you’re doomed. You need to LOVE it, and be extremely patient as the road to loads of views is tougher to climb, and requires an ass-load of persistence. Start as a hobby and “just keep swimming.”

Finally, there are two forces at odds that impact the sustainability of this revenue for YouTube amateurs. First, we’ll probably see continued competition from more professionally-produced content that fetches higher ad dollars because it feels safer to squeamish media buyers... But the good news is that dollars are projected to grow dramatically."

http://willvideoforfood.com/2010/01/05/exclusive-how-much-money-youtube-partners-make/



As part of my general macro search ("Yeah", it's going to look like a madman wandering about for a while, so bear with me) I'm looking for why some youtube ads command a higher CPM revenues than others and what ads pay the most.
It ain't easy finding this info.
Here's some of the serendipitous "junk and shstuff" I find along the way...

http://adage.com/results?endeca=1&s...0&search_order_by=score&search_phrase=youtube

Understanding computer advertising acronyms: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/top-paying-cpm-advertisement-network/
  • CPC (Cost Per Click)
  • CPA (Cost Per Action)
  • CPM (Cost Per thousand Impressions), generally on publishers’ point of views are how much one can earn when an ad gets 1000 impressions on the website. Some ad networks pay $3/CPM, some $4, but the average is about that. If you have 700 regular unique visitors generates about 1000 impressions a day on your site, these people are not likely to click on CPC ads, so I’d say CPM ads are probably a better way out
http://www.webenterpriser.com/how-much-does-a-youtube-partner-earn

http://www.webconfs.com/make-money-website-article-32.php

http://www.adopsinsider.com/ad-ops-basics/cpm-cpc-and-cpa-pricing-for-online-media/

Content cluster:
http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/18/most-expensive-google-adwords-keywords/
http://www.marketwire.com/press-rel...wordstream-reveals-most-expensive-1539227.htm
http://www.wordstream.com/articles/most-expensive-keywords
http://www.potpiegirl.com/2011/07/highest-cpc-keywords-list/
 
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I would quote everything you just posted and put a big 'ol AGREE under it.... But I'll save space.
I notice that other websites can be utilized to enhance the profitablity of any content; facebook, pond5 maybe, etc. And spreading ourselves out to cover the available eyeballs is essential to becoming eco-sustained. Also, there's the "just do it" problem for me... I sometimes spend so much time trying to understand how to deliver, get budget (time or money), and procure, that I don't always end up making anything at all.

Thus: My goal for December is to reduce my interests in other internet area's, focus on this forum/post, and make something.!! Anything. I have accumulated my gear by seeking advice from those in the know (audio, camera, post= thank you guys) and am ready to dive in further, A solid 5 minute video with content and production value. Unfortunately this will probably take all month....lol.

Thanks again Ray, this has been a great motivator. It is hard to understand the dynamics of how CPC's, CPA's, and CPM's work, but as long as they work... We can do this!
 
A - I would quote everything you just posted and put a big 'ol AGREE under it.... But I'll save space.

B - I notice that other websites can be utilized to enhance the profitablity of any content; facebook, pond5 maybe, etc. And spreading ourselves out to cover the available eyeballs is essential to becoming eco-sustained.

C - Also, there's the "just do it" problem for me... I sometimes spend so much time trying to understand how to deliver, get budget (time or money), and procure, that I don't always end up making anything at all.

D - Thus: My goal for December is to reduce my interests in other internet area's, focus on this forum/post, and make something.!! Anything. I have accumulated my gear by seeking advice from those in the know (audio, camera, post= thank you guys) and am ready to dive in further, A solid 5 minute video with content and production value. Unfortunately this will probably take all month....lol.

E - Thanks again Ray, this has been a great motivator. It is hard to understand the dynamics of how CPC's, CPA's, and CPM's work, but as long as they work... We can do this!
A - Rockin! ... (And probably the smartest thing to do. :lol: )

B - Yup. As many points of contact as possible to create our own "impressions" is the route to go.
Gotta do the whollllllle social media circuit: Youtube, facebook, blog page, & twitter page.
Bundle them.
Pimp your shtuff at all opportunities.
Shamelessly.
If you're not embarrassed you're probably not trying hard enough to market and promote.

There's some critical mass boundary almost anything can achieve where all the rules change and an entity takes on a new form of life bound by new laws.
A self-sustaining youtube presence is the goal I have, if only to use it to move onto larger projects beyond youtube and certainly not as an end product. No disrespect to youtube.

C - Yep. Somewhat guilty myself.
I have a difficult time doing something half@ssed, so I often let basic ideas snowball into big ideas that crash under their own weight of development before I over extend myself.

I'm thinking of doing a minimalist attempt at just bare bones "Put up anything" on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
Thinking about it.
Surely I can do something

D - Yeah, I'm about to figure out how much time per week can I dedicate to putting something up.
Maybe a bi-weekly upload would probably be best in the beginning while no one's really demanding anything from me.
Maybe something that takes only a combined two to four hours to produce.
I don't think I can do the 40hrs/week dedication thing just yet, but surely I can commit to two hours across two weeks.

How many hours per week or bi-week do you guys, not just Icba, Steve? Paul? Lucky? do you think you can COMMIT to running an ongoing commoditized youtube presence?
One?
Two?
Four?
More?
Week after week after week after week?
Or bi-weekly, month after month?
For a year?
Two years?
Three or more?

I respect that we're all busy with our day jobs, families, and likely superior obligations, so it's not a completely frivolous query, and one that might better solidify the scope of our individual challenges to overcome.
"I think I can do X hrs/week.
So, I should scale my youtube program to accommodate X hrs/week, rather than XX hrs/week."


E - You, and anyone else, are welcome.
I'm going to do this research.
I might as well share it.
Besides, synergistic learning + sharing allows me to better contextify this big jumbled up wad of info, especially when asked to elaborate or defend.

:yes: You know you guys are all welcome (if not outright encouraged!) to share whatever relevant research you're running across. :yes:
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And, Icba, you may have just given me my first youtube content idea - but no promises. ;)
 
:lol:

Yeah, I ain't so full of lunacy that I'm the only one thinking of this crazy "Use your youtube site to promote your crowdfunding project."
HA!

20121126FPSRussiaKickstarter.png

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjNV2e11Klg&feature=plcp
FPSRussia has the ninth highest number of YT subscribers. http://vidstatsx.com/youtube-top-100-most-subscribed-channels

A - Link to his KS page to fund his video game
B - Pimping his T-shirt merch.

KS page: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fpsrussia/fps-russia-the-game-0

Launched: Nov 22, 2012 (That's only four days ago, peeps)
344 backers
$16,880 pledged of $51,337 goal (1/3 funded four days into a three week campaign)

Yeaaaaah, baby.

Wanna know what's worse?
Poor, poor Mr. Myers has a guesstimated annual revenue from youtube and merchandising of around $1M.
http://www.statsheep.com/FPSRussia

And here he is "panhandling" on KS for a measly $51k.
(AKA: He ain't no dummy. This is what we're SUPPOSED to be doing. Spending OPM - Other People's Money!)

:lol:
255
 
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Poor, poor Mr. Myers has a guesstimated annual revenue from youtube and merchandising of around $1M.

And here he is "panhandling" on KS for a measly $51k.

Wanna know how to have a small fortune in making movies?

Start with a large fortune.
:secret:

Yup, good idea to spend OPM where possible.

I notice some cross-branding going on in that article on Mr Myers. Cameo or guest appearance on other shows or entertainment arenas. Remember American television from the 70's & 80's? Shows like Fantasy Island & The Love Boat, especially. Shows that peddled celebrity for all their worth. I expect to see those types of shows produced by the 'net networks, if they decide to really get a handle on carving a market out. Exposing a current show's viewers to other fine characters from other shows under the same network umbrella, and keeping it all in the family. What's it going to take to stop random viewer from bingin' up the next video instead of stickin' with another video on the same channel? Familiarity with the current choices.

Btw, Ask A Ninja
smiley_ninja.gif
is/was another great subject. Ridiculous videos; made a deal (estimates vary) from $100K to 300K a month, plus revenue sharing, several years back. Tacked onto a ridiculous meme of the era, and took it straight to the bank. Dunno if deals like that are still being made (most I've been reading up on are dependent on actual performance), but he's worth reading up on. I lol'd away many a night, watching his mailbag replies. :blush:
 
I have an idea for a simple to shoot, one location, minimal props, and no actors (except me) series for YT. I should be able to upload new content from this series weekly )biweekly if I really get bogged down). Right now the TV show is in limbo and there isn't anything more that I can do for it, so I might as well do something else. The quick and easy YouTube series will be episodes of about 3-5 minutes, since it appears that is the sweet zone from your research. The new content will feature a (hopefully) memorable character that should resonate with a certain segment of the population (focused target marketing). I already have way more gear than I need to knock out webisodes fairly quickly. The next step is a trip to the Army surplus store and start shooting. Don't worry, I will pimp my new content relentlessly as it is uploaded.

Any chance of finding a market segment breakdown of the best places to whore yourself for views? Also, because I'm lazy and you're so cool, how about a list of monetized content host sights with a comparison on how they pay and average views compared to the popular standard YouTube?
 
I schemed a potential "funder" (my new word for a webseries designed to fund my bigger projects, a homemade kickstarter if you will) on the way home from work last night. I can do it in 2-3 hours a week/biweekly and maybe less once it gets rolling with a Saturday of idea cramming/writing to spur on another month or two of content. Beauty is I can shoot at work, end of day... Voila! ... Maybe...
 
Hmmmm.. I see that I far exceed the age bracket recquired to be on that list (for now). Mayhaps I needest thy younger writers for thou said YoooTooob paychecks.
Also notice that a 2 minute grab time is good for the people... get 'em, got 'em, good. Quality + quantity, but in 2-3 minutes should be doable at some point in my life. Now to just get some things uploaded...
Also it looks like the sooner one starts the sooner the hits start rolling in. A lot of 5 year old projects going on in that upper end...

Keep it coming Ray and thanx.
 
Hmmmm.. I see that I far exceed the age bracket recquired to be on that list (for now). Mayhaps I needest thy younger writers for thou said YoooTooob paychecks.
Also notice that a 2 minute grab time is good for the people... get 'em, got 'em, good. Quality + quantity, but in 2-3 minutes should be doable at some point in my life. Now to just get some things uploaded...
Also it looks like the sooner one starts the sooner the hits start rolling in. A lot of 5 year old projects going on in that upper end...

Keep it coming Ray and thanx.
Yeah, I'm almost double the average.
F#ckit.
I'll give it a go, anyways. :evil:
Screw the younger writers and content providers.

Yeah, I was quite surprised at the wide and loose variability of both the episode length and upload intervals.
I guess that's an identifier of us "old people" with our firm grasp of the "old days" where we want things all concrete in nice tidy packages. Pfft. Old people. Dey B krA-ZEE! :hmm:

2 - 4mins.
No pressure. No stress... because... no one really gives a sh!t - and I don't mean that in a bad way!
No! Really!! NO! ONE! GIVES! A! SH!T!!

Yep, yep, yep. Lotta these "kids" have been honestly beating this sh!t down for several years.
Props to them.
Can't say from age 17 to 24 that I could have followed through with weekly content.
Credit where due. :yes:


I like the Spread Sheet Specials! Keep up the good work!
You got it, bro!


Damn, Ray.
I'm in my 12th dispute with YouTube over Apple Loops alone and may never have original content. :(
WTH is "Apple Loops" and where the H have you been, man?!
Still in filim skoo?
 
BREAKDOWN: Ray William Johnson, 6,250,136 Subscribers & 2,077,991,873 Video Views

Let's tear these apart, one by one, see what they're made of, where all the gushy parts are.

Objective = nuts + bolts stuff: probable camera, mic, lighting, setting/background, FX, subject material, editing, per episode production time and cost guesstimations, etc.
Subjective = personal opinion + interpretation stuff: good or bad, target audience characteristics, givadam, is the talent "good looking"?, is that even relevant?, etc.

(I'm only willing to scrutinize these six at a time. I'm quite confident we can pick up repeating patterns with that sample size, right?)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_William_Johnson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pkloVCpVX0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5xhdntSlo8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy5PJ86ocPw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V92YrL7hNHA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJd_LeWxf8Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f23bZrJFnNo

Whadayasee?
 
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So I see someone profiting from re-playing other's content, being foul mouthed, rude, and basicly disrespectful... He is funny sometimes, and appears to be good looking. Hmmmm, I don't think my humor will make it very high up the ladder of success. And I ain't no eye candy fo' sho"....
 
And I ain't no eye candy fo' sho"....
Yeah, me neither.
Voice ain't great either.
Frankly, I'm pretty d@mn quiet in real life.



EQUALS THREE 2.0 - 4:32mins long

Format:
  1. intro
  2. 1- first viral vid on edited animated cutaway
  3. back to talent (RWJ) transition to next piece to segue to...
  4. 2 - second viral vid in the same animated cutaway donut (donut remains the same, you just fill in the hole with something different every time)
  5. cut to talent, cut to vid, cut to talent, cut to vid, vid 2 hooks into vid 1 joke
  6. 3 - third viral vid in the same animated cutaway donut
  7. cut to talent, cut to vid, cut to talent, cut to vid, vid 3 hooks into vid 2 joke
  8. close with subscribe peddle
  9. joking reference to a featured video
  10. credits w/ production company (crisp text resolution!)
  11. follow up
  12. bloopers
  13. cut to black

Objective:
  • single camera in fixed position
  • looks like decent resolution, full screen @ 1080p looks less than super crisp, probably shot at 720p
  • large soft boxes @ 10 & 2 o'clock positioned light sources
  • I'm pretty sure the comic book pages background is a green screen layer.
  • Audio is fair, a little echoey. Not lapel mic, must be overhead and forward because he likes to dodge toward the lens then retreat and the sound remains pretty consistent.
  • Deliberately jump cut edit talent left, right, and center.
  • Text + image graphics both pop and slide on/off screen, also on featured clips.
  • Cameos happen!
  • Foul language is prevalent
  • The strongest words are thinly bleeped out. Some remains.
  • Casual dress

Subjective:
  • Flippant observations and commentary on viral videos.
  • Material provides itself, he just has to comment on it, not create it.
  • Looks a lot like a guy just riffing into the bathroom mirror.
  • He has the demeanor of a charismatic product pitchman. "I'm just a guy. And I see things."
  • Goofy hair.
  • Target audience is likely more male than female (3/2), between 15 and 25-28yo, suburban middle class.
  • Guesstimated shoot time: 1hr
  • Guesstimated edit time: 2hrs
  • Guesstimated episode cost: nil, mostly labor
  • Format Construct Complexity: Low to medium-low


I'm going to bed, now.
I'll fool with the following tomorrow.


HOW TO APPROACH WOMEN - 4:46mins long


BIEBS and SELENA - 4:28mins long


YOUTUBE FAMOUS! - 4:25mins long


"OH SH!T" - 4:48mins long


DOG HAS SUPER POWERS - 4:07mins long
 
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