Chapter 4

Most of the comments showered him with compliments, boosting his spirits. However, there were a few critical remarks that couldn't be ignored.

In response to these criticisms, he could only shrug his shoulders in a gesture of helplessness. He knew that despite the countless hours of practice and the meticulous selection of the best performances, it was still not enough to mask his amateurishness in some aspects.

Deep down, he realized that singing might not be his natural forte, but he was determined to compensate for any shortcomings through sheer determination and persistence. He understood that, for him, quantity could make up for the lack of absolute perfection.

After taking a moment to regain his composure, Edward started contemplating his future plans.

Initially, he believed it would take over a month to meet the eligibility criteria for YouTube's monetization program. However, the rapid increase in his subscriber count took him by surprise.

To join the program, he needed to amass 1,000 subscribers and accumulate 4,000 public watch hours. Achieving the 1,000 subscriber milestone seemed relatively easy, and he anticipated surpassing that requirement within three or four days.

But the 4000 public watch hours... This metric represented the combined time that individuals spent watching his videos.

He was aware that each YouTube video had its own watch time count, contributing to the overall count for his channel. To meet the criteria for monetization, he needed to amass 4,000 viewing hours within a continuous 12-month period.

Considering that the total duration of his video was approximately 4 minutes, with 60 minutes in an hour, he deduced that it would require a total of 15 views to equate to a single hour of watch time. This insight provided him with a clear understanding of the task ahead.

Calculating the 15 views per hour and multiplying by four thousand, the total views required to achieve 4,000 viewing hours were about 60,000.

However, taking into account that not every view contributed a full 4 minutes to the viewing duration, he estimated that he might actually need more than 70,000 views to reach his goal.

For these, Edward was a bit doubtful whether they could be achieved.

After all, it is normal for platforms to direct initial traffic to newly uploaded content, but the real challenge was whether he could maintain a stable viewership.

An hour later, his time ended, and Edward hurriedly headed back home to create another draft for his next song cover.

Three days later, as he expected, the number of subscribers exceeded 1,000, reaching 1,052 in total.

The number of views had also reached an impressive 26,208. 

While these results were certainly astounding and even got him a bit excited, there was a tinge of disappointment as well.

Edward understood that the high view count was mainly due to the novelty of his video.

Upon closer examination of the statistics, it was evident that the decline in views was quite noticeable.

Starting with 13,000 on the first day, it dropped to 9,000 on the second day and further to 4,000 on the third day.

Edward foresaw that this trend would likely continue, resulting in even fewer views in the days to come.

In this regard, Edward felt somewhat helpless.

He understood that he could promote his YouTube video on various platforms, but he questioned the effectiveness of such efforts.

It was a time-consuming task, and at best, it might only add a few hundred views, which didn't seem worth it.

Rather than spending his time on advertising, he figured it would be more productive to create another song cover.

Days passed, and after finalizing his plan, Edward returned to the previous shooting site not far from their apartment to work on another song cover.

This time, he had chosen to cover the song "Jeepney" by Sponge Cola, released in 2004.

(Note: Jeepneys are a popular mode of public transportation in the Philippines, known for their colorful decoration and crowded seating, and have become a cultural symbol.)

Unlike "Your Song," this time he chose a purely Tagalog (Filipino) song.

There are several reasons for this choice. First, there aren't many English songs that suit his vocal style. Second, he wanted to demonstrate his ability to sing both English and Filipino songs.

As he strummed the guitar, the rhythm was fast-paced yet smooth, creating an engaging melody.

Bumaba ako sa jeepney (I disembarked from a jeepney).

Kung saan tayo'y dating magkatabi (where two of us were once side by side)

Magkahalik ang pisngi nating dalwa (We were cheek to cheek)

Nating dalawa (That's how it was)

Panyo mo sa aking bulsa (Your hanky in my pocket)

O ang kahapon ay naroon pa rin (Oh yesterday remains and permeates)

Ang tawa nati'y humahalay (Our laughter gives way)

Sa init nating dalawa... (to the heat we have inside )

Edward's dedication to the song was evident as he covered each verse and chorus over the course of five minutes. However, despite his efforts, when he played back the recording, it was clear that the sound quality left much to be desired. 

However, with the experience gained from covering his previous song, Edward felt a newfound sense of confidence. He adjusted his mindset and dove into the recording process once more, determined to improve his performance and create a better cover of "Jeepney" by Sponge Cola.

A day later.

The views on Edward's 'Your Song' cover had reached 43,302, leaving him only 27k views short of the estimated 70,000 views required for 4,000 public watch hours.

Meanwhile, his cover of "Jeepney" was still in progress.

This time around, the entire process, though not without its share of trial and error, felt considerably smoother compared to his earlier experiences.

Perhaps it was due to his previous experience or the comfort he found in singing Filipino songs, but Edward quickly became familiar with the material. His progress was steady, and it seemed like he wouldn't take long to finish recording the song cover.

On the third day of recording the second song and the sixth day since he posted his initial video, Edward noticed that the view count on his latest song cover had slowed down. It had increased from 43,302 to 45,421, adding only a little over 2,000 views.

Edward's response to the slowing view count on his latest song cover wasn't one of disappointment; instead, he felt satisfied.

This outcome had already surpassed his initial expectations.

He had initially believed that it would take months for his videos to gain any traction, but it appeared he had underestimated the ratio between content creators and viewers at this time.

Nonetheless, he understood that, in this era, most people didn't fully comprehend the value of web traffic, so the situation was reasonable.

After all, the Philippines at this time is equivalent to the US in 2000.

To elaborate, during this time in the Philippines, the idea of earning a living through online content creation is questionable to many.

Making money online was viewed with skepticism and often as a potential scam.

As a result, most Filipino content creators didn't take their work seriously.

They posted videos without putting much effort into quality or professionalism. Instead, their content creation was more of a casual hobby rather than a genuine pursuit of a career.

This mindset contributed to the lower standards of content on online platforms, making Edward's dedicated approach stand out even more.

End.