I started the channel by posting some videos that were not allowed to be played in the country, then some protest videos that became very popular and were taken up by news outlets. So at that point, it got a lot of subscribers. Sat on it for a while doing nothing, then i realized there was an opportunity. I tried to explain to some artists initially what YouTube could do for them. Most of them didn't understand. They'd just put up their stuff on Facebook or Soundcloud. So i initially did it without their permission. I took 2 really popular artists' material and put it up on the channel then sent a letter at the end of the month with a report and asking them how they wanted to be paid. Out of the blue, they had someone offering them money. So then we had a conversation.
Some other artists already had channels, so they were hesitant, so i approached some of them and tried to explain momentum. They didn't understand either, so I took the same material they had on their channels and put it up then gave them the reports and checks at the end of the month as well. Then they understood it would be tough to go it alone. From there onward, it was much easier getting artists to post on the channel.
I am now looking for ways to move the thing forward. I am getting to a point where I have too many uploads which sometimes dilutes the attention, so I might open another channel. Unfortunately I am not large enough to manage other personal channels as a small MCN.