The End of an Era

Overview: Rick Bato’s 10-Year YouTube Anniversary

Rick Bato marks the 10th anniversary of his YouTube channel, reflecting on how it started, what made it resonate, and why a single “viral” moment became a turning point.

Origin of the Channel and Early Use of YouTube (2007–2016)

• First uploads: Began uploading to YouTube on October 22, 2007, mostly to share family videos. He sent links because the files were too large to email.
• Channel launch: Officially launched the channel in June 2016:
  • Trailer: June 2
  • First video: June 8

The Turning-Point Video (Dec. 15, 2015): The “Viral” Moment

While attending events for his daughter and then going to a school board meeting, Rick asked his young son Dylan (around age 8) to demonstrate advanced ear training—specifically identifying pitch-perfect chords.

What Dylan Demonstrated

• Naming and identifying increasingly difficult poly chords
• Including augmented triads and closely related inversions

How It Initially Spread

• Rick first shared the video so a friend, Shane Lee, could show it to Shane’s wife Angie.
• It then spread quickly on Facebook:
  • From about ~5,000 views
  • To tens of thousands
  • Then millions
  • With rapid view growth and widespread attention

Why Rick Believes It Went Viral

Rick argues it wasn’t just the impressive performance by a child—it was the music theory content embedded in the chord labeling.

• The chords were extremely difficult and close-sounding, often relying on:
  • Inversions
  • Near-identical note sets
• Musicians recognized how extraordinary it was that Dylan could distinguish them accurately.
• Rick also claims more knowledgeable musicians helped share it through their own networks.

Motivation for Making Music Content Public

Rick explains that he previously hadn’t posted much online because he generally didn’t want to be visible.

A major influence was the illness and death of his mother:

• May 2015: His mother suffered a stroke
• She was later in a nursing home
• She died three weeks before his first YouTube upload
• His father had died earlier (2004), and his mother later (2016)

With both parents gone, Rick felt compelled to “give back” by teaching and sharing the music knowledge he benefited from—especially since he grew up in Fairport, New York, where the music education system was strong.

Evolution of the Channel

Early years

The channel started with niche but highly technical topics, including:

• Music theory
• Odd scales and modes (major-related variants, harmonic minor/major concepts)
• Ear training
• Mixing breakdowns

By 2018

The channel broadened into more general content, such as:

• “what makes this song great”
• More in-person interviews, including a Peter Frampton interview in 2018

Ongoing style

Rick says the channel has retained a “YouTube 1.0” feel:

• Camera-to-person aesthetic
• Consistent editing style
• Improved production
• Featuring major artists

Looking Ahead: “YouTube 3.0” / Rick Bato Everything Music 3.0

Rick plans to keep making similar music-focused videos, with:

• More interviews
• Deeper discussion of music theory
• Topics he personally finds interesting

He invites viewers to share feedback via comments and to subscribe.

Presenters / Contributors Mentioned

• Rick Bato (presenter)
• Dylan (son; featured in the viral ear-training demonstration)
• Lennin (daughter; referenced)
• Mike (brother; mentioned)
• Angie (Shane’s wife; referenced)
• Shane Lee (friend; mentioned as producer/connection who shared the video)
• Peter Frampton (interviewee; referenced)
• “Tom” (named as the editor of the video)