MBABANE – Gospel star Nothando Hlophe recently hit a digital milestone when her latest song, Methodist Medley, hit over one million views on YouTube. Despite this impressive achievement, she is yet to earn revenue from the platform, as her YouTube Partner Programme (YPP) application is still pending.
Content creators are constantly reminded that to earn from YouTube, they must meet specific requirements, including having at least 1 000 subscribers, accumulating 4 000 public watch hours in the past 12 months, and complying with YouTube’s community guidelines and terms of service to be formally accepted into the YouTube Partner Programme.
Nothando Hlophe, despite reaching the viewership and engagement thresholds without cashing out, pending the YPP application, has gone public. According to her manager, Phindo Sithole, the team applied two months ago and is “expecting a response this week or next week.”
Once approved, Nothando Hlophe stands to be among the global leads, who typically earn between US$500 and US$1 500 (E8 572.21 – E25 716.63) per million views, though rates vary by content type, audience location, and engagement. In South Africa, YouTubers report earnings of roughly R9000 to R27 000 (US$500–US$3 000) per million views.
For gospel music specifically, the revenue per 1 000 views (RPM) usually ranges from US$0.50 to US$1.50 (E8.57 – E25.72). Given that Nothando Hlophe’s audience is primarily in Southern Africa, her earnings are expected to fall at the lower end of the global range.
This multi-faceted approach allows musicians to turn YouTube engagement into a sustainable career, not just rely on ad payouts.
While the payout is delayed, Nothando’s team remains optimistic. Her strong fanbase, consistent engagement, and growing digital presence are expected to translate into meaningful revenue once monetisation begins.
Her journey highlights a reality many musicians face: online success does not always immediately translate into earnings. YouTube’s approval process, combined with platform requirements, can create a waiting period even for creators with millions of views.
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