YouTube has made some compelling new changes in the last week. The video site just announced the launch of its “Cards” system, which is designed to eventually supplant annotations. The company also announced its new site, “YouTube for Artists,” essentially a resource guide for music artists promoting their work on YouTube. In addition, YouTube now supports 360-degree video formats in most of its mobile and Internet platforms, a move the company promised earlier in the year to address the growing interest in virtual reality content.

“YouTube says it will support 360 video viewing in its existing YouTube Android app, on YouTube’s website, and in embedded videos on Chrome,” reports Wired. “Mobile users can tilt their device around to adjust the point of view, much like you would with an augmented reality experience, while on the desktop, viewers can use their mouse to drag the video and see new angles.”

Google is working with camera manufacturers to make 360-degree videos easier to upload to YouTube. The company has been working with Bublcam, Giroptic’s 360cam, IC Real Tech’s Allie, Kodak’s SP360 and the Ricoh Theta.

Better search functionality and features such as filters are expected in the future. Also, support for iPhone and iPad is anticipated.

Meanwhile, YouTube for Artists “includes tips about how to get discovered, how to engage fans, and how to generate revenue, among other things,” reports TechCrunch. “It also points artists to the newly launched ‘Cards,’ which are interactive overlays that video publishers can use for a variety of purposes, including to help with raising funds via a crowdfunding campaign, selling merchandise, promoting upcoming shows, and more.”

“In addition, the site connects artists with information about free production resources available around the world, as well as how they can leverage their YouTube views for getting charted on Billboard or played on SiriusXM, for example.”

YouTube is also developing tools that address demographics, where fans are located, official view counts and more, designed to help musicians determine when to release videos and where to plan their live performances.