Nowadays, the internet is an important tool for aspiring bands and musicians. Demo tapes have practically been discarded in favor of mp3 downloads and homemade music videos.
It's possible for artists to gain recognition and even record deals by posting their music on websites like MySpace (a popular social networking site which is well-known for promoting musicians) and YouTube (a video-hosting site). These artists are known as “internet celebrities,” “web celebs,” or “cyberstars.”
(My)Space Case
Within a few months of uploading their songs to MySpace, the previously unknown LA-based rap-rock band Hollywood Undead had over a million plays and a fan base that most bands have to tour for years to achieve. “It's crazy,” former band member Shady Jeff told the New York Times. “If you look at our page, it's like we're a huge band that's toured a hundred times.”
Hollywood Undead's first single, “No. 5,” was featured on the first MySpace Records compilation album. Although MySpace didn't end up signing them due to disagreements about censoring their lyrics, they owe most, if not all of their success to the attention they received through the site.
Cyber-Star
Like H.U. and other artists such as glam rapper Mickey Avalon, Jeffree Star (formerly known as C*NT), flamboyant singer/songwriter, fashion designer, and makeup artist, used MySpace, as well as other networking sites like Friendster and LiveJournal, to promote his music and to further his fashion career. (He has also collaborated with H.U. on several songs.) Star posted provocative photos and blogged about fame, beauty and self-image, the same themes that permeate his unique, assured, often obscene lyrics.
“I was the first one to have high-speed internet before all my friends,” he told LA weekly in 2007. Star now has a cult following of over one million on MySpace alone, and receives an average of 50,000 comments every time he posts a new photo. “To be honest,” he said, “the best part of this whole thing is getting e-mails from people who say I inspire them and help them in some way.”
Manual Exposure
Twenty-something Marié Digby is a singer/songwriter, guitarist and pianist who from 2004-2007 posted several original songs and acoustic covers of songs by popular artists such as Rihanna, Linkin Park and Maroon 5 on YouTube. (She is best known for her cover of Rihanna's “Umbrella.”) Her self-produced videos showed her singing and playing in her home. Since then, she has released a total of three studio albums, including one in Japanese, and her music has been featured on episodes of Smallville, The Hills, ER, and other popular TV shows and movies.
With over 170,000 subscribers, Digby is listed as the 11th most subscribed musician on YouTube. “It’s the power of word of mouth,” she said in a 2008 interview with Nichi Bei Times (a Japanese-American newspaper). “People are finding my videos, telling their friends, and my exposure kind of exponentially grows that way.”
 |
