What
do Shawn Mendes, The Weeknd, Tori Kelly, and Justin Bieber all have in common? Yes
this was the year that they either broke out or returned onto the music scene but
did you also know that they all got their starts on social media platforms? Social
media outlets, such as YouTube and Vine, are the places to go when
aspiring-artists want to get their names out to the public. Musicians have an opportunity
to promote themselves, instead of waiting for a big break, due to these platforms.
The process to making a name for yourself in the music industry has become much
more independent thanks to social media outlets.
One
of the most recent success stories is Shawn Mendes. Originally Mendes posted
videos to YouTube but when the six-second video app Vine came out, he started
making videos there. Back in 2014 he talked with Billboard magazine about how
quickly his videos got recognition, “It snowballed to 50,000 in a few weeks, to
a 100,000; from October when I had 200,000 to [June] when I [had] 2.5 million,”
(Brown). Since his start as a Vine star, Shawn Mendes has since opened for
Austin Mahone and Taylor Swift and he is currently the headliner for his self-titled
world tour. It is too soon to tell whether Vine is an official career starting
social media platform for musicians but YouTube has definitely proved itself
over the years.
YouTube however has already brought us major stars,
such as Tori Kelly, Justin Bieber, and The Weeknd. Tori Kelly
launched her musical career on YouTube in 2006 but it wasn’t until 2013 when
she was discovered and signed to Capitol Records (Kircher). Today Kelly
currently has a deal with Pepsi and was nominated for “Best New Artist” at the
2015 Grammy’s. In 2008 Justin Bieber came onto the YouTube scene covering songs
by Ne-Yo and Chris Brown. From there Usher signed him onto Island Def Jam Music
Group and has since had a successful career, which includes his most recent
album Purpose (Kircher). Lastly, The Weeknd started posting his
original music in 2010. The songs went viral and drew attention online,
particularly once Drake posted some of The Weeknd’s music on his blog. In 2012 he
was signed with Republic Records and has since won numerous awards and has been
featured on various soundtracks, for example Fifty Shades of Grey (Kircher). Starting off by singing in their living rooms to singing in front of thousands of people, social media allowed these artists to get their music out to the world without even leaving their homes.
Within the last year the
successes of social media stars has really become more apparent than ever. In
2015, Justin Bieber and the Weeknd both rocked the Top 10 Albums of 2015 in the
U.S. chart, Justin at #3 with his album Purpose
and The Weeknd at #5 with Beauty Behind
the Madness (Caulfield). At the 2015 Grammy’s The Weeknd was nominated
seven times and took home two, one being “Best Urban Contemporary Album,” (Christman).
The artists started out on YouTube and were discovered by other well-known
artists, but have since surpassed their mentors on the Top charts.
Artists have found a new form of independence through social media, being able to brand and promote themselves. Because of the internet we are able to discover new talent every day. With enough likes and/or subscribers your favorite YouTube or Vine singer can be the next big thing in the music industry.
Works Cited
Brown, Harley. "Vine Superstar Shawn Mendes Signed to
Island Records (Exclusive)." Billboard Biz. Billboard, 4 June 2014.
Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Caulfield, Keith. "Adele's '25' Rules as Nielsen Music's
Top Album of 2015 in U.S." Billboard. Billboard, 5 Jan. 2016. Web.
27 Mar. 2016.
Christman, Ed. "Grammy Scoreboard: Tallying the Major &
Indie Label Wins." Billboard. Billboard, 16 Feb. 2016. Web. 27 Mar.
2016.
Holub, Christian. "YouTube Launching New Service for
Artists." Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Entertainment Weekly, 16
Mar. 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
Kircher, Madison. "9 Major Stars Who Got Their Start on
YouTube, Vine, and Even MySpace." Tech Insider. Tech Insider, 25
Aug. 2015. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Resnikoff, Paul. "YouTube Music Is Growing 60% Faster Than
All Other Streaming Music Services Combined." Digital Music News.
Digital Music News, 14 Sept. 2015. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Maya Stav Cohen
ReplyDeleteIndividuals attempting to reach stardom have always faced various battles and struggles, and although gaining celebrity status is still difficult, the process has evolved by providing people with social platforms through which they can share their talents to a potential audience of millions. These media platforms, such as YouTube and Vine, have led some aspiring artists to reaching a tremendous audience relatively easily and for no cost. As Drew pointed out in her blog, The New Way To Get Discovered, some of the most well-known individuals inside the Hollywood circle were discovered on YouTube and Vine. The article, Adele ‘25’ Rules as Nielsen Music’s Top Album of 2015 in U.S., backs up her statement by showing how the top ten albums of 2015 in the United States includes three artists found on the above mentioned social media platforms. The text states, “Taylor Swift 1989 is the year’s second-biggest album (3.1 million unites; 1.99 million in pure album sales), followed by Justin Bieber’s Purpose (2.22 million units; 1.27 million album sales…The Weeknd’s Beauty Behind the Madness closes 2015 as the number five most popular album (2.04 units),” (Caulfield). In addition, the article Grammy Scoreboard-Tallying the Major & Indie Label Wings, describes how half of the strongest winners were discovered on YouTube. It says, “The Grammy scorecard for artists places Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, Alabama Shakes, and The Weeknd among the big winners last night,” (Christman). As these individuals are reaching stardom through these social media applications, it has become evident that it has changed this industry tremendously.
While Vine has led to the discovery of current celebrities, YouTube has transformed itself from just a free and easily accessible platform to an application that individuals can use to expand their knowledge on how to reach larger audiences and gain a better chance at becoming famous. As the article, The Year In Pop 2015, points out, people aspiring to be famous see success stories like Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber, and want to try a strategy that worked. It describes a success story any individual has the option to discover, saying, “Fast-forward to 2014, when Swift easily, and deliberately, made the transition from Nashville darling to full-on pop star, dropping the relentlessly upbeat ‘Shake It Off’ (which debuted directly at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100) as 1989’s lead single,” (Caulfield). People may combine these success stories with the social platform’s access to helpful information and other aspects in the YouTube Artist Initiative that Drew discusses in her blog, and use this strategy as their sole attempt in reaching celebrity-status. As discovery has been especially hard for people in the past, this alternative, less expensive, easily attainable means of becoming famous has become a front runner in how new faces in Hollywood rise to the surface.
Works Cited:
Caulfield, Keith. "Adele's '25' Rules as Nielsen Music's Top Album of 2015 in U.S." Billboard. Billboard, 5 Jan. 2016. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Caulfield, Keith. " The Year in Pop 2015: Taylor Swift, '1989' and 'Uptown Funk!' Rule as Top Artist, Album and Song" Billboard. Billboard, 9 Dec. 2015. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Christman, Ed. "Grammy Scoreboard: Tallying the Major & Indie Label Wins." Billboard. Billboard, 16 Feb. 2016. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Katherine Chirillo
ReplyDeleteDr. Burns
MSS 450
29 March 2016
You’re right, Drew. Thanks to social media independent artists have the chance to develop their image and attract fans in their own way. Yes, they can now try to get their name out there. However, though platforms like YouTube are relatively easy to use, it is very difficult to break into the music industry by yourself.
You listed four artists that definitely count as success stories, but I had no idea that many of them had been discovered over social media. Honestly, I don’t think I have ever heard of Shawn Mendes in my life. On the other hand, Justin Bieber is a very familiar name, and I am very aware of the fact that he was discovered over YouTube. This makes me wonder if stars mind if they come from social media or if they hope it is a fact that will fade away with fandom. I have heard songs from Tori Kelly and I had no idea that she started out on YouTube.
This is the same for one of my favorite artists. I have been listening to The Weeknd for years, and I just found out that he began with posting his music on YouTube. Look at him now winning multiple Grammys (Christman). I knew that Drake had discovered him in a way, but Usher had also discovered Bieber. I have a feeling that social media is a good way for artists to get their names out there, but have they really made it until someone famous claims them as their own or promotes them? It’s hard to believe that artists like Bieber were once covering hits by others and are now putting out some of the most popular albums. In Bieber’s case the number three album of 2015 in the U.S. while The Weeknd follows closely behind at number five (Caulfield). If this isn’t success what is.
You also brought up another topic that I’m not very familiar with. I didn’t know that YouTube was supporting independent artists with their YouTube for Artist initiative. It definitely doesn’t hurt that so many people were discovered over their platform, and at the same time having a cost free program like that set up makes them look really good. This relates to Taylor Swift’s support of independent artists in relation to Apple. Larger companies should be responsible and set a good example. This includes paying them properly for the work they have released to the public (Bereznak).
Works Cited
Bereznak, Alyssa. "How Taylor Swift Convinced Apple to Pay Independent Artists." Yahoo. Yahoo Technology, 21 June 2015. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Caulfield, Keith. "Adele's '25' Rules as Nielsen Music's Top Album of 2015 in U.S." Billboard. Billboard, 5 Jan. 2016. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Christman, Ed. "Grammy Scoreboard: Tallying the Major & Indie Label Wins." Billboard. Billboard, 16 Feb. 2016. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
I really agree that the rise of social media stars such as Shawn Mendes and The Weeknd have truly changed how we look at the music industry in general. Outlets such as YouTube and Vine have provided people with a platform to perform while also putting their name out there, whereas in many instances it is hard to do so given how competitive the industry is for emerging artists. I also agree that YouTube has had a large impact on these artists because it is an easy way for people to see and hear things that are not only on the radio. This allows for more outreach and as you mention, free access to content without the limitations of streaming sites such as Spotify and Pandora. While I think that both are great outlets, it is a bit difficult at times to search for more obscure and lesser-known artists.
ReplyDeleteArtists such as The Weeknd have seen tremendous success despite humble starts by posting their original content online. The article, “The Year in Music News: Adele Gave the Industry Hope, Terrorists Attacked Rock’n’Roll” by Craig Rosen highlights his success by mentioning his breakthrough and seven Grammy nominations. Rosen also goes on to say that “like Lamar, the Canadian R&B crooner had two previous efforts and a growing fanbase, but 2015 marked his major breakthrough” (Rosen). So his start like many others can be seen as humble and relatable.
Similarly, along with streaming sites comes a fee, specifically for no advertisements. I think the nice thing about YouTube was always the fact that you were really the one who was searching for a new music video rather than shuffling through a list of similar songs. Although YouTube now has advertisements as well, I personally don’t really mind them because it is sometimes nice to see new artists on a different platform. Furthermore, I believe that these music-streaming sties may become more saturated with the prominent names rather than an array of artists with different experience and skills. Madi Alexander even discusses this in an article, “Apple Music, Spotify and a Guide to Music Streaming Services,” which states, “the rise in the popularity of streaming music has prompted some prominent names to enter the competition” (Alexander). Perhaps this is why these emerging artists have turned to social media outlets, because it a more practical way of being heard.
Going back to YouTube and your mention of the YouTube for Artist initiative, I think that this is an incredibly smart move. As you say, this really does serve as a new form of independence by way of social media; we are supposed to connect via these platforms so it only makes sense to connect through music as well.
Works Cited:
Alexander, Madi. "Apple Music, Spotify and a Guide to Music Streaming Services." The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 June 2015. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Rosen, Craig. "The Year in Music News: Adele Gave the Industry Hope, Terrorists Attacked Rock 'n' Roll." The Year in Music News: Adele Gave the Industry Hope, Terrorists Attacked Rock 'n' Roll. Yahoo Music, 23 Dec. 2015. Web
Angela Holdorf
ReplyDeleteI think we live in a generation where everybody is aspiring to become famous for something and it seems that everyone thinks they can sing. However, as Drew mentioned, there are a handful of very famous individuals that got their start on YouTube. Justin Bieber is the first to come to mind considering he is one of the most famous celebrities and still is growing. The best part about YouTube and Vine is that it is so simple to just record yourself and upload a video and share it. The best part about social media that Drew also pointed out is that sharing can lead to major success. Much like Drew’s example of Drake sharing The Weekends music on his blog.
As said in the article, “Adele's '25' Rules as Nielsen Music's Top Album of 2015 in U.S.” by Keith Caulfield, “The Weekends Beauty Behind the Madness closes 2015 as the No. 5 most popular album (2.04 million units) and the year’s second-biggest album after Taylor Swift was followed by Justin Bieber’s Purpose (2.22 million units; 1.27 million album sales)” (Caulfield). These facts just go to show that a simple YouTube sensation can get enough recognition to get close to most popular album and the year’s biggest album.
In another article called, “Vevo Considering Music Video Subscription Service” by Natalie Jarvey it states, “The exec's plan to transform Vevo, which currently has 17 billion video views a month, starts with its distribution of music videos. He noted that Vevo, which is co-owned by Universal Music Group, Sony Music, Abu Dhabi Media and Google, distributes on about two dozen platforms despite its reputation as a purveyor of music videos on YouTube” (Jarvey). This alone shows first off how many viewers are watching YouTube still, but how many extremely popular Music companies like Universal Music Group are linked with YouTube. A perfect example to show how easy it is to be discovered and get famous through social media.
I agree with Drew that the surge of YouTube discovered artists has a big part to do with the way we listen to music. Drew made a good argument that even with the newer forms of streaming music (Spotify and Pandora)., YouTube is still one of the leader in streaming music. Especially if an artist is looking to be discovered, they will be way more likely to be discovered on YouTube than a streaming site like Spotify. Lastly, I think it is a very smart move for YouTube to partner up with broadcast programs around the world like SirusXM in order to feature “trending tracks from YouTube that are emerging.” I think that YouTube still has a bright future ahead of them, along with the upcoming stars trying to get discovered.
Work Cited
Caulfield, Keith. "Adele's '25' Rules as Nielsen Music's Top Album of 2015 in U.S." Billboard. Billboard, 5 Jan. 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
Jarvey, Natalie. “Vevo Considering Music Video Subscription Service.” The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb 2016. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Lea Herlihy
ReplyDeletePeople that use social media to their advantage are one step ahead of others trying to make it in the same industry, or are they? Due to the success stories such as Justin Bieber, Tori Kelly, and the Weeknd streaming sites have become inundated with people hoping to become the next big thing. Sadly, because of this platforms such as YouTuhe are becoming saturated with videos. While there may be some diamonds, they're becoming more difficult to find. This is when utilizing every social media becomes important. Justin Bieber, though he did post videos on YouTube, saw Usher in a parking lot and ran up to him and asked if he could sing for him.
After being persistent, Usher finally allowed him to. This is how he got signed.
I do believe that YouTube is still the highest in music streams because it is a simple and convenient way to access music at the touch of a finger. It also makes the experience more enjoyable for the person using YouTube if they are able to listen to a song in a playlist so they don’t need to reopen the window every time they want to hear a new song. YouTube allows people to view new music as well as people’s covers of popular songs. This broadens their view on the same song, by allowing themselves to be open to different renditions of the same song. I don’t know about you (but I’m feeling 22), sorry I had to. I digress. When I’m on YouTube and I watch one cover, I immediately start watching every other cover that shows up in the queue. It becomes an addiction, and before I know it my toast is black. This addiction is what gets people noticed. In addition to all of the people out in the world that can watch hours of YouTube, the uploaders need to make sure their song choices on popular enough to get them more views. Someone who is a fantastic singer could choose an unpopular song and their views would not be as high as someone who is an O.K. singer that chose a popular song.
At the end of the day, YouTube is a big game of chance and the way to get noticed is to either have a viral video or upload consistently enough that you catch the eye of a scout that will be able to see how diverse your talent is. An article on Nielsen states, “There’s no silver bullet or blueprint for guaranteed success in the app realm, which is why understanding how to use them effectively is so critical” (Getting Appy: How Artists Use Music Apps to Engage Fans).
Streaming sites like YouTube allow users to expand their listening experience, and according to a study, “Millenial Heavy Radio listeners are 60% more likely to also listen to online radio compared to the average person” (Radio Today By the Numbers Fall 2013). This may be connected to our generations desire to not have the same music taste as everyone else. Granted they want to know the songs in the top 40, but there also appears to be a desire to be the first to hear of a new band. This, I believe, plays into the whole hipster mentality.
All in all, getting discovered will continue to change as new forms of technology are introduced. Perhaps there will be another app like Vine to skyrocket ordinary people in mansions overlooking all of Hollywood.
Works Cited
“Getting Appy: How Artists Use Music Apps to Engage Fans.” Nielsen.com 21 Nov. 2013. Web
“Radio Today By the Numbers Fall 2013.” Arbitron.com November 2013. Web.
I really enjoyed this blog post because I have seen all of the artists that Drew mentioned get discovered. I have been an active subscriber of MANY (i’m talking around 300) YouTube channels, a lot of them being musicians. There are endless amount of musicians that because of the success of people such as Justin Bieber, have decided to put themselves out there on the internet in hopes of being discovered.
ReplyDeleteI think that social media has definitely been helpful in opening doors for people who could perhaps never have been discovered if it weren’t for YouTube or Vine. The old school way of getting discovered was by taking a plane to Nashville and going from record label to record label giving out your demo. The reality of it is that a lot of people just can’t simply afford a plane ticket or even the money to burn that many CDs. By being able to shoot a video in their room and uploading it on a platform for free, the artist is able to potentially expose themselves to a huge audience since it’s on the internet for EVERYONE to see, and have more of an opportunity for their talent to catch the eye of a producer/record label, or even just gaining a huge fanbase.
Although it’s advantageous to have these platforms, the internet, as we all know, can be weird at times. There are many different reasons why people watch singers on YouTube, and it’s not always because they have talent. A lot of times, you see these singers on YouTube that have over 1 million subscribers and they are honestly not talented, but because they’re attractive or have an attractive quality about them, they continue to gain more and more popularity leading them to get record deals and brand deals. This happens especially with the millennial generation.
I’m going to use Shawn Mendes and Tori Kelly as examples, A) because Drew mentioned them and B) because I have witness their careers from the beginning up until now. I have been subscribed to Tori Kelly for 6 years, but she has been posting videos for 8 years. I watched all of her covers and I always thought to myself “I don’t understand why this girl isn’t signed. she is incredible.” Although I think Tori Kelly is beautiful, she is not what 8 years ago our society would have considered as an ideal woman. In an recent interview, she said that it took her 8 years to get to where she is now. EIGHT YEARS for her to finally get the success she deserved.
Then there’s Shawn Mendes. Like Drew mentioned in her post, Mendes said in his interview with Billboard, “It snowballed to 50,000 in a few weeks, to a 100,000; from October when I had 200,000 to [June] when I [had] 2.5 million,” (Brown) This was like a Justin Bieber situation, but his success grew exponentially, and I truly believe that this is because of the power of tweens. Everyone knows that fangirls can be very powerful and it was definitely helpful in launching Shawn Mendes’s career and lead it to where it is.
What I’m trying to say is that yes, these social media platforms are very helpful for a lot of people to get discovered however, there are still many talented artists that are not getting the recognition they deserve while others maybe not as talented are being more successful, making the industry be more about popularity rather than quality.
Works Cited
Brown, Harley. "Vine Superstar Shawn Mendes Signed to Island Records (Exclusive)." Billboard Biz. Billboard, 4 June 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Kircher, Madison. "9 Major Stars Who Got Their Start on YouTube, Vine, and Even MySpace." Tech Insider. Tech Insider, 25 Aug. 2015. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
I agree with a lot of the things that you wrote about. YouTube and Vine are two services that have catapulted a lot of people into fame. Vloggers and YouTube stars even have their own awards now, don't they? It's an interesting medium. YouTube is like the television of the internet, except anyone can upload anything they want. It's interesting how some people have utilized this and it makes sense that many big name musicians right now started off on YouTube.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with musicians starting off on YouTube is that unless they get really big, they won't make a lot of money. I know streaming services like Spotify pay their artists very small amounts for their music. I think this is why Taylor Swift decided to pull all of her music off of Spotify. It seems like a good method to getting your name out there, and it makes it easier than it would've 20 or 30 years ago when artists would be forced to hang out mixtapes on the sidewalk. Since YouTube is free (unless you get YouTube Red) it's easier to access music there than by paying for a streaming subscription such as on Spotify.
YouTube also comes with it's own type of fame. Sure, there are people like Justin Bieber who skyrocketed to the top of the charts due to his YouTube success and is now one of the top global musicians. But even artists who don't make it that "big" like Max Schneider and Boyce Avenue still have a following on YouTube with millions of subscribers. It's a new type of fame. Even if you don't end up "famous", you can end up YouTube famous.
As far as the streaming services go, I think it's very possible that YouTube is going to make people pay to listen to music on the site with YouTube red. Vevo controls so much of the music on that site that it's easy to see a monopoly forming. Right now, Spotify and Apple Music are dominating streaming services (Alexander) . YouTube is getting more hits but if they want to monetize off of it like these other services, they might start their own paid streaming service. If Vevo did this, it would change YouTube forever. "The exec's plan to transform Vevo, which currently has 17 billion video views a month, starts with its distribution of music videos" (Jarvey). That's a lot of hits. Spotify and Apple music could be in trouble if Vevo decides to go down this route.
Jarvey, Natalie. “Vevo Considering Music Video Subscription Service.” The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb 2016. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Alexander, Madi. "Apple Music, Spotify and a Guide to Music Streaming Services." The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 June 2015. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Convenience may be the key word to our class discussions and is certainly the direction where our society is headed when it comes to entertainment, media and social media. It's virtually impossible nowadays to do something and not have someone see it, so it comes to no surprise that sites such as YouTube have generated some superstars in the entertainment industry. Think about it....ever sine "MyStory" became popular on Snapchat everyone can essentially keep track of what's going on in people's lives and that has snowballed into celebrities and sports teams now being available on the app. Drew makes a great point in suggesting that we live in a society where the line between famous and "normal" is vastly shrinking due to the fact that there are SO many ways to become noticed.“YouTube delivered 60.6% more streams than all audio-only, on-demand streaming music services combined, free or paid (Resnikoff)."
ReplyDeleteJustin Bieber is arguably the biggest star on the planet and all he did was record covers of songs in his room and post them on YouTube. It's that sentence that lets people realize how possible it is to get themselves out there in the media stream. Granted, Bieber is extremely talented, but that's not the point. The point is that he went on his computer like a normal person, recorded songs in front of said computer like a normal person and is now famous because of it. However, the only problem with these media outlets being available 24/7 is that EVERYONE and their mother now thinks it's possible to be famous even if they're not that good at something. A great comparison I can use is sports recruiting videos. People pay a good chunk of change to have themselves or have their son/daughter videotaped to make a highlight video even when they're horrible. I'm not a huge YouTube viewer, but I can almost guarantee there are hundreds of thousands of videos of people trying to sing, dance or be funny when that's just not the case.“The rise in the popularity of streaming music has prompted some prominent names to enter the competition (Alexander)."Therefore, with this crop of extremely untalented people entering this convenience train, many extremely talented individuals are as well. It's no coincidence that Justin Bieber, The Weekend or Shawn Mendes got noticed. They're all very talented and clearly record companies are taking this social media age seriously because none of those artists would've been noticed if it weren't for the high number of views their videos received on YouTube.
I'd like to think I'm not the only person who does this, but I rarely buy music anymore. All I have to do is open up YouTube, open up another tab, Google a "YouTube to mp3 Converter" and I can take songs directly from the website to my iTunes library. Is that the right thing to do? Absolutely not. It's just the most convenient and easy way to do so. In my opinion, that's the biggest problem this new social media age of music faces because a great deal of money is lost for the music industry from thousands of people doing exactly what I just described. Sure, this way of getting noticed helps so many people live their dreams, but it also has the potential to handicap the music industry if more people realize that they don't have to pay for music anymore.
Alexander, Madi. "Apple Music, Spotify and a Guide to Music Streaming Services." The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 June 2015. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Resnikoff, Paul. "YouTube Music Is Growing 60% Faster Than All Other Streaming Music Services Combined." Digital Music News. Digital Music News, 14 Sept. 2015. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.