Imagine Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson sitting around after a show comparing war stories of the obstacles they had to overcome to have their talent universally recognized. Their stories would most certainly mirror those of any other black artist striving to carve out their own piece of celebrity before the advent of the Internet. You see, back then an artist didn’t have the ability to just push the upload button and instantly share their music with millions of people. Without that luxury, artists were forced to undergo a grueling grassroots promotional campaign, often tirelessly moving from city to city to build up their fan base.
In many ways, those were the good old days. An artist was forced to earn their stripes by rising up through the ranks. Because of this, artists learned how to perform and win a crowd over. Why was that important? Well, that was the only hope they had of continuing their career.
The only point of contention with this business model was artists’ lack of control over their careers. In many instances, artists were at the mercy of their record label, and could only hope that execs would do their part to properly promote them and keep them in the public’s consciousness. Many times, the label dropped the ball, leaving an artist broke and disgruntled.
Over time, the Internet began to capture the imagination of the general public, and artists found ways to capitalize on the limitless boundaries of this burgeoning media platform. WhenYou Tube arrived on the scene in 2005, more power was placed in the hands of both established and aspiring artists, and artists were able to build a fan base without a label’s permission. Rapper Soulja Boy and pop sensation Justin Bieber may be the greatest examples of the power of YouTube, because both created their fame from their own user-generated content.
But for every Soulja Boy and Justin Bieber success story, there are hundreds of aspiring artists who tap into the power of YouTube, and … well … they just aren’t any good. Take for instance, this video below.
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Back when Robinson and Wonder were vital cogs in the Motown machine, there was no way that “Lemme Smang It” would have made it to Berry Gordy’s door. The same can be said for countless other songs uploaded to YouTube on a daily basis. So while YouTube has leveled the playing field and allowed anyone the opportunity to make it big, that freedom comes with a cost … namely the general public having to listen to lots of bad music in hopes of uncovering that one gem. –djr
