If you make the videos, they will come.
Justin Bieber's discovery through YouTube solidified the dream of every independent musician. Because anyone can post videos to YouTube, anyone can be discovered and catapulted to rock 'n' roll - or teenybopper pop - fame.
But YouTube has its own set of stars within its community. Instead of waiting for a high-powered record label executive to stumble upon their videos and pick up the phone, musicians have begun to use YouTube to establish their own fame. A band of British YouTube vloggers and musicians called the Sons of Admirals has pioneered this technique to get radio play and a very devoted fan base.
The Sons of Admirals is made up of a group of independent musicians with their own solo channels and albums, released under DFTBA Records, an independent record label created by vlogbrother Hank Green to support and promote YouTube musicians and nerd rock. The members of Sons of Admirals, Alex Day, Tom Milsom, Charlie McDonnell and Eddplant, have very distinctive musical styles and skill sets when it comes to arranging songs and making videos. And what originally started out as a one-off project has turned into a full-fledged band.
The group's first song was a cover of Cat Stevens' "Here Comes My Baby," a song which has since gotten radio air time in Britain thanks to creative social networking campaigns that included, but were not limited to, publicity via Twitter, text message and vlogging. The YouTube video premiered in July and the song was made available on iTunes around the same time, but the band has since removed it from iTunes in preparation for re-launching it Oct. 25 as part of a digital bundle that will include the original song, a new song and a behind-the-scenes video. And although the group's popularity is not up to Justin Bieber's level, its members have the added benefit of knowing that they have orchestrated this on their own.
YouTube has been instrumental in the creation and promotion of a whole genre of music, in addition to artists and bands. And much of it started out with wizard rock, or Wrock, a genre of music devoted to Harry Potter.
Wrock bands played in libraries, backyards and parks and printed CD labels on their computers. It since has devolved into the genre of nerd rock, which incorporates songs about Star Wars, Firefly, Dr. Who, the Hunger Games series, robots and complaints about the amount of time your boyfriend spends playing World of Warcraft. Bands like Skyway Flyer, All Caps, ChameleonCircuit and the Oceanic Six have joined bands like Harry and the Potters and the Remus Lupins to provide a soundtrack to your love for your favorite guilty pleasure.
YouTube is the ultimate democratic institution. Anyone can make a video. Anyone can post it. Through the years, YouTube users have found ways to make the site work for their creativity to allow for different kinds of music that might not have seen the light of day otherwise. They have moved past the record label and the sell-out period to make music about things they love for people who love the same things. YouTube has expanded horizons for music listeners, making it easier for niche genres to emerge and prosper.
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