The Power of Youtube

Damon Albarn continued a prolific run of form this spring with the release of the latest album under his Gorillaz project. A week before 'Plastic Beach' was released, having woken up and prized my eyes open just about enough to see my computer screen, I saw the news that the video for 'Stylo', the first single, had been put online. Awesome, a car chase, Bruce Willis, what more do you need? (Ha!)

When I saw the video on that Monday morning, it had 2,000 views. I'd heard the song a few times on the radio, but it wasn't until this listen that it really clicked for me, you know the moment when you realise a song's actually pretty damn good. So, the following day I went back to listen again. I was astounded. The view count had reached 800,000. It was just over 26 hours since the video was put online. I quickly calculated that the aggregated viewing time for Stylo had reached around 7 years in a day. I'd never doubted that Youtube was a big deal in music, I use it all the time, sometimes I even prefer it to opening iTunes (don't ask why, I don't know myself), but these facts and figures really demonstrated just how quickly a sensation can be made in the world of cyberspace.

I know what you're thinking. "Oh so all I have to do is become one of the most successful musicians of the last 20 years, get Bruce Willis to star in my video and I'll be away". I know it's an extreme example, the press were always going to be all over it like a cheap suit, not to mention the amount of fans who would have instantly posted the video to their Facebook pages as soon as they saw it. It would be ridiculous of me to suggest that this kind of reaction could be expected for a new artist trying to get some exposure on Youtube. So that's not really my point...

One of the first things I'd suggest for an artist releasing an E.P or even just a single is to try and get a video made. Having run labels myself, I know for a fact that people are more than willing to make videos for you. It doesn't even have to cost you anything. Film/Art students are great for this, get in touch with some and as if they want to be involved, it works both ways, they get credit and exposure, and you can get a great video for your music. If you can afford to, get one made professionally. Youtube videos have provided me with thousands of hits on my website, and I'm a firm believer that the visual aspect of your music really shouldn't be underestimated. The musician, and the maker of the video can tell their friends, and if it's worth watching, they tell theirs, and...well you don't need me to explain the concept of viral marketing.

Time for an example. Well, again, I know what you're thinking. OK Go! Well, it is a prime example. The infamous treadmill video has almost two million hits, and it really is one of those videos that makes you want to post it to your Facebook. OK Go were a pretty small band. I don't have facts and figures, but I'm sure you can imagine how much this video increased their album sales, radio airplay, and in turn the attendance at their gigs. It proves that you don't need to be a big band, or spend a fortune on a video to get it big, and one well thought out piece of work can make a career. However Ok Go isn't the example I'm about to post. Instead, a FAN MADE video for Thom Yorke's 'Black Swan'. It's not even official, but has almost 300,000 views. There's a similar video for Beck's Timebomb. They've just been made with some clever animation, and a lot of thought and effort. They really will leave you wondering if you know anyone who can animate/produce a video. Which, I suppose, is the aim of this post.