I was snooping around the internet the other day and I decided to try and crack the obsession with video sharing sites like youtube. I have never really been one for watching people do stupid things in front of their video cameras but I can appreciate why these people are drawn towards the prospects of internet fame just by being themselves.
After some hunting around in the menus and various subjects, I stumbled across something that is very near and dear to my own heart; people were taking it upon themselves to break into the seemingly unbreachable music industry. Now, being a songwriter and musician myself, I was eager to see how well these guys were doing at a task that has kept me struggling and 'paying my dues' for many arduous years now.
To my surprise, the response to these artists was immense; with some of the more popular songs having viewers in the millions after only 5 or 6 months of broadcast! We are talking abouth the kind of figures that are enjoyed by a select few commercial, famous artists; and all this is being achieved by a single musician in a bedroom with a webcam from Dixons!
I, of course, am not ignorant to the sheer enormity of todays internet. The possibilities far outstretch anything that was once thought possible for a single human being with relatively limitit contacts.
I return to my original question, is the internet and the imagination of its users leading to the end of record companies and the music industry as we have grown to know it? I hope it does. Why shouldn't musicians take it upon themselves to capture fame and fortune, not by impressing record company executives, but rather impressing the world on their own, off their own backs and on their own dime? I urge every reader to realise their own individual sway and hunt down some hidden talent and help with the push, for that is the only way the real music will shine through.
And for those of you that were wondering... I jumped on board and started my own youtube profile with a few of my own compositions - hey, why not??
Alex Lloyd - http://www.youtube.com/allloyd66
Alex Lloyd (22) is an English music critic and songwriter. He is very active on his youtube account at youtube.com/allloyd66 and on his myspace acount at myspace.com/al_lloyd He always welcomes comments and chats with people, so drop him a line if you like!
Source: www.isnare.com