Justin Beiber - The Mercurial Rise Of The Internet Star
Most people have heard of Justin Bieber, the young Canadian singer who has taken the pop charts by storm, the world over. While he is a very talented young guy, there's a lot more to the phenomenon than the run of the mill young heart throb story. Justin Bieber's rise is a sign of the way the world we live is changing, and the music industry in particular.
The sales of his songs via CD are on a par with Stevie Wonder's rise to fame as a youngster. What separates them is the manner in which the fame was achieved. Through his You Tube channel, Justin was to some degree famous before he'd even released a record. Stevie Wonder had to do a lot of touring before he really got noticed, whereas Justin Bieber basically recorded in his bedroom, and uploaded his videos.
'Cracking the US Billboard' is what every artist wants to do - especially non US performers - from the Beatles to Blur, and a whole host of international acts. It took the Beatles months of gruelling tours and TV appearances to get the hype going and to really 'crack the States'.
Justin does tour, however he probably doesn't actually need to. He claims he does it to meet his fans and bearing in mind that he's a religious chap, he's probably telling the truth (we don't have access to his contractual obligations to either verify or discount any of assertions on Justin's motivation). For many bands and artists 'the road' is the way forward, and many still neglect to use the internet for publicity purposes. But this may be a genre specific issue - the internet ain't rock'n'roll enough for some, and although they're mainly all in it for the money there are some bands that spurn this mode of attracting attention as being a bit soulless and mercenary. And not forgetting, life on the road is a source of inspiration for song writing too.
With the music industry, despite changes in technology, the same values apply when it comes to what makes music sell - generally good looks and good music (although there are many notable exceptions to this rule, Justin Bieber fits the 'template' perfectly). There are downsides to this, and upsides. The downside is that if someone of Justin's tender years 'makes it' without having any 'street smarts', he needs to be protected from the pitfalls of fame, and the music industry has inadvertently many created many victims who fell foul of the trappings of success and were swallowed whole and spat out.
The upside of this new mode for attaining recognition is that it is just that - a way of publicising your talents for a minimum of cost. With a relatively cheap camcorder you can get the song's essence across, and it doesn't need high production values. The old laws of time and space are also to some extent broken. An A'n'R agent can sit at home scouring YouTube these days instead of the more enjoyable but tiring and unhealthy practice of trawling music venues and bars for new talent.
What the internet has done is opened up more doors, and although this new easier access makes for more competition, nothing beats a bit of competition for developing your talent. Justin's rise to success could have happened any way without the internet, but it's fairly certain that his online presence has helped catapult him out of nowhere to where he is now.
About the Author:
Christina Crow looks after a number of internet sites based around internet stars and technology. She loves music and enjoys nothing more than a night in with her favourite CDs. She can currently be found building a site about Justin Bieber's Songs.
Article Marketing
3 people like this article
