The Online Revolution

The invention of the internet has changed the way music is promoted and the way in which the audience consume it. The internet more than ever is playing a vital role in the success of an artist. Indeed some artists have made their fame entirely from the online revolution and the help of social networking sites (Arctic Monkeys/ Kate Nash). However before the online revolution unsigned artists would promote themselves through local gig and working in clubs. Talent spotters from record companies would come to see if they were worth signing to the label and if not it could take a long time for their next be break. Now the internet has helped artists and label to find each other quickly and with less effort. Many if not most unsigned bands have a MySpace page promoting their music. In the last few years MySpace has become such an important platform for artists to promote with that there are now whole sections of the social networking site devoted to the cause.

Justin Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who happened across Bieber's videos on YouTube. His YouTube videos had attracted millions of views and meant that he already had an audience of people who had listened to him. Since discover in 2008 Justin has become a huge success but he still uses his internet roots to promote himself.

According to many people in the industry, part of Bieber's appeal comes from his YouTube channel. Long before he released his album, his YouTube videos were widely viewed. His manager understood the influence. Before Justin recorded more music, Braun wanted him to build him up more on YouTube first and had him record more home videos for the channel. He still continues to upload videos to the same channel and has opened a Twitter account, from which he interacts with fans regularly; his account was reported in August 2010 to have over 4.5 million followers. His YouTube channel also serves as a marketing base, for example, Justin's music video for his single "One Time" only began selling rapidly after it was uploaded to YouTube.