Emerging Musicians

Unknown or unsigned artists are benefiting the most from the Internet

Perhaps those most affected by the online music movement are those unsigned or independent label artists that have not yet gained mainstream popularity. As we can see over in the past few years, "the number of artists who were discovered through MySpace is growing all the time" (8).

Due to the fact that "now virtually any mid-range PC can be turned into a digital recording studio with the addition of relatively inexpensive software" local bands can create a simple MySpace page and begin acquiring fans (3). One can envision the Web as "a giant audition stage where millions of fans lay in wait" (1).

There are several sites artists can chose from to host a profile with MP3 samples, tour dates, and merchandise, as well as "befriend" fans, the most common being MySpace. Some other examples include Bebo and Purevolume. Each of these sites also includes lists of the current top artists on their site, broken down by label (unsigned, independent, or major) or genre. I browsed the charts and found an example of an unsigned artist that has gained significant popularity through each of the three sites mentioned above.

http://myspace.com/ingridmichaelson
http://www.bebo.com/CharlotteOConnor
http://www.purevolume.com/backseatgoodbye

Unknown artists have gained fame, almost overnight, through the Interent. For example, Ok Go debuted their now-famous treadmill video on YouTube, and it eventually won them a Grammy (7). Listing every band that has emerged out of or gained popularity through the cyber world would be tedious, but some notable examples include:

Hawthorne Heights
Fall Out Boy
My Chemical Romance
SilverStein
Arctic Monkeys
Colbie Calliat
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Coppermine

However, as Frances Vincent phrases it, in MySpace for Musicians, "MySpace, for all its positive attributes, is not panacea for artists" (8). Not every teenage garage band is going to strike fame just because they have a MySpace profile.

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For further information about emerging artitsts online:

Rollingstone compiled a list of the 25 best bands on MySpace in 2006

Wired Magazine gives a brief list of well-known artists and their online success stories