Computer information systems sophomore David Mendivil was 13 when he wrote his first song.
The acoustic guitar piece, “Angel of the Song,” led to him posting a four-track demo on his MySpace Music profile in 2007 as the sole member of his band Under the Overpass.
Musical theater sophomore Brittaney Burgers began her journey as a lyricist at 12. She too, turned to the online world hoping to be discovered.
With social networking Web sites among the most visited online, musicians no longer have to travel far to make a name for themselves.
“A lot of people get discovered through MySpace, and I just wanted to
share my music,” Burgers said. “I get a lot of support and comments locally from people saying ‘Oh, I love your music’ or ‘That song is great!’
“I think it definitely has enhanced my career locally, and hopefully it will do the same on an international level,” she said.
This new form of digital promotion has become a virtual agent for industry executives to pick up new talent.
“I was able to tour in a few states because someone heard my music on MySpace,” Mendivil said. “MySpace Music is an incredible way for your music to reach other people. For free, you’re able to outlet your music to computers all over the world.”
The possibilities don’t stop there. In 2008, 15-year-old Canadian native Justin Bieber became popular artist Usher’s musical protege under School Boy/Island Def Jam Records after he was discovered by his YouTube videos.
Since then, he has released a music video for his first single “One Time” from his debut album “My World,” set for release later this year.
It’s no secret that the entertainment industry has suffered major profit loss due to the influx of illegal downloading in the last decade.
Popular YouTube comedian David Spates said that as a result, entertainment industry executives are not only seeking talent but also individuals with a multiplying fan base to legally purchase future material.
Spates said he learned this from experience.
“I’m an actor, and really the reason I started writing is because the acting got slow,” Spates said. “I did acting scripts, and they got passed around Hollywood.
“They would say, ‘David we know you work hard and we know you’re talented but, David, no one knows who you are.’ So I started using YouTube to make a name for myself.”
Spates said YouTube has been a useful tool in launching his career.
“I was doing stand-up comedy to get into acting,” he said. “My only role model is Eddie Murphy and that’s how he started. My demo reel is all serious acting stuff, but online it showed I can be funny too.”
Recently, YouTube launched accessories that allow aspiring entertainers to easily keep track of and analyze their fan base and make a profit from online efforts.
Chris Dale, a YouTube spokesman, said there are several things artists can do to build up their fan bases.
“In some cases you can put a click-and-buy overlay on a video and go on iTunes or Amazon to purchase a music track,” Dale said.
Other YouTube accessories include Insight, which allows the video owner to track viewer demographics.
“YouTube Insight gives interesting data,” Dale said. “You could look and see that ‘Wow, I didn’t know I had such a following in North Dakota with women between the ages of 35-39’ or ‘I’ve got 25-year-olds who like one particular song.’”
Rock band Weezer used Insight to plan a tour, Dale said.
Hot Spots is a feature within Insight that allows users to see a particular place in a video that is the most interesting to viewers and with Annotations, users can place text within the videos.
But even with all of the online tools available for promotions, Mendivil and Burgers still use grassroots tactics like performing locally to get their melodies out to the world, they said. Mendivil even frequents the light rail for his performances.
Still, both Mendivil and Burgers said they are getting an education to prepare for future careers if music doesn’t work out.
Burgers’ ultimate goal is to perform on Broadway, but if success does come through social networking Web sites, she wants to pursue songwriting behind the scenes.
“I perform just to get my lyrics out really,” she said.
Reach the reporter at devin.creer@asu.edu.
