Documentary Commission Unit: Research

Background research into bands who got success with the help of MySpace and the internet during the 00's

Kate Nash  started her career, did gigs and uploaded her music to MySpace, found a manager and seeked producers. Her debut single was “Caroline’s a Victim”. Produced and recorded in Iceland and released in 2007, only 1000 copies on 7” vinyl. Another 1,000 were made and sold out. CD-promo copies were produced for press and DJ’s etc. And sometimes for sale.

Lily Allen  signed to Regal Recordings in 2005, they gave her £25,000 to produce an album, they were distracted at the time with other artists. She created an account on MySpace and began posting demos. They attracted thousands of listeners, and 500 limited edition 7” vinyl singles were rush released. She accumulated thousands of MySpace friends the Observer music monthly took interest in 2006. She received her first major mainstream coverage, appearing in the magazine’s cover story two months later.

Arctic Monkeys  formed in 2002. One of first acts to come to the public attention via the internet (fan-based sites rather than from the band). With commentators suggesting they represented the possibility of a change in the way inn which new bands are promoted and marketed. They burned CD’s with 17 songs to give away at gigs, which were promptly file-shared amongst fans. They didn’t mind the distribution, saying “we never made those demos to make money or anything. We were giving them away free anyway - that was a better way for people to hear them”. They didn’t even know at the time how to get their songs onto the internet. They were unaware what MySpace was, the site was created by their fans.

Sean Kingston  was discovered though MySpace by Tommy Rotem at Beluga Height, and signed to the label in a partnership deal with Sony in 2007

Panic! At the Disco  formed in 2004. Began in Las Vegas and never played a live gig. They posted three early demos on PureVolume. They sent a link to Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz via a LiveJournal account. He drove to Las Vegas to meet with the band and signed them to his new label Decaydance Records, 2004. He then promoted the band. 

Colby Caillat  auditioned for American Idol but was rejected at the pre-audition stage and was unable to sing for the judges. The seconds time she auditioned for the show, she sang her own song, “Bubbly” and was rejected once again. The popularity of her MySpace profile led her to become the number one unsigned singer in her genre for four consecutive months. Her debut album was released in 2007.

Soulja Boy  posted his songs on the website SoundClick in 2005. Following positive reviews on the site, he then established his own web pages on YouTube and MySpace. In March 2007, he recorded “Crank That” and released his first independent album, followed by a low-budget video filmed demonstratiing the “Crank That” dance. He then went on to sign a deal with Interscope Records.