Social Media’s Future Plans à la Gabrielle Solair

 

 

Ever wonder why YouTube is so appealing?

 

How about the fact that it’s viewer-focused?

 

 

Unlike TV, YouTube gives viewers more viewing power: Viewers can select what they want to watch when they want to watch.

Within the next 3 to 5 years, singing sensations are probably going to make it big through social media publicity rather than TV. YouTube will serve as the source of information. Twitter and Facebook are two sites that’ll be used to help spread the news.

 But let’s come back to this week: this week’s singing sensation is Gabrielle Solair.

In addition to using her YouTube Channel, Gabrielle uses Facebook, Twitter for self-promotion. She’s also been celebrated through being featured on singing instructional videos through world-renowned voice instructors Brett Manning and Jesse Nemitz, of Singing Success (Brett Manning Studios).

Okay. But how can something as easy as YouTube publicity help me and my music, you ask?

 Think of it like this: YouTube viewers are the public. The public chooses the product. They give you views.

 The more views your gain, the more recognized you become. Simple as that.

 Taken a bit to think that over? Good. Now check out Gabrielle’s latest co-written single, Not That Girl.

Casey Weston and the Art of Video Capture

                                                      

Uploading videos onto YouTube can easily be done via the webcam installed in your laptop computer. But if you don’t have access to your own laptop, and need to rely on other ways to capture yourself on video, don’t sweat it. Through video capture, you can easily transfer the file onto any computer, and upload the video onto your YouTube channel.  PresentationSoft.About.com  defines video capture as “the process of transferring the video you recorded from a video camera or other video recording device (such as a cell phone), to your computer. This process is done by attaching the video camera to your computer, with a special USB cable (which usually comes with the camera on purchase). A variety of computer software programs can be used to then start the video capture process, which copies the video clip(s) from the video camera and stores it/them on your computer as a digital file(s).” Note that “[t]he use of a USB cable is not the only method of capturing the video from the device. Other digital video devices can capture video and transfer them to your computer by a standard serial or parallel cable.” Video cameras, and cell phones with installed video cameras are perfect alternatives to recording your performance via a laptop.

And Casey Weston is a classic example of a YouTube singer who has used video capture to upload some of her performances onto her YouTube channel.

Perhaps you had the opportunity to see her perform on NBC’s The Voice? The mature-and-conversational-and-sultry-voiced 18-year old made it into the Final 8 of 32 selected artists that competed on the reality TV show’s first season. One of the songs she performed was Black Horse and the Cherry Tree.

While she sang covers of other singers’ material for The Voice,  Casey also writes her own material. Here’s a video of one of her originals, called Mine.

The above video shows Casey giving a performance in what looks like a backyard or park. Given that her uploads have been recorded at public venues, and in some cases, on stages, it is much more convenient for her to use video capture to upload her material to YouTube.

To learn more about the wonderful Casey Weston, follow her on Twitter, like her on Facebook, and visit her Official Website.

Jayesslee: Twin Sisters Mobile Compute on Tour

Jayesslee, a singing group formed by two twin sisters, decided to take advantage of mobile computing this past July, 2011, while on tour in Singapore: they uploaded a video performance cover of Jessie J’s Price Tag that they gave in their hotel room.

 

 

Mobile Computing is defined by Wisegeek.com as embraces a host of portable technologies that makes Internet access on the go not only possible, but integral to every day life. . .Mobile laptop and notebook computers can use one of two types of wireless access services when away from the home or office. The most commonly used and least expensive is WiFi®. WiFi uses radio waves to broadcast an Internet signal from a wireless router to the immediate surrounding area. If the wireless network is not encrypted, anyone can jump on. WiFi is commonly used in public places to create “hotspots.” So how does mobile computing relate to female YouTube singers? Don’t YouTube singers choose to upload video performances from the privacy of their own bedroom, living room, or music studio? Not necessarily.

Those YouTube singers that have progressed from their bedroom or living room to the stage take advantage of the efficiency and practicality offered by mobile computing. They realize they only have so much time in a day, and need to take advantage of what extra time they do have to help promote themselves.

And these incredible young women are giving YouTube viewers enchanting harmonic duets of hit songs, such as Bruno Mars’ Just The Way You Are, Owl City’s Fireflies, and Josh Groban’s You Raise Me Up, and The Script’s Breakeven.

Find out more about these fantastic singers via their Facebook page, follow them on Twitter, watch more of their videos on their YouTube Channel, and have a listen to their more recent material on their  jayessleetv YouTube Channel.

Maria Aragon + SEO = An Overnight YouTube Sensation

Type the name Maria Aragon into Google’s Web Search Engine, and the first two hits that come up are a video clip of Maria Aragon’s cover of Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, and a clip of Maria Aragon talking to Lady Gaga over the phone. How are these two videos the first web hits? Because of Search Engine Optimization, SEO as shorthand. So what is Search Engine Optimization?

 

Businessdictionary.com defines Search Engine Optimization as the following:

“[T]he process of improving traffic to a given website by increasing the site’s visibility in search engineresults. Websitesimprovesearch engine optimization by improving content, making sure that the pages are able to be indexed correctly, and ensuring that the content is unique. Going through the search engine optimization process typically leads to more traffic for the site because the site will appear higher in search results for information that pertains to the site’s offerings.”

 When someone types your name and a song or performer you’ve covered, you want your video to be the first, or one of the first videos that comes up. SEO works through tags. SEO will take your keywords typed into the engine, and give you hits based on the keywords you give the search engine. Based on the tags you give your video, SEO will pull that video to the top of your page if it is tagged with the keywords that you insert into the search engine. Sounds kind of boring, eh? Yeah, it’s nitpicky detail.

 But in a nutshell:

 More tags = more hits = MORE NOTICE!!!!!!

 It works similarly for YouTube. Let’s say you want to listen to Maria Aragon’s cover of the Lady Gaga song that made Maria a famous YouTube singer overnight. But you don’t know which Lady Gaga song Maria covered. Type Maria Aragon Lady Gaga into the YouTube Search Engine. The first hit that comes up is the video clip Maria Aragon talks to Lady Gaga. The second hit is Maria Aragon’s cover of  Lady Gaga’s Born This Way.

 So where are the tags on YouTube? You’ve probably seen them. Click on a video. Let the video load. Directly underneath the video, click the show more link. Under this link, there is a heading that says Category. Underneath the Category heading, is a heading that says Tags.

 Maria’s Born This Way cover has these tags:

maria aragon born this way cover lady gaga

 These simple yet efficient tags are all Maria needs to help her video generate hits.

With an incredible, rich voice, and wide range, accompanying herself with gentle flowing keyboard, Maria has more than enough vocal and piano skill to impress viewers of all ages. And she’s only 11 years old.

In addition to YouTube showing Maria’s story, the Winnipeg Free Press, Maria’s hometown, has an article that describes Maria’s story of meeting and later performing with Lady Gaga.  Follow her on Twitter, watch more of her covers on her YouTube channel, and visit her official website to get your Maria Aragon fix!

Artist Ana Free Soars to YouTube Fame

Music is auditory. Yet music performance relies not only on sound but also visual communication. So how’s Ana Free using visual appeal to gain fans, and get more views and likes on her videos? So what does this have to do with visual appeal?  Is it Ana’s guitar? Does that create the impression that she’s more musician, as opposed to someone who is only a singer? Yeah, that image says something. Is it the way she dresses? Casual clothing, and she pulls off an elegant effect? Yeah, that image says something. Is it the environment that she’s performing in? Either in her backyard, or accompanying herself on her guitar while singing covers and originals in her bedroom?  Yeah, that image says something:

“I want to invite people to listen to my music. I love to sing. I love to play guitar. And I’d love to share my music with you.”

She started out with casual performances of covers while accompanying herself on guitar. Uploaded them to YouTube. One of her classic videos is her cover of Green Day’s Time of Your Life in her backyard on a summer day with her dog.

Sometimes a performer’s image can help them gain more positive or negative feedback they receive from their audience. If you look pretty (this usually means a bit of makeup), are dressed nice (jeans and a nice shirt and piece of jewellery are just fine for YouTube performances), chances are your audience will give you positive feedback. Society’s got a bit of an obsession with how people look.  Appearance says something about a person. And Ana’s image says she’s a very pretty girl, with a bright smile, and healthy, glowing skin. Complemented with a healthy, glowing voice.

The down to earth image that Ana portrays has helped her gain an online fanbase, and she has started to achieve fame by performing on real-world stages, not just the YouTube stage. She’s also producing her own music videos for her original songs. One of her music videos, posted below, is called Questions In My Mind

Check out Ana’s YouTube Channel, YouTube Behind-the-Scenes Channel, Offical Website, Twitter tweets, Facebook page, MySpace page, and iTunes page to listen to more!

Solo Singer-Songwriter Tiffany Alvord Shares Songs Via Collaborative Social Tools

 

She’s vocal/piano/guitar. Doing covers. Some solos. Some duets. She performs her originals, too. All with this pretty precious pop-sounding voice. Using YouTube as a collaborative tool.

How does this concern you, musical cyber-soul?

If you want to promote your music via YouTube, here are some options: Sign in with your channel, and you can comment on videos you like, like a video, add your favourite videos to your own channel, create your own playlist of videos, and connect with others by writing on the walls of their channels.  YouTube has designed an intimate experience for viewers, subscribers, and YouTube performers, allowing people to participate in an online cyber community.

Tiffany’s got that figured out. Click on her cyber name, TiffanyAlvord, and you’ve got all her videos, clearly labelled by song title. Her profile section on her channel’s organized with the following links:

iTunes; Facebook; Official Website; Tiffany Alvord World; and Twitter.

All packaged together. Convenient. For both viewers, and herself. While videos are YouTube’s main feature, performers won’t thrive if all they have are views alone. Viewers’ comments are supportive, too. Tiffany shares her material, and viewers, sharing their comments, and links, give her their support.

Maddi Jane’s Musical Success from Microblogging

She knows self-promotion is critical. Especially ‘cause she wants to make it in the entertainment industry. In the digital age.

The incredible 13-year-old Maddi Jane has gotten herself started by uploading videos of herself performing covers of commercial hit-songs on her YouTube Channel, maddijanemusic. She makes singing sound so easy. Like all she’s doing is getting her voice is doing is hitting the pitches of every glorious note that comes out of her mouth.

She microblogs to help promote her videos, too, via Twitter, and Facebook.

So what does this mean for you, musical-cyber soul?

Microblogging is the way to self-promote! When viewers goes to YouTube and search for music, they’re typically going to search for who they know. If you want to get yourself promoted, you’re going to have to start out by promoting yourself. In this digital age, that kind of grunt work can be fun.

Why? Microblogging is:

fast

efficient

practical

and it’s simple. Free. And easy.  I promise. And it gives your audience the info and links they need here and now.

Maddi’s microblogging efforts have paid off. She’s been nominated for the MTV O Music Awards for her video cover of Jessie J’s Price Tag.

Cimorelli Sings Copyrighted Covers and Originals

Meet Christina, Katherine, Lisa, Amy, Lauren, Dani. Together, they’re Cimorelli, an all-girl band of six sisters who perform a cappella commercial-hit songs.  Born into a musical family, the musical ladies of Cimorelli have been performing since they were between the ages of 2 and 4 years old. They began uploading YouTube videos since September, 2008, providing other musical cyber-souls with glorious harmonies.

YouTube has worked in Cimorelli’s favour. But when you’re promoting yourself through performing covers rather than originals, do you have any copyright?

Grant Crowell answers this question in his article. In a nutshell, if you want to promote yourself with a YouTube Video, you own this work. You retain the rights. But YouTube has the exact same rights that you have. Fair enough. If YouTube is hosting your material while you promote yourself, they should have some benefits, too.

Cimorelli has recently started performing off the cyber-stage. Not only are these musicians incredible singers and performers, but they are also songwriters. Universal Records signed Cimorelli in April, 2010. Check out their album on iTunes.

But don’t think they’ve forgotten their YouTube fan-base. Their latest video is a cover of Lady Gaga’s You and I.

Privacy and Promotion: zeldaxlove64 and Christina Grimmie

 

 

So you wanna be a singer?

Whether that’s world-famous or small-scale, first thing’s first: you need some form of recognition. What does that look like?

 

How about a trade-off?

I’ll trade you some of my privacy for your fan-ship.  For your promise to help promote me.

YouTube performers need to surrender some of their privacy if they want to gain recognition.

I was searching for Lady Gaga’s Edge of Glory one night. I found a link of zeldaxlove64 performing a vocal rendition while accompanying herself on piano. So I clicked.

Zeldaxlove64 introduced herself as Christina. Then she began to sing while accompanying herself on the piano.

Yowza. She’s got this conversational-sounding voice. And get this: she doesn’t read notes. She accompanies herself by ear. She’s quality at both.  And she’s gained fame from the millions of views on her videos. Her YouTube channel has over 100 uploads.

Constant self-Internet-promotion has transferred zeldaxlove64’s cyber-fame into real-world-fame. This past summer, after releasing her album, zeldaxlove64 went on tour as an opening act for Selena Gomez, dropping her YouTube name for her real name, Christina Grimmie.

And all this happened from Christina creating her zeldaxlove64 channel. Sacrificing some privacy has worked in Christina’s favour.

Greetings, Musical Cyber-Soul!

Welcome to Talented Female YouTube Singers, my little WordPress blog.

Ever since Rebecca Black’s smash-YouTube hit, Friday, I’ve been kind of obsessed with listening to and watching up-and-coming cyber singers via YouTube. So how is a blog featuring female cyber singers helpful to these ladies, or a wandering musical cyber soul searching for song, such as yourself?

Well, musical cyber soul, it’s like this:

-Male or female, you’re either mystified by music, or a musician yourself. Blogs help people connect, and can help generate a fan-base for these up-and-coming singers;

-YouTube is a blessing for both musicians looking to gain exposure, and viewers searching for almost everything musical they possibly imagine (as promoted by YouTube Stars!) BUT;

-The YouTube search engine is going to hit you up with videos from all over the place. A more selective list can be less overwhelming, such as XJar’s Top 10 YouTube Female Singers, Jonathan Roberts’ I Love To Sing.com, or music-based search engines.

-Many young women are achieving “YouTube fame” with their videos. (Check out Ana Free’s story!) Some extra attention that can help these singers’ videos get more hits doesn’t hurt.

 So, here’s to celebrating female cyber-soul singers!