BoyceAvenue

Multimedia sites like YouTube, Myspace, PureVolume, and many others allow amateur musicians to post audio or video clips for the general public. The websites are free to access and free to post on, providing a potentially wonderful marketing source at no cost. Both original works as well as covers are uploaded. However, in terms of the probability of an artist or band being discovered, utilising cover songs, to begin with, make sense. The following is a story of a band who used a combination of YouTube and well known cover songs to become famous.

 

BoyceAvenue is an American mainstream rock band. They formed in Sarasota, Florida, when brothers Alejandro, Daniel and Fabian Manzano decided to aim for a career in music. The band is named after a combination of the two streets the brothers lived on as children.

As a band that started out on YouTube as a cover band back in 2007. Some of the first few videos they posted included acoustic versions of songs such as Justin Timberlake’s “LoveStoned”, Rihanna’s “Umbrella”, and Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida”, among many others. They have since reached remarkable heights, touring worldwide, releasing original albums, and as of August 9, 2011, they started their own independent record label called 3 Peace Records.

Early on, the band wanted to set itself apart from other acts that had achieved success online by taking its music straight to the people, live. Believing firmly in the strength of their online fans, and in its music, the band booked a stand-alone show in New York City in January of 2009, for their first ever performance in the city. Surprising label and industry folks alike, the show – perceived by others as a gamble – was an enormous sellout and success. 

On YouTube, Boyce Avenue releases original music as well as covers of popular and classic songs. Boyce Avenue has also collaborated with other YouTube artists such as Kina Grannis, Tiffany Alvord, Megan Nicole, Alex Goot, Megan & Liz, David Choi, Tyler Ward, Savannah Outen, Jourdy Suparjo, Cobus Potgieter and DeStorm.

Behind Linkin Park, BoyceAvenue are the second most viewed band on YouTube (just under 750million video views), and they have a following all over the globe. Their cover of Linkin Park's "Shadow of the day" is their most viewed song on YouTube with over 13million views:

 

Their YouTube page is brilliantly laid out and demonstrates a great model for artists who want to use YouTube as a platform; there is a comprehensive list of their music and tour dates, there are links to all their social media platforms, it is easy to subscribe to and explore, and there are links to purchase their songs as well as suggested playlists depending on your taste in music.

A certain formula for success?

Obviously just posting videos on YouTube will not necessarily lead to fame and success. There are countless amateur musicians who post on YouTube and never get more than a few hundred views. Certainly talent is the most crucial aspect in succeeding in the online industry, and is one of the reasons BoyceAvenue attained so much popularity. But they are most definitely not the only group to get their break because of their YouTube videos. Among others, Justin Bieber (as Maddy mentioned in her earlier post) was also discovered because of his YouTube account. Just like BoyceAvenue, his career began with covering other artists' songs:

Summary tips 

• Multimedia sites allow amateur musicians the chance to access an audience never before attainable.
• Cover songs are often a great way to reach out to the audience - whenever someone searches for "Shadow of the Day" or for "I'll Be", the versions by Boyce Avenue and Justin Bieber will come up.
• With the help of multimedia sites, many musicians will help jump start their career and possibly attain fame and fortune through the digital exchange of cover songs. 
• While social media provides the platform, talent is very important to getting the kick start needed in this tough industry. 
• From the platform of YouTube, original songs can begin to gain reputations and future industry success (through albums and live performances) can start to occur.