Tonight, YouTube is altering its format and hosting its very own music awards. By shifting from a site of content created by users to a site creating content, they are giving themselves a chance to prove that they can meet, and perhaps exceed, the success of programming that was once solely broadcast television’s realm. The latest addition to a long line of shows celebrating talent in music promises its viewers something new: the unexpected that exists beyond the moment.
As reported in The New York Times, Danielle Tiedt of YouTube hopes that the success of the event will “not be measured by its immediate viewership, but rather in the weeks’ worth of online views and comments.” She states that what YouTube wants to achieve is a branding of YouTube as an effective vehicle for music discovery, and a widespread acceptance of the idea that success “doesn’t need to happen in the moment.” This is not simply MTV on the computer. It’s a new way of understanding how much of an impact the listeners and fans have on musicians and artists.
In talking to BHS students, it is clear that YouTube is one of the first places young music fans go to share and uncover new music. The combination of easy, free access to music with the attributes of social media – comments, likes, shares – makes YouTube a perfect place for music delivery and discovery. Forbes magazine calls it a “new, more interactive media landscape.” The beauty of YouTube’s awards show is that it is tying together the “artist-to-audience” relationship through social media. Tiedt is counting on these facets of the social media experience to make the YouTube Music Awards a success – not necessarily tonight, but tomorrow and next week and next month.
Of course, in order to achieve that kind of lasting impact and continued viewership, the show needs to be great. With creative directors Spike Jonez and Chris Milk, and co-hosts Jason Schwartzman and Reggie Watts running the show, it promises to be just that. Milk states that the show will feature live performances from a wide range of popular musicians attempting to create “narrative-based” videos “in a live setting.”
Lady Gaga, Eminem, M.I.A., and Arcade Fire are just a few of the artists scheduled to perform tonight. In addition to these firmly established musicians, the show promises to showcase some of the acts that owe much of their success to YouTube. Thus, viewers can look forward to performers such as PSY and Girls’ Generation dawning the stage.
In addition, the show has a built-in advantage to broadcast television awards shows; as Spike Jonez told The New York Times, this show is “so awesomely not broadcast television…it’s the internet.” The YouTube Music Awards will be live streaming at 6:00 this evening. If you can’t catch it tonight, be sure to be one of the many who catch it tomorrow, or next week, or next month. Click. Like. Comment. Share.
With six different categories to choose from, the nominees are:
Videos of the Year (most fan interaction):
Miley Cyrus, “We Can’t Stop”; Justin Bieber (feat. Nicki Minaj), “Beauty and a Beat”; Lady Gaga, “Applause”; One Direction, “Best Song Ever”; PSY, “Gentleman”; Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (feat. Mary Lambert) “Same Love”; Girls’ Generation “I Got A Boy”; Demi Lovato, “Heart Attack”; Selena Gomez, “Come & Get It”; Epic Rap Battles Of History, “Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney.”
Artist of the Year (most watched, shared, liked, and subscribed-to-artists):
Eminem, Epic Rap Battles of History, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Nicki Minaj, One Direction, PSY, Rihanna, Taylor Swift
Response of the Year (best fan remix, parody, or response video):
Boyce Avenue (feat. Fifth Harmony) “Mirrors”; Jayesslee, “Gangnam Style”; Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix, “Radioactive”; ThePianoGuys, “Titanium/Pavane”; Walk Off the Earth (feat. KRNFX), “I Knew You Were Trouble”
YouTube Phenomenon (songs that inspired the most fan videos):
”Diamonds,” ”Gangnam Style,” ”Harlem Shake,” ”I Knew You Were Trouble,” ”Thrift Shop”
Youtube Breakthrough (artists with biggest growth in views and subscribers):
Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Naughty Boy, Passenger, Rudimental
Innovation of the Year (creative video innovations with most views, likes, shares, and comments):
Anamanaguchi, “Endless Fantasy”; Atoms For Peace, “Ingenue”; Bat For Lashes, “Lilies”; DeStorm, “See Me Standing”; Toro Y Moi, “Say That”
ARTICLE BY: Dora Kadish and The Devils’ Playlist Writers
BHS Devils' Playlist 
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