The Curious Case of Rebecca Black
I love watching the ebb and flow of pop culture on the internet. It’s soothing, like watching ocean waves lap upon the beach. So naturally, I was completely entranced when I heard about the story of Rebecca Black, the 13-year-old internet sensation responsible for what has been widely dubbed the worst song ever recorded. Watching this phenomenon happen over the past couple days has soothed my nerves in a way that white noise machines help people sleep.
Apparently, it began with Mike Nelson of MST3K fame (Hipster Ariel moment: I had a crush on him when I was like 13 – MSTie for life!) Tweeting about her monumentally awful music video. Twenty billion retweets and 32 million YouTube views (and counting) later, and she’s an instant celebrity. The kid is handling herself very well after being plunged headfirst into the internet celeb-iverse, which is understandable, as Forbes reported yesterday that she stands to make millions from the whole thing. However, Rebecca herself isn’t what fascinates me. I have become very curious about these people at Ark Music Factory who are responsible for writing, producing, and recording the song and video.
For those who don’t know, Ark Music Factory is run by a couple guys out of L.A. who give kids a shot at stardom – for a price. Parents pay these people to write a song for their kid, record and produce the song, make a video, and put it on YouTube. Rebecca’s parents reportedly forked over two grand for this package. It’s kind of like a really fancy version of those karaoke booths at the mall where one could go in, record themselves singing to a backing track, and the machine would spit out a CD of the recorded song. They rope the kids in with a “talent search”, then require parents to pay for their services. Is it a scam? No, it’s not. It’s like sending a kid to camp or something – you pay for the experience of sending your kid out into the woods for a week so they can make memories. In this case, the “woods” are the wilds of the industry. Sure, it’s a crappy, badly produced, tamed-down version of the industry in which the child is virtually guaranteed to not get famous, but isn’t summer camp a crappy, badly produced, tamed-down version of outdoor survival?
I want to work in the industry someday, promoting music, making videos, everything these guys are doing (although I want to do it well, and not for junior high kids). My point is, these guys are getting paid to do it. People are willing to fork over money for this. I am wondering: where did these guys at Ark go to school? What software are they using? How did they get their initial funding for the equipment they use to film? How did they learn how to do what they do, and what made them decide upon this industry summer-camp thing as a viable way to make money? I get the feeling that they’re total shuckster salesguys, but they’re GETTING PAID TO DO IT. What does this say about the industry, the economy, and what people are willing to spend money on?
For all two of you who haven’t seen the video yet (I see you there under that rock!), here it is. Please comment – I feel like there’s greater insight to be gleaned from this phenomenon.
Like this:
This entry was posted on March 22, 2011 at 3:23 pm and is filed under random musings with tags ark music factory, meme, rebecca black, viral videos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
March 26, 2011 at 9:59 am
Cool post. I’m about to blather.
I think this is just an extension of what’s gone on a long time.
Way back even before I was born, there were booths you could go into and cut your own single. Same thing. And it’s also like what was once called vanity publishing and is now called self-publishing. It’s gaining credibility. One self-published author recently got a very nice book deal, made the NYT.
I suppose for every thousand pointless, horrible videos, one might come along and make a star. And the production qualities of Black’s video are good even if the song reeks. (And yet also lodges in your brain like a parasite.)
Are these guys hucksters or are they providing a service? If parents want to pay, what the hell, musicians always need patrons. Sounds like the parents of the guy in your video subsidized him for a while–he said he always had money until he started playing music. But being poor is not fun as a long-term lifestyle choice. Might was well earn your money from other aspiring artists’ parents.
I love making art but it’s a shitty way to make money. And judgement aside on whether the video is aesthetically good or not, if you gotta make money, what these guys are doing looks pretty fun. (Imagine how much fun it would be if someone with a good song hired you.) I think this kind of business would be a great place to get technical chops and/or or a good Plan B if art doesn’t support you and you want something to support art. (The hard part is fitting the art in around the money-making stuff.)
By art, I mean any creative endeavor you want to do 100 percent your way, to please yourself and nobody else. And by “you” I don’t mean you. I mean all of us who are trying to keep the dream alive. I edit other people’s novels–sometimes books that will be self-published. They’re not always great. It’s still more fun than editing corporate reports and it pays some bills. Plus I learn stuff about writing.
It’s possible these guys do corporate videos, too, and getting a music video gig is a sweet treat.
As for funding…you fund it like any business, I’m sure. Either privately (some people start business with credit cards) or write business plan get, small business loan.
Anyway, that’s the view from the far side of a career. Which I guess is the point of your video–the views of a young vs. a mature career. It’s very cool.