Do you ever get that? You start looking at videos on YouTube, and before you know it – it’s been hours. Something about those sidebar recommendations just keeps you suckered in. “You can’t leave,” it chuckles. “There’s MORE!”
Anyway, here’s a product of one such session: a list of brilliant musicians on YouTube. They’re all non-famous, and by that, I mean there’s no professional recording artists here. Some of them went on to *become* professionals (and I’ll tell you the ones that do), but at the time of recording, they were flat out amateurs just trying to share what they love.
Here, in no particular order, are my eight favourite YouTube musical geniuses. Enjoy (and of course, please suggest your own).
1. On The Rocks, male voice choir
These guys are fantastic. I like how, when you compare it to something like Glee, these are just a bunch of ordinary looking blokes having a blast. And very talented too – great song. (They went on to appear in a X-Factor-style TV show in the states – finalists, but not winners.)
2. Naudo, Tenerife’s finest
This chap works the bar and cafe scene in Tenerife and is the most beautiful guitarist I’ve ever heard.
3. Steven Rossitto, 16-year-old Sinatra
Sixteen – yes, sixteen – year-old Steven Rossitto has more than something of the Frank Sinatra about him – a great talent.
4. Danny Small, NYC subway soul
I hear this guy now has a record deal – but there’s still something quite magical about watching Danny Small sing. And seeing it juxtaposed with the hub of NYC life makes it even better.
5. DoneRightJr, the ChatRoulette crooners
I’m bending my own rules a bit now – but had to get this in.
6. Ronald Jenkees, king of the YouTubes
“Hello YouTubes!” says the cheerful chap with the hat. Do yourself a favour; make sure you listen at least up to when the beat drops – about 20 seconds in. Class. They gave him a record deal – have a listen on Spotify.
7. David So, “the Asian John Legend”
The top comment on one of his other videos reads: “I wish your voice was butter so I could slather it all over my body.”
Quite.
8. Anna, the signer
What? This isn’t the sort of cover you’d expect? Here’s Anna giving a performance for her final sign language exams. Inspiring stuff!
Relaunches are never seen as a positive step. I mean – unless something has failed, it won’t ever need to relaunch. It can just, you know, continue.
Which is why Friends Reunited, once the king of UK social networks, will be on the end of some fairly bad press today; mostly from those who’ll say “PAH! Facebook blew you out of the water”, and leave their analysis essentially at that.
But let’s take a closer look at Friends Reunited have done with their relaunch attempt. (My report is here)
They’ve teamed up with the Press Association the country’s biggest archive of images. Not only this, but they’ve also got the British Library on board, providing the country’s biggest archive of, er, anything.
Where Facebook’s entry for you being born is right now a blue box simply saying ‘born’ – Friends Reunited can offer a host of content from that day: newspaper cuttings, iconic images and soon, they hope, material items.
What car did your dad drive you home in after you were born? Add it. What was on TV that day? Add it. You get the picture (you can probably add that too…).
Friends Reunited’s biggest problem first time round was one of impatience. Had it waited, like Facebook, for the technology to catch up with it – they too could have offered targeted advertising.
As it happened – it was only Mark Zuckerburg’s stubbornness which prevented Facebook from entering its own paid subscription-powered early grave.
The sense I got from talking to Friends Reunited’s new owner Chris van der Kuyl was one of of cautious excitement. He believes they’re onto something pretty good which can be monetised in the future – but only when the time is right.
But of course, the internet – and social media in particular – is an industry built on this painful concept of ‘buzz’. Friends Reunited right now has publicity, but whether or not that will turn to buzz is an entirely different question.
That siad, I do feel this is one to watch – even if you do feel completely out of touch by admitting it.
“Hello humans,” he says, looking almost surprised that anyone has bothered to turn up.
“This is our first show. We have a million planned, literally.”
The scene resembles something from the mid-nineties, your typical late night smokey chat show fronted by a charismatic presenter who will probably never air at any time other than 1am — which is just the way he likes it.
But this isn’t a show about music, or film, or theatre or art. It’s about technology. That’s right – a show for geeks. And the presenter, Joshua Topolsky, isn’t delving into the mind of some troubled musician or actor – he’s talking to entrepreneurs, CEOs and other people responsible for some of the tech that is, to some people at least, changing how we live.
We’ve covered the story at some length, and while we probably won’t come back to it before a decision is made, I thought it was worth sharing Phonedog’s statement in full.
Public reaction to the story has seen sympathy falling largely with the employee – at least from where I’ve been sitting.
But you wonder what impact the case will have if Noah wins. Will companies be reluctant to invest in Twitter from here on in, knowing that the investment could, potentially, walk out the door as employees come and go? Definitely one to watch.
