A couple of guys have gotten together and started a record label for musicians who became popular on YouTube. The label is called DFTBA Records.
The label was started by Alan Lastufka, author of YouTube: An Insider’s Guide to Climbing the Charts and Hank Green of VlogBrothers. Now they have caught the attention of YouTube itself, which is promoting the duo’s endeavor on the company blog.
The label runs as an independent distribution network, which presses CDs, and gets them onto iTunes to “put the music where the fans are.” They manage digital sales, CD production and will soon also handle artists’ merchandise. In the following clip, the two talk about their label.
The label has so far released 10 CDs. Artists on the label include Dave Days, Alex Day, Dr. Noise, Venetian Princess, Rhett & Link, and Michael Buckley. The founders have their own projects as well.
“Our artists all made a name for themselves on YouTube, cultivating huge audiences based not on marketing or saturated radio play, but on talent,” say Green and Lastufka. “We’ve taken these YouTube stars, and helped them reach a dedicated and large audience. Our debut album, So Jokes, landed the #22 spot on Billboard’s “Hits of the Web” chart… and we’re just getting started.”
DFTBA is a good example of how the web is really changing the music industry. The web has been turning the recording industry on its ear for years now, but projects like this give lesser-known artists new ways of getting discovered and increasing exposure.
