| The success recipe is simple and easy to understand. | | | | YouTube's success it has been a phenomenon of |
| Just over five years ago a girl at the age of eleven | | | | increased exposure in recent years. Artist looking to |
| was recording a song on her family computer and | | | | develop dances for potential hits. They put up an |
| sent it to a talent show. It didn't take long before | | | | instructional video on the internet and keep their |
| the tune was on top of the ring-tone lists. Before | | | | fingers crossed that listeners will record and distribute |
| world stars such as Timberland and Britney Spears. | | | | their own dance videos for the song. |
| The owner of the song explains that the success of | | | | One that has just done that is the U.S. First Soulja |
| the song is easy to understand. | | | | Boy. His song "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" was |
| - It sticks to the brain and is easy to remember. | | | | delivered in a finished hit package with a |
| Kokobom is a fairly simple word. | | | | choreographed dance instruction video on the web. |
| Just a few years ago it would have been impossible | | | | - YouTube has been everything to him. It is his main |
| for a 13-year-old from a small town with virtually no | | | | distributor, "says Emil Arvidsson, music journalist living |
| marketing budget to sell more than U.S. mega stars. | | | | in New York. |
| Today, it is possible because of cheap distribution and | | | | Even ring-tones works great in hip hop. Too good |
| promotional channels on the Internet such as | | | | according to some critics who argue that some |
| MySpace and YouTube. | | | | young artists only are interested in investing in it and |
| - We thought about how we could help the song to | | | | make songs that only works as ringtones. Production |
| come out and get noticed. After a lot of | | | | and texts is simple and as short as possible just to |
| brainstorming we figured that we wanted to do a | | | | be able to cut it down to a mobile phone ringtone. |
| video that was fun and included dancing. A typical | | | | - There are certainly artists who adapt their music |
| music video would cost too much . | | | | for ring-tones. "It is the only market that sells," says |
| "The solution was a website where the visitors | | | | Emil Arvidsson. |
| themselves were invited to submit a Kokobom dance | | | | - In the United States, radio has always been |
| video. The clips are posted on YouTube and on | | | | important, there is a long tradition of adapting the |
| Kokoboms website. All good songs should have their | | | | songs after the bad sound system. The music will |
| own dance" it says on the kokobom website. | | | | sound good and is easily recognizable even if it is |
| Within hip-hop and Jamaican Dance-hall, there is a long | | | | played on a broken car stereo or on a mobile. |
| tradition of songs with their own dances. With | | | | |