A project on how social media impacts how celebrity status is attained and how music is discovered in a modern era.

1. HOW SOCIAL MEDIA REVOLUTIONIZED
THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
ALEX MCFETRIDGE

2. WITH THE RISE IN POPULARITY OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN
THE PAST TEN YEARS, THE ABILITY TO “GO VIRAL” HAS
CHANGED THE WAY PEOPLE CAN BECOME FAMOUS

3. THESE VIRAL STARS OFTEN
DO NOT LOSE THEIR ABILITY
TO GENERATE SIGNIFICANT
INCOME EVEN AFTER THEIR
INITIAL “15 MINUTES” ARE
OVER.
BECAUSE OF THIS, THE
INTERNET HAS BECOME A
LEGITIMATE PLATFORM FOR
THOSE IN SEEK OF
CELEBRITY STATUS. (1)

4. QUITE NOTABLY, KIM KARDASHIAN
USED THE PUBLICITY FROM A
PLANNED SEX TAPE TO TRANSFORM
HERSELF INTO A CELEBRITY ICON THAT
EARNED OVER $50 MILLION IN 2016 (2)
HOWEVER, KIM’S VIRAL IMPACT ALSO
HELPED THE PEOPLE AROUND HER…

5. ACCORDING TO FORBES,
THE KARDASHIAN-
JENNER FAMILY
BROUGHT HOME A
COMBINED $122.5
MILLION IN EARNINGS IN
THE LAST YEAR, NOT
INCLUDING ANY MONEY
MADE BY KANYE WEST (2)
GRAPHIC BY HOLLY WARFIELD (2)

6. A MORE RECENT EXAMPLE, DANIELLE
BREGOLI, PERHAPS BETTER KNOWN
AS “CASH ME OUTSIDE GIRL,” HAS
EXPLODED IN NOTORIETY AFTER
NUMEROUS “MEMES” SURFACED
FOLLOWING HER APPEARANCE ON
THE DR. PHIL SHOW WITH HER
MOTHER.
BREGOLI NOW HAS OVER 6 MILLION
INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS AND HAS
ALREADY BEEN BOOKED FOR AN
APPEARANCE AT A MUSIC FESTIVAL
THIS SUMMER WHERE SHE IS SET TO
MAKE OVER $30,000 FOR A FEW
HOURS WORK. (3)

7. HOWEVER, THERE ARE MANY
EXAMPLES…

8. AN INTERESTING NEW GENRE OF
VIRAL FAME HAS BECOME
NOTICEABLE IN THE MUSIC
INDUSTRY AS OF LATE, WITH THE
RISE OF VIRAL RAPPERS.

9. IN THE PAST, A MUSIC ARTIST HAD TO
RELY ON LARGE RECORD COMPANIES
TO PROMOTE THEIR MUSIC GLOBALLY.
NOW, SOCIAL MEDIA HAS ALLOWED
INDEPENDENT ARTISTS TO SKYROCKET
IN POPULARITY WITHOUT THE NEED
OF A RECORD CONTRACT.

10. BECAUSE OF THIS, ARTISTS CAN BE
MORE AND MORE UNIQUE AND
OPERATE WITH TOTAL AUTONOMY
IN THEIR CRAFT.

11. THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL
RAPPER TO USE SOCIAL
MEDIA AS PLATFORM
FOR THEIR MUSIC CAN
BE CREDITED TO SOULJA
BOY, WHOSE USE OF
MYSPACE, YOUTUBE
AND SOUNDCLICK
REVOLUTIONIZED HOW
MUSIC IS ACCESSED
TODAY. (4)

12. “REALLY ALL MY
MYSPACE VIEWS
CAME FROM
SOUNDCLICK AND MY
YOUTUBE VIEWS
CAME FROM
MYSPACE; THEY FED
OFF EACH OTHER.” (4)
-SOULJA BOY

13. LIKE SOULJA BOY DID WITH “CRANK THAT”,
MANY VIRAL RAPPERS’ MUSIC IS
ACCOMPANIED BY AN ACTION THAT TAKES
PLACE IN THE MUSIC VIDEO OR IS ALLUDED
TO IN THE LYRICS, SUCH AS A DANCE OR
MOVEMENT. (6)

14. RECENT EXAMPLES INCLUDE…
THE WHIP/NAE NAE
(SILENTO)

15. THE DAB…(MIGOS)

16. AND THE MANNEQUIN CHALLENGE
(RAE SREMMURD)

17. BY INCORPORATING A DANCE OR
MOVEMENT ELEMENT INTO THEIR SONGS,
THESE RAPPERS ARE ABLE TO GAIN LARGE
AMOUNTS OF PUBLICITY FROM ATHLETES
AND CELEBRITIES LIKE LEBRON JAMES OR
HILLARY CLINTON.

18. IN 2015, NIELSEN REPORTED THAT MUSIC
STREAMING SERVICES HAD DOUBLED IN
USAGE AND WERE OVER 300 BILLION
STREAMS PER YEAR. (5)
IN AN INDUSTRY NOW DOMINATED BY
INTERNET STREAMING, THE ABILITY TO BE
RELEVANT ON SOCIAL MEDIA HAS BECOME
AS IMPORTANT THAN EVER.

19. AS DEMONSTRATED EARLIER, THESE RAPPERS
HAVE DISCOVERED AN ABILITY TO MARKET
AND SELL THEIR MUSIC THROUGH THE USE
OF VIRAL MOMENTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

20. WORKS CITED
1) University, Stanford. "Stanford scholar finds social media reveals much about the human condition."
Stanford News. April 08, 2016. Accessed March 01, 2017.
http://news.stanford.edu/2015/08/26/social-media-kosinski-082515/.
2) Robehmed, Natalie. "Kim Kardashian West's Earnings: $51 Million In 2016." Forbes. November 16,
2016. Accessed March 01, 2017. https://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2016/11/16/kim-
kardashian-wests-earnings-51-million-in-2016/#3766b2cd6a5b.
3) Marr, Madeleine. "Big payday for 'Cash Me Outside' girl at Miami music festival." Miami Herald.
Accessed March 01, 2017.
http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/celebrities/article135708248.html.
4) Smith-Strickland, Stephanie. "How Soulja Boy Became the Godfather of Internet-Age Rap."
Highsnobiety. May 23, 2016. Accessed March 02, 2017.
http://www.highsnobiety.com/2016/05/23/soulja-boy-godfather-internet-age-rap/.
5) Perez, Sarah. "Nielsen: Music Streams Doubled In 2015, Digital Sales Continue To Fall." TechCrunch.
January 07, 2016. Accessed March 02, 2017. https://techcrunch.com/2016/01/07/nielsen-music-
streams-doubled-in-2015-digital-sales-continue-to-fall/.
6) Spanos, Brittany. "2015's Hottest Dance Crazes: From the Dab to Hit the Quan." Rolling Stone.
November 30, 2015. Accessed March 01, 2017. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/2015s-
hottest-dance-crazes-the-dab-hit-the-quan-and-beyond-20151130/shmoney-20151130.
7) Clingerman, Erika. "The Rise of Viral Videos." Graphic Communication Department . Accessed March
02, 2017. http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1109&context=grcsp.
8) McCarty, Rob. "The rise of new celebrity on social media." IMedia Connection. November 19, 2015.
Accessed March 02, 2017. http://www.imediaconnection.com/article/182939/the-rise-of-new-
celebrity-on-social-media.

21. PHOTO LINKS
 http://media.gq.com/photos/57582de2e0de94784de087fe/16:9/pass/soulja-boy-sneakers.jpg
 https://images.genius.com/a809e433b3a90aabfbfacf666af400ea.436x436x1.jpg
 https://i1.wp.com/hypebeast.com/image/ht/2016/07/rae-sremmurd-shelovesmeechie-lil-uzi-vert-subzero.jpg?w=960
 http://cdn4.pitchfork.com/news/70408/c988836b.jpg
 http://static.djbooth.net/pics-features/rect/21-savage-follow-up-profile.jpg
 https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2016/02/24/14/damn-daniel-twitter.jpg
 https://images.moviepilot.com/images/c_limit,q_auto,w_710/kmzya9a6wovmnlj7lfr6/where-are-they-now-the-incredible-tale-of-tay-zonday-and-his-shower-of-chocolate-rain.jpg
 https://alevelsociology.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/kim-kardashian-feminist.jpg
 https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ImOBg2LVmBY/maxresdefault.jpg
 https://www.spreadshirt.com/image-server/v1/designs/12977408,width=178,height=178/watch-me-whip-watch-me-nae-nae.png
 http://akns-images.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2016427/rs_560x415-160527105632-560-the-dab-sr.jpg
 https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2000/1*Vj1M2Sy_SxdWHZIJp26Ayw.jpeg
 https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GRpJk1uERKA/maxresdefault.jpg
 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/video_previews/x/z/xzehlpnze6ialhjx1cosgpic1710wkvr-large.jpg
 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/video_previews/1/i/1inzvnnze6r32tilqvcg3e79tdcbzho-large.jpg
 http://www.billboard.com/files/media/rae-sremmurd-black-beatles-vid-2016-billboard-1548.jpg
 https://cdn.nba.net/nba-drupal-prod/styles/landscape/http/nba.cdn.turner.com/nba/big/video/2016/11/11/1aec87fa-69ee-4747-
8dfb-17c7809ef41a.nba_1_1280x720.jpg?itok=cUa9mmp9