The very first Youtube video music awards live-streamed on the internet on Sunday night, with Jason Schwartzman and Reggie Watts as hosts. The whole event was unscripted, and the general consensus is that it was a little chaotic. Taking place at Pier 36 in New York, the intention of the event was to bring fans and artists face to face, allowing the fans to participate in every part of the ceremony. Performances by Eminem, Lady Gaga, Avicii, and other huge names in the modern music scene added flare to the night. Some performances were video-worthy, while other broke down into general madness. Notably, Lady Gaga ditched the high fashion in favor of a flannel shirt and trucker cap. Her performance was out of her norm as well, a poignant and heartfelt solo sung as she played the piano. Unlike most other music awards, the Youtube music awards were voted on strictly by fans. Nominees included One Direction, Miley Cyrus, and Nicki Minaj.
Youtube’s Growing Influence on the Music Industry
The awards are the result of Youtube’s increasing influence on the music world. In the last few years, Youtube has become the prime way that new music is discovered and listened to by fans. Boasting the optimum way to view a new video, for free, Youtube is unmatched in this genre at this time. This year, the esteemed Billboard began utilizing Youtube “likes” and “views” in figuring out many of the top music charts.
Well known winners of Sunday night’s awards were Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and Eminem. Awards were also given to honor Youtube-made stars Lindsey Stirling and Girls Generation. All together, the show had a lot of bloopers, but participants had fun and are eager to do it again next year.