Say what you will about iTunes and the electronic age’s impact on music and the music industry but one thing is clear — they have been great about is giving talented people exposure long before they might come to the attention of agents, scouts and record labels. That’s the case with Applegirl, who caught the world’s attention with her rendition of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face performed with nothing more than a number of iPhones.
Over three million views later she has a contract with a record company. Pretty neat.
Then there is Ben, one of my students and an aspiring musician. I’ve watched Ben grow up and have been super impressed by his growing talent as a musician. I’ve seen him play a few times and have always enjoyed watching and listening to him. Since I’ve known him most of his life I guess the best word to describe it is that I… KVELL.
So imagine my surprise when, while browsing iTunes the other day I came across a three song EP entitled One Thousand Reasons. And the artist behind the EP? My student Ben.
No, Ben doesn’t have a recording contract, not even close, but thanks to iTunes his music can be out there and available to anyone interested. That’s the democratization of music in action. And who knows… maybe by having his music up on iTunes he will get discovered. After all, he is actually pretty darn good!
So here’s my shameless plug… You can check out his music here, and I hope you will.