Whether it is Fun.'s “We Are Young,” Gotye's “Somebody That I Used to Know” or Carly Rae Jepsen's “Call Me Maybe,” an infectious song always seems to be circulating around the nation's airways. These songs often come with millions of YouTube views, parody videos and a catchy hook that gets stuck in the heads of listeners for days.
After rising to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week, “Gangnam Style” from South Korean pop artist Psy seems to be the latest YouTube and radio hit. With a music video that needs no introduction, the single has already topped the 350 million view mark after only two and a half months since its release.
According to YouTube's website, an astounding 72 hours of video is uploaded to the site per minute. So how can Psy's hit reach more views than the population of the U.S., while millions of other aspiring musicians fail to ever garner attention for their songs? While good timing, luck and sheer quality undoubtedly contribute to Internet success, viral artists need help from outside sources to help maintain their popularity.
In Psy's case, that is where General Electric comes into play. The multinational conglomerate corporation has stakes in everything from energy, to home appliances and to hit singles. GE's affiliation and benefit from a song like "Gangnam Style" is neither a coincidence nor good for the music industry.
After first receiving viral success in August, Psy tweeted about his 100 millionth YouTube view on Sept. 4. That same day, manager Scooter Braun, who discovered Justin Bieber, signed Psy to a record deal with Universal Republic Records. The record label, based out of New York City, serves as one of over 20 subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. An even larger French conglomerate, Vivendi, owns the world’s largest record publisher, UMG. General Electric just so happens to own Vivendi, along with media outlets such as NBC and Universal Pictures.
Not so coincidentally, after the rapper signed his North American record deal, he was featured on NBC programs: "Saturday Night Live," "The Today Show" and "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
While Psy is obviously benefiting from his global success, GE has managed to reap profits by featuring the hit single on its sitcoms, talk shows, movies and even commercials. This conflict of interest poses an interesting dilemma to the music industry. If the musicians are creating the material, how can such a separated party such as GE take in so much of the profit?
With the media dominated by mega-corporations and radio stations playing the same songs over and over again, it is possible this loop may not stop. However, it is worth asking when the next "Gangnam Style" takes over the world whether the artist or the corporation want listeners more than the other.
Reach the reporter at mbobman@asu.edu
