Ten years ago, few could have predicted the huge success that platforms like YouTube would become, or the freedom that they would grant to artists and creators of all kinds to produce content on their own terms, and find massive new audiences. The Arctic Monkeys’ breakthrough success on social media platform MySpace was still fresh, and a new wave of artists were scrambling to understand the changes that were taking place, and how they too could have that breakthrough moment.
One such artist was Lindsey Stirling, who to gain the sort of exposure that would have never been possible for her in the traditional media. Nobody questioned her ability, but her unique brand of contemporary violin was never deemed marketable enough to bring to a wider audience – YouTube changed all that, bringing her music to billions.
This is how the talented but frustrated musician managed to climb out of the seemingly unmarketable niche of the solo instrumentalist, go on to earn platinum records, and work with the likes of John Legend, Celine Dion, and even The Muppets.
Lindsey Stirling’s YouTube career had humble beginnings in a sub-two minute live performance titled ‘Violin Rock’, hosted almost a decade ago with mono sound and pristine 240p resolution. This first video appeared on YouTube in 2007, only two years after the platform first started up, but Lindsey admits that back then she certainly wasn’t aware of what she was getting herself into.
“I wanted to get onto the Ellen DeGeneres show, so I posted a video to YouTube so I could send their talent bookers a link of what I do – they never had me on the show. (laughs) Honestly, I had no idea what YouTube really was when I first posted my video.”
It was a few years later when a chance encounter would open Linsdey’s eyes to the potential the platform offered, and the idea of YouTube being a full time job. “I didn’t even think about YouTube again ’til several years later when I met Devin Graham (Devinsupertramp),” she tells us.
“He introduced himself to me as a ‘professional YouTuber’, and that caught my attention. We became friends, and he taught me all about what this world of YouTube could actually do for an artist. It changed my life, and I immediately started creating content for YouTube.”
What followed was one video after the next, from a live performance at an NBA halftime show, to new music videos and behind-the-scenes clips. Over the next couple of years, Lindsey continued adding an eclectic range of clips, gaining momentum and building a huge fanbase numbering in the millions.
Free from the constraints imposed by the usual channels, she found herself able to present her material the way she had always hoped to – and people responded. To date, her videos have racked up over 1.5 billion views, and she boasts 8.5 million subscribers, placing her at #4 on Forbes’ yearly YouTube ranking. To put that following into perspective, Kanye West has fewer than three million subscribers, while the likes of Justin Timberlake and Sam Smith haven’t broken five million.
Lindsey’s immersion in YouTube was in part a reaction to a series of rough setbacks while pursuing a music career in more traditional , and she’s adamant that, without YouTube, she simply wouldn’t have been afforded the possibilities she’s had – and the awards and platinum records that have followed.
“I had gone on America’s Got Talent, and been brutally kicked off the show. I had sent music to record labels, and they just told me I had to change. I had sent DVDs to talent agencies and heard nothing back… Everywhere I went was a dead end, but YouTube allowed me to take control of my own career.”
Considering the non-mainstream nature of her purely instrumental music, Lindsey insists that YouTube opened doors for her that would have otherwise remained firmly shut. “I would not be where I am at today if I hadn’t had YouTube,” she states.”Just putting myself out there would have been impossible.”
“No record label would take a risk on me, and no radio station would play instrumental music, but YouTube had no gatekeepers guarding what should and shouldn’t be heard; what would and wouldn’t be successful. So just my music being heard by anyone, is because of YouTube.”
Gaining a following online was obviously a huge jumping-off point for Lindsey, but she realised that she had to venture outside of her channel to grow her audience and build a truly sustainable career.
“Once my channel was big enough to gain traction, I started to venture into other avenues – I didn’t want all my eggs in the YouTube basket. So early on in my career, I started touring so I could build an audience in “the real world” and not just online. Touring takes consistency and repetition to grow it.”
Those tours have now been in front of a grand total of over half a million fans, Lindsey also recognised that, despite YouTube’s ability to give a huge boost to self-made musicians, nobody can go it completely alone.
“I also hired a publicist so that they could get me other types of press that would reach an audience different from the YouTube audience, and I reached out to collaborate with artists that are more mainstream: John Legend, Josh Groban, and The Muppets!”
In fact, Lindsey notes working with The Muppets as one of the highlights of her career (because how could it not be!?), also noting the chance to perform live with Celine Dion and playing at Red Rocks as amazing moments. When it comes to YouTube, releasing the video for her dubstep violin track ‘Crystallize’ and receiving over a million views in a single day was also a massive landmark. The video, now her most successful, has since gone on to be viewed over 150 million times – not a bad result by any measure.
YouTube hasn’t just had an impact on Lindsey’s ability to grow a fanbase of millions, but it’s also allowed her relate to those fans in a completely different way.
“I feel like it has helped me have a very direct relationship with my fans. I don’t try to separate myself from them as if I’m this perfect, untouchable celebrity.
“On the contrary, YouTube and social media has helped me portray myself as the ‘girl next door’. Not glammed up in all my pictures, just real, like any of my fans. I also try to comment back to a lot of my fans.”
Certainly not the only artist to achieve success The Piano Guys, Peter Hollens, Pentatonix, Kina Grannis, Max Schnieder
So, having seen such amazing success by continually putting herself out there any way she could, what advice would Lindsey give to other aspiring artists hoping to use platforms like YouTube to get their work noticed?
“Keep working. You have to work really, really hard, and in most cases you have to work a while before you see results, so buckle up your boot straps and get ready to run for a long time.”
Lindsey Stirling’s latest album Brave Enough is out now through Universal Music.
