VIDEOS Ark Music Factory Builds Stable Of Popstars: Rebecca Black, Alana Lee and more!
Here’s an understatement: Justin Bieber is a huge success. The manchild whose haircuts now make international news, and more importantly racks up the sales numbers, ticket sales, and YouTube views, did it all honestly from his living room. With all that success, you’ve got to wonder if there’s anyone else out there trying to replicate that same magic.
Wonder no more. Ladies, gentlemen and parents of wannabe superstar teen idols, I introduce you to Ark Music Factory. This organization first came to our attention through this Tosh.0 post ridiculing the song and video “Friday” by a pretty pre-teen named Rebecca Black.
Read our Starcasm article on Rebecca Black and “Friday”
There’s a lot there to poke fun at, from the autotune-lessness of the singing performance (you will never hear the word “Friday” uttered more nasally for the rest of your life), to the head-scratching fantasy/realities presented by the video (how do all these kids who look like they’re 13 have such nice cars?), and best of all, the atrociousness of the songwriting. (I’d break it down for you, but really, the best thing to do is just watch the video and take it all in.) As of this posting, the video has only been up for a month and it’s already crested 2.8 million views. With all the attention it’s getting, look for that number to go up. Way up.
Rebecca Black is now a certified YouTube sensation! So what’s up here?
Turns out Rebecca Black is not the first but definitely the most successful in the line of wannabe stars presented to the pop marketplace by the Ark Music Factory, a self-described “Community, Music/Entertainment Channel and Independent Record Label based in Los Angeles, California.” For a yet unknown sum of money, Ark Music Factory will write, produce and film a video for a song pre-made for your teen to aspire to all the success Miss Black is currently enjoying. In fact, here’s a pic of aspiring pop songstress Alana Lee in her AMF video for “Butterflies”, hoping for just Rebecca’s view count!
And if you, loving parents, don’t want to come all the way to LA to see them, they’re coming to you with casting calls in a city near you. Here’s a casting call scheduled for Minneapolis, MN, with a submission deadline dated 3-18-11. They want a male or female aged 13 to 17, a “great singer without any material” who wants to “get discovered…” They’re not willing to turn down “underground unsigned artists” either! And if you’re a dancer or a great DJ? So much the better. Ark Music Factory has “a place for you.” And if you achieve Justin Bieber phenom status? Well, I’m sure there’s provisions in your Ark Music Factory contract that says what happens next. Good luck!
I can’t validate any of the claims they make beyond the professional production values of the video (pretty good, all things considered) and the YouTube hits, which are for real. (The motives of all those viewers in watching the video is still an open question, as Tosh.0 will confirm.) So let’s see what other artists Ark Music Factory is putting out there as the future of teen pop! (In Alana Lee’s case, it involves hiding behind some butterflies. Uh uh, Ms. Lee! YouTube can see you!!!)
This is the top 5 in terms of YouTube views in the Ark Music Factory family. They have a long way to go to catch up to Rebecca Black, knocking on 3 million! We’ve noted the amount of YouTube view counts these videos had as we go to press. Check back at Starcasm and see if any of these artists attain breakout status!
#1) ALANA LEE: “BUTTERFLIES” – 203,000 YouTube views
#2) ABBY VICTOR: “Crush On You” – 124,000 YouTube views
#3) BRITT RUTTER: “Without Your Love” – 113,000 YouTube views
#4) ARIANA DVORNIK: “Fly” – 90,000 YouTube views
#5) HUSH: “Hypnotize Me” – 51,000 YouTube views