Ebuzzing Blog

On the 5 January, a talented but relatively unknown Canadian band decided to post their cover of Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ on YouTube with little idea of what a sensation it would turn out to be. A little under a month later, the video has received almost 58 million views, but more importantly, it’s sparked huge share rates, engagement and support for the unassuming musos. My cousin posted the video on his Facebook page and obviously seeing 5 people playing one guitar sparked my interest. Next thing I knew, it was an hour later and I had watched as many of their covers and originals as possible.

Like most other articles around this video, I could harp on about the share rate, the millions of views and the Internet phenomenon. But, for me, the human aspect of this story is what makes it special and worth talking about. Walk Off The Earth consists of Gianni, Marshall, Joel, Taylor and solo singer, Sarah Blackwood. They joined YouTube in July 2008 and nearly 3 and a half years later, they are finally getting the publicity and acclaim that they so rightly deserve. They play multiple instruments, have unreal voices and their creative and quirky way of presenting videos really makes them stand out. They literally ooze music.

They play music for their fans and for the love of it.  For the past few years, people have requested various covers on Facebook and WOTE have duly responded with their own take on the songs – two of my favourites being Karma Police and Someone Like You. They even personally thanked everyone out there only a week after ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ went live saying: 

 “Thank you so much for all of your incredible support! We honestly couldn't appreciate all the love you've shown more than we do right now. You're the best! Things are crazy at the moment but we wanted to send you all a little thank you gift before things get even crazier.”

It’s nice to see such down-to-earth talent make it by means of the social space. They’ve got the nod and the exposure – now they need to keep the momentum up and rock it! The Ellen DeGeneres Show was inundated by requests to see Walk Off The Earth perform and on the 23 January, they did just that! Although a little shaky and nervous, you’ve got to give them credit; less than three weeks after posting the video, they were performing to a worldwide audience on one of the most popular talk shows around. YouTube and social media in general are making it more and more possible for genuine talent to gain exposure and fans, without taking the record label route. The rawness of music posted online makes it far more exciting, and the immediacy and variety on the Web are redefining how the music industry operates. As Walk Off The Earth so clearly demonstrates, an online phenomenon can translate into a real life success story and I can’t wait to see how far they go!