The Internet Is Awesome

Album: Season Two (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Internet really is awesome for Pomplamoose, the duo of Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn. After meeting at Stanford, they became a couple and formed the band in 2008. Instead of going the traditional route, they used YouTube to distribute and promote their music, a very unlikely proposition at a time when the vast majority of music on the platform was music ripped from CDs or low-quality performance uploads. Jack and Nataly made songs and videos that had production value but retained a DIY aesthetic. And they were consistent, posting them on a regular basis, which built them a loyal following. It also helps that Dawn, their singer, looks really good on camera.
  • Looking at the tile of this track, it might seem sarcastic, but it's entirely sincere, explaining the many ways the Internet has made life better. Among them:

    Subcultures flourish
    Anyone can publish with no gatekeeper
    Email makes communication much easier

    In the first line, they make the case that the Internet is as important as The Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution.
  • This spoken-word song was recorded in one take, with Dawn singing and Conti using Ableton Live, Launchpad, and a midi controller to create and manipulate the sounds. Like most Pomplamoose videos, we see lots of close-ups that reveal how they created the song.
  • For Jack Conte, the Internet got even more awesome in 2013 when he launched Patreon, a crowdfunding platform he built with Sam Yam, his former roommate at Stanford. Patreon grew into a billion-dollar company that Conte ran while still making music with Pomplamoose (Dawn took over most of the operations). Patreon is membership based, so "patron" pay a certain amount every month to the artists and get ongoing benefits. This was great for Pomplamoose, who had sizable number of superfans that signed on.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Hawksley Workman

Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Interviews

One of Canada's most popular and eclectic performers, Hawksley tells stories about his oldest songs, his plentiful side projects, and the ways that he keeps his songwriting fresh.

U2 Lyrics

U2 LyricsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the lyrics of U2?

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.

The Girl in That Song

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary MachineSong Writing

Fiona's highly-anticipated third album almost didn't make it. Here's how it finally came together after two years and a leak.

Petula Clark

Petula ClarkSongwriter Interviews

Petula talks about her hits "Downtown" and "Don't Sleep In The Subway," and explains her Michael Jackson connection.