I first heard about Scotty Dynamo when he was just Nick Wilson—a friend of mine was in his drama class in first year. She had trouble describing him, but one thing was clear: there was something about this kid.
Wilson’s main project, Scotty Dynamo, is as difficult to pigeonhole now as then. A full-time U of T film student, he combines catchy, electronic beats reminiscent of early-’90s Daft Punk with witty, often ironic rhymes. In his song “Push Me” he remixes a Benny Benassi beat with Ace of Base, and raps “I’m educated and might fill you with knowledge, ’Cause you’re dancing like you’re planning on making money for college,” and “Homie isn’t cool and I don’t care if he’s a blogger.”
Though his music is chock-full of pop-culture references—in one song, he references 2008’s viral video “My New Haircut,” RoboCop, and the Three Musketeers role-playing game—he does not engage in social commentary. “I’m not addressing political issues or anything,” maintains Wilson. “It’s just kind of really good stuff to party to … Ultimately, I just call it pop music.”
Most impressive, though, is Wilson’s success considering his lack of publicity and connections. He has roughly 500,000 plays on MySpace, 350,000 views on YouTube, and a growing 8,000 downloads of his new EP, FEVER.
Wilson is part of a new generation of artists who exploit the technological revolution to the fullest, substituting social networking sites for PR, and at-home equipment for professional mastering. ”No one is making money off album sales anymore,” he says. Musicians should adapt and evolve with the new technology, as opposed to “pulling a Metallica,” he asserts
One of the biggest changes in technology’s revolutionizing of the industry, is how potential fans connect with artists. Though Wilson plays shows in Toronto frequently, he insists, “We’re in an era where you don’t need to be a playing a show everyday. You can have a show with 300 people in the audience, or a YouTube video with 3 million.”
He’s also calculating in his song choices. “I’m not, like, a remixer,” he maintains. “It’s strategic. People will Google a popular song, and my remix comes up under it … if that video goes viral, they’ll go back and try to find my original work, like, ‘Alright what else does this kid have,’ and if they like it, they’ll usually buy it.” This past year, for example, he remixed Britney Spears’ “3”—not a song he would otherwise listen to on his own time. Within a day, the remix was posted on her number-one fansite; it has over 100,000 views on YouTube.
Wilson has made his connections in the industry in a similar way. He has connected with producers and label executives in the States by submitting his work to competitions in L.A., and contacting them online. “Everyone’s reachable,” he claims. “You can have access to anyone’s e-mail, anyone’s Facebook.”
And yet, it is arguably harder than ever to get signed to a label.
Artist development has been drastically cut, and often artists need an image, fan base, and hit single before they start working with a major label. Canadian artists Drake and Justin Bieber are examples—both had significant followings before they were signed. Their fans weren’t local supporters, but international numbers: fans on Facebook, friends on MySpace, and followers on Twitter.
“I’ve definitely had my share of phone calls,” said Wilson, “where every time you’re hoping that this is it, this is the break. I had one guy in L.A. say ‘your stuff is gold. Five years ago you would be in L.A. right now, being developed, but you need that hit record.’”
Still, Wilson is hopeful, and has good reason to be. “2010 is my take-over year,” he said. “I’ve claimed it as that.”
