Social Media Makes Dreams Come True, Just Ask Greyson Chance

Greyson Chance is everywhere. He's all over YouTube, filtering through your twitter feed and smiling from his Facebook fan pages. He's the It boy. And he's only twelve years old.

For those who don't know, Chance was noticed after uploading a video on YouTube of him singing and playing the piano to Lady Gaga's Paparazi (check it out here). I was a latecomer to the Greyson Chance phenomenon, but I'll admit he's made a version of the song that I find listenable (a feat previously labeled impossible). And song choice aside, this kid is talented.

It was announced today that Ellen DeGeneres signed him to a new record label. Did I mention he's twelve?

So how did a twelve year old get signed by a major celebrity to a record label? Was it his voice? That helped, but that wasn't all of it. His impressive piano skills? Probably not. His extremely popular YouTube video? Bingo!

It's social media! Chance's story is living proof of the power of social media. There's no doubt that he is incredibly talented, but without that video and the connection it made to thousands of people, he would likely still be performing only for the home crowd. Of course this isn't an entirely new concept, bands have been advertising themselves on MySpace for years, but thanks to the semi-recent surge of social media, outlets like YouTube have a much stronger connection with a much larger audience.

So for anyone who has a quality product, whether its a boy with a dream or a business with a goal, they just might manage the impossible with a little help from social media.