YouTube Music Awards

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Recapping The YouTube Music Awards Video Premieres

ICYMI, although I'm not sure if that was possible, YouTube rolled out their second YouTube Music Awards yesterday. If you were expecting something a bit more traditionally after debuting the YTMA franchise in 2013 to mixed reviews, guess again. Instead they played to their strengths: No awards ceremony at all, instead opting to roll out 13 simultaneous music video premieres from:

In a way it reminds me of one of my Best of the Month lists, but if every video was specifically commissioned for that list.

PS: There were 50 winners based upon "clicks, views, and subscriptions"... It's kind of an Artist To Watch list, mixing big stars and promising newcomers. Check that out via YouTube.

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Martin Garrix f/ Usher "Don't Look Down" (Petros, dir.) #YTMA

If the inaugural YouTube Music Awards had a "let's put on a show" — or, to quote Bill O'Reilly, "Fuck it, we'll do it live!" — vibe, then the follow-up finds the massive video/web site playing to their strengths and skipping the live show in favor of a deluge of specially commissioned videos by creative musicians and directors.

First up is this Petros clip for Martin Garrix, where the club DJ plays a lowly towelboy trying his darndest to catch the eye of a stuck-up guest at a very uptight country club. It's a losing proposition, until he conjures more than a little magic to seal the deal.