Just finished watching Jools, and noticed Lana Del Ray was appearing. She went down a storm, carefully framed with Peter Gabriel's bonce nodding sagely along..

She was introduced as "The latest Internet Phenomenon". Not that old chestnut again? (see also Arctic Monkeys and S*ndi Th*m). Isn't all new music principally discovered via the Internet these days? Nobody really believes that this artist casually put some Youtube videos up recorded in her bedroom and magically became an overnight sensation all on her own. Of course not, it's all part of a very carefully orchestrated marketing strategy.

Not that I have a problem with carefully orchestrated marketing strategies, and hats off to 'Team Lana', they've done a cracking job. However the manner of her coming to 'market' is pretty much the model with all new acts these days. In these post-Myspace times it generally goes like this:

1. The unreleased tracks go up on Youtube/Sound Cloud to test the water.
2. They get picked up on blogs and sites such like The Quietus or Pitchfork and create 'a buzz in the Blogosphere', no doubt assisted by some old-style marketing behind the scenes.
3. Maybe get a couple of low key gigs, preferably in Islington or Shoreditch.. the sort that people will later claim: "I swear I was there"
4. Get the 'ear' of Alexis Petridish or someone on the Guardian and get on the phone to BBC 6 Music ("Hello is that Steve Lamacq..?" click - brrrr etc.)
5. Wait for just enough steam to build up behind the artist and then put the new single out (including a limited 7" of course), preferably the Monday after appearing on 'Later..' and if you're really clever, Indie record shops will be restricting the single to one per customer (which they are!)
6. Hey presto everyone is suitably 'stoked' for your debut LP and no doubt there is a place already reserved for you at Latitude 2012, The Big Chill and Bestival. Hurrah!

Not knocking the artist whatsoever (although not my cup of tea), and I think there was some genuine amazement at how quickly her videos took off on Youtube, but surely this 'online' route to global megastardom is the norm these days...I fail to see why the media are seeing this as such a novelty.