Rapper Eminem and the K-pop group Girls’ Generation were among the big winners on the inaugural YouTube Music Awards.
The awards show, which seems positioned as a direct competitor to theMTV Video Music Awards, came across as a loose affair on the surface, but given the swirl of acts and activities on screen, it was likely a very tightly produced enterprise. It was helmed by director Spike Jonze.
YouTube still has some way to go to have the impact of MTV’s annual awards show. 10.1 million viewers tuned in to the MTV Video Music Awards in August to watch Miley Cyrus twerk herself into the national conversation. According to Variety, some 215,000 people were live-streaming the YouTube event at one point. The number of people who watch clips from the show will no doubt build in the days ahead. The show billed the musical performances as “live music videos.”
Girls’ Generation scored the Video of the Year, and rapper Eminem was named Artist of the Year. He closed the show with a performance of his new song “Rap God.” Macklemore and Ryan Lewis won the award for Breakthrough Artist.
Speakeasy wrote a story back in February 2012 asking the question “Can Girls’ Generation Break Through in America?” With this high-profile video win, the answer seems to be “yes.”
