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FEBRUARY 2005 OK Go records its While on tour in Toronto with the Kaiser Chiefs, the members of OK Go- second album, lead singer/guitarist Damian Kulash, bassist Tim Nordwind, drummer Dan "Oh No," in Malmö, Konopka and guitar/keyboard player Andy Ross -give a video copy of a Sweden, with dance routine for the song "A Million Ways" from their new album to a fan. Tore Johansson. They had teamed with Kulash's sister Trish Sie, a former professional ballroom dancer, to choreograph the number and intended to perform the dance at the end of live shows. In mid -May, the band had filmed one of the rehearsal sessions in the backyard of Kulash's Los Angeles home. OCTOBER 25 2005 The "A Million . Ways" video is featured on VH1's "Best Week Ever" as online views top 1 million. A week later, the band and a Running handful of its fans perform the dance on The band performs "A Million Ways" on "The Tonight Show With Jay "Good Morning Leno," kicking off a media blitz in connection with the album release America," and "A in which they next do the song Sept. 9 on "Mad TV." But despite the Million Ways" tops surging viewership for "A Million Ways," the video is never formally MTVu's countdown Start submitted to MTV or VH1. "We never got a giant push from them to show "The OK Go Jogs Some Serious Digital Sales On Back Of Web Buzz BY BRIAN GARRITY play it. There was just all this hoopla around the Internet activity," says Dean's List." Rick Krim, executive VP of music and talent for VH1. "Between YouTube numbers and MySpace numbers, we get so many giant numbers IF THERE IS ONE thing Capitol Records' alt -rockers OK Go thrown at us these days sometimes it is hard to know what's even have established it's this: They know how to create a sensa- good anymore. The bar keeps getting raised." Opening week sales tion on the Internet. But convincing fans to actually buy for "Oh No" total 7,000, and the band tops the Billboard Heatseekers their music is proving an altogether trickier task. Chart the week of Sept. 4; digital track sales for "A Million Ways" total 1,000 downloads. But sales of the album and the track quickly fall off. a video for the single "Here The band released low- budget Meanwhile, "Do What You Want" produces little traction at radio, and It Goes Again" on YouTube July 31, and, for the second time the accompanying video is not picked up by the music video channels. in 12 months, became a prime example of how fast word - of-mouth about an act can spread in the age of viral video. The clip is a novelty piece that features the group per- forming a choreographed routine involving eight treadmills. It attracted more than 3 million views on youtube.com in the first two weeks following its debut on the site, and more MAY 24, 2006 JUNE 6, 2006 than 4.5 million times to date. Since then the band has been With online views now Panic! At the Disco's latest tour kicks off with OK Go in the opening all over mainstream media and appeared at the MTV Video in the multimillions, the slot. In early June, Capitol also releases the song "Invincible" to _iOPennev Music Awards Aug. 31, performing the routine. video for "A Million alternative radio; OK Go makes a video to accompany the track. Ways" is made available Meanwhile, tensions are rising between the band and the label over But with all the buzz in place, next comes the hard part - on iTunes almost a year the "Here It Goes Again" video. Capitol, in an attempt to increase awareness for transforming an online "hit" into actual sales. after it first appeared OK Go, leaks "Here It Goes Again" to a handful of viral -video sites including OK Go can attest firsthand that creating a lightning strike online. A source familiar MySpace and stupidvideos.com.The band -still hoping to use "Here It Goes of massive Internet popularity does not automatically re- with the situation says Again" as a single -immediately demands that Capitol pull it. Kitman doesn't timing of the iTunes want to release the video online until radio, retail and MTV are lined up. "People sult in increased digital track and CD business. A year ago video store and soft for a while have been talking a good game about the Internet and their the band sparked a similar sensation with the video for the sales of the track readiness to deal with the new technology, but the reality is they were slow to slowed the urgency to catch up. It's hard to figure out how to harness it," he says. "The lesson that song "A Million Ways " -a clip that has been viewed more get the video posted. we've learned is when you see something catching on you need to bring some than 9 million times worldwide in the last year. What fol- conventional artillery out and do the things you do when you have a radio hit." lows is a chronicle of how one band scored on the Internet, At the end of June, the band licenses the song and video for "Do What You then learned how to respond. Want" to JCPenney for use in a commercial. ILLUSTRATION BY EBOY 22 I SEPTEMBER 9, 2006 www.americanradiohistory.com.

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