Is Ashley Dupree a “Web Star?”

Silicon Valley Insider points to an article in the NY Post (classy rag) that runs some of the numbers on Ashley “Spitzer’s Girl” Dupree.  Among other amounts of note, they believe she has already earned over $200,000 is music sales alone!

While this is certainly interesting, I thought this quote from SVI was worth a second look:

“The downside: Her new business success will make her ineligible for further representation by her public defender. Also, the 22-year old will be besieged by reps, managers, advisors, acquaintances, and agents of all types, some of whom will no doubt persuade her that she can’t afford not to pay them hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. In the moment, this will seem like pennies, but if her career trajectory follows that of other instant web stars, will soon leave her penniless again.”

Is Ashley a “web star?”  She certainly didn’t make a name for herself due to behavior on the web.  Sure, the web is the channel through which she is able to cash in on her current fame but the web had nothing to do with making her famous in the first place.

Of course, the fact that she had established a presence on the web prior to her, um, breakthrough, didn’t hurt.  That’s a good lesson for all of us.  You never know when you might be able to cash in on you online presence.  Be prepared. 

My Only Spitzer Scandal Post

I honestly didn’t see how the current Spitzer brewhaha would ever provide grist for my particular mill, but it is yet another sign that this is truly the digital age that I have, in fact, found crossover.

Many outlets are reporting on the now publicly known identity of Spitzer’s hooker, one Ashley Alexandra Dupree and her dreams of music stardom.

Ashley’s single is on AimeStreet, a music distribution site I have discussed here on this blog.  Their pricing is based on a tracks popularity, so, according to Silicon Valley Insider,  ”Ashley uploaded her first song onto Amie Street on Nov. 8, 2007. Up until yesterday afternoon, you could snag it for 7 cents. Today a download of “What We Want” will cost you 98 cents.”

They’ve got some more interesting stats as well that show seem to indicate she is outselling all the “name” artists on the site by a wide margin.  She has also had her head together enough to upload a second single to the site today and it, to, is already up to the maximum price of 98 cents.

This is the power of the internet and self-distribution.  A traditional label would never have been able to cash in on this sort of moment but and individual connected to the internet can literally become a platinum-selling artists in the same week she brings down a governor.

Awesome.