Ronald Jenkees

Ronald Jenkees has almost 100,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel with over 2,400,000 views.  Why?  The videos are compelling thanks to Jenkees' music and quirky personality.

When something like this happens, there are always people coming out of the woodwork with skepticism. 

A few months ago, I posted something here asking the question, "Is Ronald Jenkees a Fake?" I argued that a big part of Ronald Jenkees' success was his personality and that it would be a shame if it turned out to be a big act. Why? We all want to see the underdog, the musician playing music in his bedroom with just a dream and a webcam, make it big.

Today, somebody sent me this...

Thoughts?  Assuming this video is true, would you be less likely to buy Ronald Jenkees' music?

Comments

[Christopher Joel]

If I liked the music, whether the artist is "real" or not is irrelevant to my decision to purchase it. All artists do this to some degree or another. See Bob Dylan - name change, see Shasha Fierce - aka Beyonce, see Marilyn Manson - total persona change for Brian whats-his-name, see any rapper - they all put on a front and usually get arrested trying to prove they are "real".

I can see how people would be upset if they thought he was real and not just a character. The question is, does it entertain you?

[Tamzin]

Nothing in that shows he's fake, it shows he has a 'stage name' and that before he discovered YouTube he put his music online on another site, under a different band name.

Every musician uses a stage name alias, you even have to under equity to become a member, same as actors. Think of all the top bands, Bono, Madonna, Prince, you think that's their real names? Nope!

That video is very retarded, he should sue the guy imo!

[David Hooper]

I think the issue here is that it's not clear is Ronald Jenkees is a stage name or if he's a real person. This isn't the same as Eminem, where everything is on the table and everybody knows what's going on.

[Jason Coffee]

The video proves nothing more than a possible stage name. This post and your previous blog where you blindly suggest he's a trained musician with absolutely nothing to base that from tells me you're simply searching hard for different ways to bash the guy. Sure, it's fodder for web comments, but you aren't that desperate, are you?

I respect a good majority of what you have accomplished in your career, David, but I have to say these posts really put me off, even if it turns out the guy doesn't act the same when he's shopping at Wal-Mart.

Added, the fact that you believe everything is on the table with Eminen just put a ding in your credibility as a marketing guru, at least with me.

[David Hooper]

The subject of Ronald Jenkees is here because it deals with marketing. Nobody is trying to bash the guy. I'm simply presenting opinion on how people feel about his "stage name."

Lots of people use names other than the one they were given at birth. Sting, for example. Elton John, for another.

The issue is not his name, but persona. Lots of people feel there is more to the story.

Is there? Maybe. If so, it wouldn't be the first time.

Web 2.0, which is a big part of how Ronald Jenkees is marketing himself, is a different animal than print or broadcast media. It's interactive in a big way. Also, people want more transparency. And these two things will work against you, if people feel they've been duped.

The issue isn't Ronald Jenkees. It's certainly not his music. The issue is how he's marketed himself, whatever his name may be.

[Howlin' Hobbit]

Pish and tush!

He has a concept, he plays it to the hilt, and he seems to be doing well with it.

He not only does good music, he's entertaining. People who feel "duped" by this maybe don't cop to the fact that it's show biz.

And throwing out the "Web 2.0 is different" meme doesn't cut it. No matter what shuddering and paradigm shifting the music end of show biz is going through right now, the essentials haven't changed. If you're not entertaining (at whatever level) you're not going to do well.

The cat *is* doing well for himself and delivering the goods to his fans in the entertainment department. In other words, he's doing it right.

Though I'm sure he never read it, I posted a blog about this a long time ago (and dragged it out of the vaults for a repost in my current blog) and he sure seems to be following the program. It's all about the importance of being a 'toon.

http://howlinhobbit.com/blog/pivot/entry.php?id=229

Check it out if you'd like.

[AngloSaxon]

I know the truth. I know him, personally. I went to his college. The music is top notch.