As freshman Morgan Koontz gets ready in her bathroom, she thinks about the video she’s going to post tonight. She plans to sing “Hello” by Adele, feeling immense pressure to hit each note perfectly, and for good reason.

Koontz boasts 140,000 followers and counting on her Instagram page @morgansingss. She also posts full-length versions of her songs and covers on her YouTube account, Morgan Taylor’s Music.

But Koontz doesn’t do this just for fun; she hopes to start her career as a musician through these videos.

“I’m hoping that I can make a job out of being in the music industry. It’s really hard to be in the music industry and make a living out of it, but it’d be an amazing job to have,” Koontz said.

While Koontz’s social media endeavors may seem unique, young musicians who use social media to promote themselves is becoming increasingly common. This can be seen in today’s tech-savvy day and age. It has become easier to interact and discover talents online on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook and in newer music-related apps such as Musical.ly and Dubsmash. Social media offers an easier and more convenient way to put oneself out there for a chance to be recognized by a record label. For Koontz, her success has landed her the opportunity to travel to music capitals such as Nashville, Tenn. and Los Angeles.

“I think since it’s such a popular thing right now, and there’s so many people on it, it’s so easy for people to share and get things across so quickly,” Koontz said.

Heather Ramsey Clark, founder of Midwest School of Voice, said via email, “YouTube has been a tremendous tool for young aspiring performers, as well as a great promotional avenue for artists just starting out in their careers.”

Clark said that social media can be a powerful asset to young performers. She said that before the popularization of social media, artists would have to move to Nashville, Tenn. or Los Angeles to get discovered. Now, musicians can be discovered from anywhere in the world.

In fact, musicians discovered online are among some of the most popular today. Take a look at singer-songwriter Justin Bieber. Before Bieber became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut record chart on the Billboard Top 100, he posted videos of himself singing on YouTube. These videos were discovered by Usher, recording artist and music producer, who then signed Bieber to his label, leading to his fame and success.

Like these artists, Koontz hopes to achieve fame in a similar way. While Koontz says she loves singing, she hopes it can eventually become more than a hobby.

“I post my videos because I want to get my voice out there for a possible chance to be recognized and noticed,” Koontz said.

Similar to Koontz, sophomore Emma Hedrick also utilizes various forms of social media to promote her music.

Hedrick said, “My career goal is to become a professional performer, like a jazz singer. I think that posting videos of myself performing is a great way to start getting experience with marketing myself.”

According to Hedrick, it’s important to show one’s experience as a performer and that online promotion helps to build one’s resume. She hopes that doing so will help her achieve fame as a musician.

However, downsides exist when promoting through this medium. While Koontz personally does not see it as much of a problem, she agrees it has become increasingly easier to be rude to people online and said she makes sure to always avoid offending anyone by posting the right things.

Koontz said, “There’s a lot of work that goes into posting. I try to post regularly and I have to make sure the content’s good, the quality’s good and that it’s visually appealing.”

Negative drawbacks aside, social media has evolved in such a way that it allows artists to be who they are and create their own identities and art forms, while also giving them a window to get noticed.

While social media helps performers get noticed, it also allows them create their own identity as an artist.

Clark said, “YouTube makes it possible for artists to express themselves and be discovered regardless of geography. YouTube also makes it possible to focus on your own message and your own artist ‘brand’ without a label telling you what you can’t and can do.”

Without being confined by a contract, artists are free to express themselves however they want without pressure or worrying about their profit. Koontz said that this is part of why she enjoys her popularity on social media.

Koontz said, “Being able to make an impact on other people’s lives is really cool. Like, being able to share my music with other people and making them happy and inspiring them is awesome. I just have a lot of fun with it.”