HCM CITY — Undiscovered Vietnamese teen singers are kick-starting their careers by posting their songs online.
Noo Phuoc Thinh released his first album last week after the approval he got from young listeners to his songs on a free music website three months ago.
Online music websites, like the Zing.MP3.vn site that Thinh used, have provided the initial exposure for many teen singers.
These singers include Bao Thy, Dong Nhi, Ngo Kien Huy and Wanbi Tuan Anh who are now idols of the city's teens. Their music shows always attract crowds of fans.
Established singers like Ung Hoang Phuc, Nguyen Vu, Thanh Thao and Ly Hai also started by posting their songs online. "It's great that an increasing number of music lovers have downloaded my songs," well-known singer Ly Hai said.
Hai's album Tron Doi Ben Em (I'll Be with You My Whole Life) received over 40 million downloads on Zing MP3 last month.
Over 20 million people log onto Zing.MP3.vn each day for online music.
Online songs by Thinh, the newest name in the entertainment industry, attracted over 1.3 million people last month.
Digital music downloads are popular among Vietnamese music lovers because they're free.
Singers in Viet Nam rely on earnings from music shows not from sales of CDs or DVDs. They don't worry if their songs are being played online, because it helps their career.
"I made my first album last month because I want to be known both online and in the real music scene," Thinh said.
However, Thinh said, making the CD and VCD was expensive.
"Many people turn to online music rather than spending money to buy a music CD," young singer Luong Bich Huu said.
Replaced
"Few people buy CD players now. CD players have been replaced by MP3, iPhone, IPod... and digital music," said Hoang Trung who always wears an iPod when he trains in the gym at District 1's Sports Centre.
"I don't like music CDs," Minh Phuong, a student of HCM City's Banking College, said. "Sometimes I like one or two songs of a well-known singer but I must buy the whole CD featuring 10 or 12 songs." — VNS