Watch CBS News

Playlist Live Conference Brings Streamers & Fans Together

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – There was a time when stars were born on TV shows, movies, hit records. But today, there's a whole new generation of celebrities who are taking a totally different road to stardom.  Call them the streamers, and they're using social media platforms to hit the big time.

You may have never heard of them, but chances are your kids have.

They are streaming celebrities, made famous by their presence on social media, like YouTube, Musical.ly or Instagram.

Danielle Cohn is 13 and has over six million followers. She's just one of the social media stars attending this year's Playlist Live Conference, held this year, in her hometown.

Johann Vera is from Miami. After making a name for himself on a Spanish language singing competition show, he's come to Playlist to perform and learn about these new platforms.

"It's new for everyone.  We're all on the same page," Vera said. "We're all trying to discover what's going to happen in the future.  We all want to be part of it."

Christian Lalama is a part of it.

The 13-year-old singer from Ontario, Canada has three-quarters of a million followers on Musical.ly and 100,000 on Instagram.

They sing, they dance, they act. At Playlist Live, they can learn some tricks of the trade, and mingle with their fans, many of whom would also like a taste on stardom.

The Perkins Sisters, with two million Musical.ly followers, are well on their way.  Deven is pursuing a singing career. Dani's signed on to a new show on Nickelodeon.

Their advice for young people looking to hit it big through social media platforms:

"If you like it, and you're happy, I say keep doing it. Be consistent."

And it could pay off. Streaming celebrities can make thousands of dollars. The most popular can make millions.

There's a little bit of irony here. Apps like Musical.ly have become so popular, that more traditional stars like Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez and Gwen Stefani have signed on.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.