The next Milli Vanilli?

A pseudo-YouTube success story just got busted by the Wall Street Journal:

A 24-year-old singer and guitarist named Marié Digby has been hailed as proof that the Internet is transforming the world of entertainment.

What her legions of fans don't realize, however, is that Ms. Digby's career demonstrates something else: that traditional media conglomerates are going to new lengths to take advantage of the Internet's ability to generate word-of-mouth buzz.

Ms. Digby's simple, homemade music videos of her performing popular songs have been viewed more than 2.3 million times on YouTube... Capping the frenzy, a press release last week from Walt Disney Co.'s Hollywood Records label declared: "Breakthrough YouTube Phenomenon Marié Digby Signs With Hollywood Records."

What the release failed to mention is that Hollywood Records signed Ms. Digby in 2005, 18 months before she became a YouTube phenomenon. Hollywood Records helped devise her Internet strategy, consulted with her on the type of songs she chose to post, and distributed a high-quality studio recording of "Umbrella" to iTunes and radio stations.

Come on, guys, really.  That's kind of pathetic.  (She is gorgeous, though.)

Despite the source of Marie Digby's success, I'd say the real story here is that it worked at all.  If Hollywood Records can pull off this success, what's to say that a real unknown couldn't do it, too?  So get out your camcorders all you budding music stars, and study how Marie Digby pulled it off - then do exactly the same thing.

Personally, I can't wait to hear the first real internet pop star.