The music business is a complicated one. While we may assume it’s easy to get in, the opposite is quite true. Many artists try to get signed, to no avail. If one is not so aggressive, they may end up struggling for a long time, and even choose to abandon their dreams altogether. For every successful Jennifer Lopez that makes it, there are 100 talented artists whose works will never move past YouTube.

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Before the internet came around, artists had to put in the work manually. Jay-Z, rap’s first billionaire, said he had to take the records to the store himself, come back, and find he’d made $100 or $200. The internet, though saturated, took that part of the hustle away, and now the battle remains against piracy and views. Once in a while, an underground artist gets the attention of a major record label. That is exactly what happened to these stars:

10 Justin Bieber: YouTube

Long before he made a gazillion hits and added two Grammys to his list of achievements, Justin Bieber used to post videos on YouTube. His vocals attracted the attention of record executive Scooter Braun who was looking to begin his own artist management company. In an interview with entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuck, Scooter Braun revealed that the first couple of years were difficult, as most labels did not believe in Justin’s talent.

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9 Chloe And Halle Bailey: YouTube

The story of Chloe, Halle, and Beyonce is one big proof of serendipity. As a child, Chloe Bailey played a young Beyonce in The Fighting Temptations. Years later, the duo's cover of Beyonce’s song ‘Pretty Hurts’ would go viral and they would attract the attention of Parkwood Entertainment. In 2015, Chloe and Halle signed a six-album deal with Parkwood, estimated to be worth $1 million.

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8 Tori Kelly: YouTube

Although she participated in America’s Most Talent Kids in 2004, Tori Kelly began posting on YouTube in 2007 when she was only 14 years old. She would upload covers of songs, her first being ‘Go Tell It On The Mountain’ by John Wesley Work Jr. Just like Justin Bieber, Tori Kelly’s covers caught the eye of Scooter Braun, who became her manager. She has since added two Grammys to her ever-growing career.

7 Nicki Minaj: Myspace

Nicki Minaj is one of the world’s bestselling artists. For years, she has dominated the charts and bagged tons of awards, including uncountable BET awards. Her flow and witty wordplay have been consistently praised, and considered unique. Before fame happened, Nicki Minaj was an underground artist who freestyled on My Space. She sent most of her songs to people in the music industry. Her style caught the attention of Fendi, the CEO of Dirty Money entertainment who signed her to his label.

6 Halsey: YouTube, Kik And Tumblr

Back in 2012, Halsey was just another talented singer on the internet. The ‘Without Me’ singer posted videos using the name ‘se7enteenblack’. Her most popular song was a parody of Taylor Swift’s 2012 hit ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ which was inspired by the ‘Wildest Dreams’ singer’s relationship with One Direction member, Harry Styles. Halsey was later signed to Astralwerks.

5 Charlie Puth: YouTube

Charlie Puth’s career took off when he signed with Ellen DeGeneres co-owned record label eleveneleven. Prior to that, the singer’s early beginnings were spent on the internet. Charlie’s Vlogs began in 2009. The YouTube channel had a mix of comedy and acoustic song covers. The virality of his songs saw him release an EP, and later sign with Ellen’s label.

4 Drake: Myspace

Drake got his debut on showbiz by portraying Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation. It wasn't until 2006 that he released his debut mixtape, ‘Room for Improvement’, that only sold 6000 copies. In 2007, Drake sampled ‘Man of the Year’ by Brisco, Flo Rida, and Lil Wayne. This attracted the eye of record executive Jas Prince, who saw Drake on the ‘Unsigned Trending ‘list. Jas said, “ I was listening to him like, damn, he’s pretty dope.”

3 Shawn Mendes: YouTube And Vine

Shawn Mendes began his career by learning how to play the guitar on YouTube. At the time, he was only 12 years old. Within no time, he began posting covers as well. Luck was on his side when a cover of Justin Bieber’s ‘As Long As You Love Me’ went viral on Vine. Shawn later gained millions of followers and attracted the attention of artist manager, Andrew Gertler. He would later bring him to Island Records.

2 Soulja Boy: Myspace, SoundClick, And YouTube

Souljah Boy began his music career by building an internet following. He’s in the past alleged that he taught Drake everything he knows, but that’s subject for another day. In 2005, Soulja boy first posted his songs on SoundClick. When they gained momentum, he then created MySpace and YouTube accounts. After releasing an independent album in March 2007, he released ‘Crank That’, the song that earned him worldwide recognition and handed him a Grammy nomination.

1 The Weekend: YouTube

The Weekend’s career began in 2010 when he met producer, Jeremy Rose. The two collaborated on an RnB project. The Weekend then released three tracks from the album on YouTube. The songs gained some attention and were included in Drake’s blog. Later they were picked by Pitchfork and The New York Times. After releasing a mixtape and having a tour in Toronto, The Weekend began to receive offers from major record labels. The rest, as they say, is history.

NEXT: Justin Bieber And Other Musicians Who Got Their Start On YouTube