Welcome to Tiny Desk Spotlight, I’m your host. Today we’re exploring how NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts grew from a humble DC office idea into one of the biggest stages in music. Last October, Argentinian duo Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso went from 3,000 daily streams to 222,000 in just a week after their Tiny Desk performance. The video now sits at 36 million views, and as tour manager Jonathan Izquierdo says, “We’ve managed to sell out summer arena shows in record time and we’re constantly adding new concerts. Promoters are knocking on our doors to get the Tiny Desk effect.” Producer Bobby Carter, who took over the series in 2023, adds, “Labels and artists are willing to come in solely for a Tiny Desk performance. They understand the impact that a really good Tiny Desk concert can have on an artist’s career.” From T-Pain’s 2014 autotune-free revelation to Doechii’s horn-backed reinvention, Tiny Desk challenges artists to strip back and shine. As Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso reflect on their viral success, they ask in their new EP, “¿Y ahora qué vamos hacer? El Tiny Desk me jodió.” That’s the power of Tiny Desk.
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