Can We Learn From A New Awards Show?

It's yet to be seen exactly how the Youtube Music Awards will pan out, as they have never happened before. But the YMA's first year is now one step closer to providing that much-needed niche market of giving awards to celebrities. Why? Well, because people like Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, and many more are all on the list of Youtube Music Awards nominees.

Sunday, Nov. 3 from New York City is the time and place of the first ever occurrence of the YMAs, and from the sounds of it, it's not going to be the kind of YouTube event that caters to the more indie of musicians who tout their musical wares on the site — although Lindsey Stirling and CDZA will be performing. But overall, this one sounds pretty much like it's trying to be the Internet version of the VMAs.

The night's performances will include Gaga, Eminem, M.I.A.. Nominees for the big awards include Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball," Selena Gomez, "Gangam Style," the Harlem Shake, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, and many more.

The voting for the awards will take place through social media — you can vote here, as well as through sharing the nominated videos on places like Facebook and Twitter.

If nothing else, the nominees and eventual winners — which are picked based on fan engagement not just in who goes to the site and clicks "vote," but on what's being shared and how many times — will be an interesting insight into what's getting the most attention from real folks worldwide. Hence the fact that PSY and Epic Rap Battles Of History are the same category as Selena Gomez, not to mention the categories devoted to fan responses. So even if Miley Cyrus or Lady Gaga might approach it as another place to shock and/or awe, there might still be some actual innovation to find here, if we wish real hard.

The nominees:

Video of the Year, AKA Videos With the Most Fan Engagement:

• Miley Cyrus, “We Can’t Stop”
• Justin Bieber (feat. Nicki Minaj), “Beauty and a Beat”
• Lady Gaga, “Applause”
• One Direction, “Best Song Ever”
• PSY, “Gentleman”
• Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (feat. Mary Lambert) “Same Love”
• Girls’ Generation “I Got A Boy”
• Demi Lovato, “Heart Attack”
• Selena Gomez, “Come & Get It”
• Epic Rap Battles Of History, “Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney.”

Artist of the Year, AKA most Shared/Watched/Liked/Subscribed-To

• Eminem
• Epic Rap Battles of History
• Justin Bieber
• Katy Perry
• Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
• Nicki Minaj
• One Direction
• PSY
• Rihanna
• Taylor Swift

Response of the Year, AKA Best Fan Remix/Parody/Response Video

• Boyce Avenue (feat. Fifth Harmony) “Mirrors”
• Jayesslee, “Gangnam Style”
• Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix, “Radioactive”
• ThePianoGuys, “Titanium/Pavane”
• Walk Off the Earth (feat. KRNFX), “I Knew You Were Trouble”

Youtube Phenomenon, AKA Songs Which Generated the Most Fan Videos

• ”Diamonds"
• ”Gangnam Style"
• ”Harlem Shake"
• "I Knew You Were Trouble"
• "Thrift Shop"

Youtube Breathrough, AKA Artists With the Biggest Growth in Views/Subscribers

• Kendrick Lamar
• Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
• Naughty Boy
• Passenger
• Rudimental

Innovation of the Year, AKA Creative Video Innovations With the Most Views/Likes/Shares/Comments

• Anamanaguchi, “Endless Fantasy”
• Atoms For Peace, “Ingenue”
• Bat For Lashes, “Lilies”
• DeStorm, “See Me Standing”
• Toro Y Moi, “Say That”