Who do the Arctic Monkeys have to thank for their fame and success, other than themselves and their talent? Some would say social media, which, at the time, was more Myspace than Facebook. The group, which consists of Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders, and Andy Nicholson, were one of the first to use online social networks to rise to success.

That’s not to say they didn’t have live show success or that their music didn’t spread by word of mouth. The word of mouth process was just quicker on the internet. And word of mouth spread fast, leading them to gain a significant fan base without a record label for the first few years until they signed with Domino Records in 2005.

Chart-Topping Success

The Monkeys’ first two singles, “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” and “When the Sun Goes Down,” showed that signing with Domino was a good decision. Both singles made the charts in the UK, paving the way for their album. That album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not sold more than 350,000 copies in its first week. That’s more than it sold in all in America, as the Monkey craze had not yet indeed hit American shores.

Success Across the Pond

To try to make a name for themselves in the US before going on a statewide tour, the Monkeys released Who the F**k Are Arctic Monkeys as an EP. They won awards for their work on that and their first studio album. NME even said that their debut album was “One of the top five British albums ever released.” That’s pretty high praise! Praise for their second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, did exceptionally well, too. Those first two albums put the Arctic Monkeys on the map, where they stand today.