LADY GAGA, CULTURAL REFERENCES

Photos: YouTube Music Awards held in NY

Along with Gaga there was a shaky-cam performance by Tyler, the Creator, and Earl Sweatshirt, both of the Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All hip-hop collective.

There were cultural references, including the quirky song "The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" from Norwegian duo Ylvis, a viral hit earlier this year.

YouTube has positioned itself in recent years as a major source of new music videos for fans.

Sites such as YouTube effectively function as on-demand stations for music, with fans able to listen to play lists over and over just for watching the occasional commercial.

The shift highlights some of the challenges - and opportunities - for artists. Access to music is easier than it's ever been, thanks to sites such as YouTube, music blogs, file-sharing software and more. But it's also become that much more difficult for musicians to earn a living.

YouTube is expected to introduce an option by the end of the year to let music fans skip the commercials via a paid subscription service. This would pit YouTube directly against services such as the online music streaming Web service Spotify, whose business model has been criticized by musicians for squeezing artists.

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