The Internet was crucial for our success. It is a great thing.

“The Internet was crucial for our success. It is a great thing. It is a big democracy because people can choose what they like.” Thus spoke Stjepan Hauser, master of strings and half of the famed 2Cellos, whose music crossed oceans not through gatekeepers, but through the boundless reach of the digital world. In his words is a truth both modern and eternal: that when the channels of power fall away, the people themselves become the judges, the patrons, and the lifeblood of art. The Internet, like the open marketplace of old, gives voice to all, offering freedom where once there were only gates.

The ancients would have said: “Let the people gather in the square, and there the truth will be decided.” In ages past, monarchs, nobles, and priests determined what voices would be heard, what songs sung, what plays performed. But the Internet, as Hauser declares, is a “big democracy,” a vast square without walls, where any voice may rise and be heard by millions. In this open court, it is no longer the lords of industry who decree the fate of an artist, but the hearts of the people, who choose freely what resonates with them.

Consider the story of Justin Bieber, who as a child sang covers of popular songs on YouTube. In an earlier age, such a voice might never have left his hometown. Yet through the Internet, his talent was discovered by millions, and soon the world knew his name. His rise was not the decision of a single record executive, but the choice of countless listeners who clicked, watched, and shared. This is the democracy Hauser speaks of: the power of ordinary people to lift up what they love.

Or recall the printing press, that ancient revolution of the fifteenth century. Before its invention, knowledge was guarded by a few, bound in rare manuscripts for the elite. But with the press, books flooded Europe, and the people chose for themselves what to read, what to believe, what to pass on. That democratization of knowledge set fire to the Reformation, the Enlightenment, and the birth of modern freedom. The Internet is our new printing press, spreading music, thought, and art beyond the grasp of kings and gatekeepers.

The meaning of Hauser’s words is clear: success in this age is no longer tied solely to privilege, wealth, or the approval of the powerful. It is tied to authenticity, to the resonance of art with the people. If your work speaks truth, if it moves hearts, the democracy of the digital world can carry it farther than any gatekeeper’s blessing. And so the artist, once bound, is now liberated by this great equalizer.

The lesson, then, is profound: do not wait for permission to create. Do not wait for the crowns of institutions to approve your worth. Share boldly, for the people themselves will decide. And if your work is true, if it carries passion, it will find its audience in this vast open square. The Internet, though filled with noise, is still a place where honesty and beauty can rise above the din—because in the end, the people will choose.

Practical counsel follows: use the tools of this age not for vanity, but for expression. Share your art, your craft, your truth without fear of rejection. Do not be discouraged by the immensity of the digital sea, for even a small spark may ignite into flame when carried by many hands. Remember that every voice has a chance, and every act of creation has the potential to reach across borders and generations.

So remember this, O seekers of greatness: the Internet is not only wires and screens—it is a new democracy, a living chorus of human choice. As Stjepan Hauser declared, it was crucial for his success, and it remains crucial for all who dare to create. Step into this vast square, raise your voice, and let the people decide. For in their choice lies the freedom of the artist, and the promise of a world where every soul may be heard.