Adam Young's magic ingredients

The five things that made his Owl City music soar on the Web.

1 Boredom. Living in Owatonna with no siblings or musical friends gave him the time and desire to create, he said.

2 Good equipment. He guessed he spent about $4,000 on his home recording equipment, including computer gear and keyboards.

3 An even better imagination. His lyrics are steeped in fantasy, from places he's never been to romances he hopes to have. His young audience can relate.

4 MySpace. Duh. The free networking site exposed him to millions of fans, who told other fans.

5 Being sweet. About the only marketing scheme he and his manager could think of that helped Young before he signed a record deal was that he frequently and charmingly responded to fan e-mail.