The Music Industry Gets Its 'Harlem Shake' On: 5 Best Videos (So Far)

12:30 PM PST 2/19/2013 by Colin Stutz

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It seems some in the music biz have way too much time on their hands. And in the case of the viral video sensation, that's a good thing.

As the "Harlem Shake" dances its way into the hearts and offices of millions, there's no doubt the phenomenon is poised to become the decade's most gargantuan meme (adios "Gangnam Style"). The premise is simple: a masked individual performs 15 seconds of the "Harlem Shake's" gyrating dance, then the clip cuts to a wild dance party as the song's club-ready beat drops.

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Last week, Billboard noted that the DJ Baauer track had shot to No. 9 on the Dance Digital Songs chart and No. 12 on Dance/Electronic songs with expectations to climb higher yet. Currently, "Harlem Shake" is perched atop the iTunes singles chart and naturally, the music business is getting in on the fun.

Here are the five best music industry takes on the "Harlem Shake" -- so far:

5. The On Air with Ryan Seacrest radio show staff -- with Kylie and Kendall Jenner -- starts out glued to their iPhones before they get grooving. Poor Ryan Seacrest, though, attracts attention as the world's most awkward dancer.

4. KROQ, L.A.'s top rock radio station, gets in on the action with what it calls a "Thrusting Panda Edition." You'll see it's pretty self-explanatory.

3. Capitol Records used its iconic Hollywood building as the setting for its clip, which begins outdoors and then cuts to the 10th floor. The label gets bonus points for being the first video to use retro 3D technology.

2. Warner Bros. Records recruited the Black Keys "Lonely Boy" star Derrick T. Tuggle to lead a conference room rave that also doubles as a congratulations message to the Black Keys on the band's Grammy wins.

1. Jimmy Fallon with his Late Night crew and backing band, The Roots, start off casually -- like, here we are with some sort of E.T. creature getting his shake on -- but you know what happens next. It's a good thing Questlove and crew have that natural ability to make the potentially lame look instantly cool.

Bonus: Matt and Kim take center stage at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Field House in Troy, New York and get the crowd of 8,000 in on the "Shake" action.