In the green-eyed world of Katie Vogel

When Katie Vogel sings, she plays a green guitar that's coincidentally the same colour as a can of the soft drink Sprite. And when each episode of Green-Eyed World ends, viewers hear a voice saying "powered by Sprite", with the sound of a drink can opening in the background. They also see the message "Sprite is the proud sponsor of Green-Eyed World and supports Katie Vogel."

Heard of Katie Vogel? Not many have. Yet. The young British singer-songwriter hopes to be a star, but it isn't easy. Still, she's got a chance, because the new YouTube interactive series called Green-Eyed World is all about her. The show, which begins on 1 May and runs until December, will consist of five series of four episodes, each about four minutes long. It's being sponsored by the Coca-Cola company, which makes Sprite, in a move that's bringing marketing and music closer together.

During the first episode, Vogel sings a song she wrote, called "Whole Lotta Love". When the song ends, a sign appears, asking viewers to vote on whether they liked her music. The technology also works on mobile devices, including Apple's iPhone. Users of the social network Facebook will be able to log into the Green-Eyed channel on YouTube and share information on each episode with their friends. As the music business struggles to survive, singers are increasingly turning to marketers to help their careers. Unlike a traditional record-company relationship, however, Katie Vogel will own the rights to her songs. Sprite just wants publicity.