Tired of MySpace

David Polich · Post by **David Polich** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 9:32 am

I think I've become tired of MySpace. Whenever someone tells me they have a website, and it's a MySpace page, I feel compelled to ask them, "Yes, but do you have a "real" website?"

My Space's servers are routinely bogged down during the day, at certain times (after school lets out, early evening). But most annoying are the pop-ups and adverts.

I'd encourage up and coming bands and artists to get their own websites, through something like Bandzoogle, and ditch MySpace. I know a guy with a label who told me recently, "Oh, man, I never go to MySpace. Too many bands".

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 11:36 am

Where do I start?

Other than I agree with you totally. MySpace should not be viewed as a substitute for having your own web site, yet I see many bands using it as their primary site. A MySpace site should be a promotional tool to the extent that you use it to contact new fans, but then as quickly as possible you should attempt to add them to an email list (bypassing the MySpace gatekeeper) and direct them to your own site when possible.

There are a number of issues regarding MySpace that cause me concern:

1) They are indeed clamping down on bands' ability to effectively communicate with fans through MySpace itself, increasing the use of Captchas and limited the number of messages/comments etc. that can be sent in a day. True you have bulletins but nobody reads them. I have 30,000 MySpace friends. If I wanted to send a personal message to each of them about my CD release, MySpace would limit me to sending 500 messages per day and to do that I'd have to sit at a computer (or pay someone to) responding to CAPTCHAs for hours a day. There are indeed *frowned upon* apps that automate the sending of messages, but you still must respond to CAPTCHAs. That aside, sending out MySpace messages to 30,000 users would take TWO MONTHS of long days.

2) The quality of the MP3s are degraded on MySpace. I have my own player on my website and music on the MySpace provided player on my MySpace page. The MySpace player sounds significantly worse. I have been told that MySpace further compresses MP3 audio down to 96kbps. I once removed their player on my page and embedded code for my own which streamed off my own website's server. It sounded much better. Only problem-- my plays weren't tracked and it was not nearly as easy for people to add on of my songs to their page. You can't be measured in their rankings if you don't use their player. MySpace will let users have thousands of pictures on their profiles, but still degrade the quality of band MP3s. What does that say?

3) Lastly, MySpace now operates a label. This in and of itself would be a concern as to whether they have a conflict of interest. But more disturbing is that I've read the fine print on several of MySpace's band/song contests. Simply by uploading and ENTERING a song on MySpace, the language of the contest conditions states that you grant MySpace an unlimited license to use your song however they see fit. They may also license it to third parties. They can do this not only without compensating you but without attribution. Interestingly, they may also create derivative works.

Back to MySpace the record label. Suppose you have a roster of new bands and it's time for the sophmore album (the tough one right? 10 years to write your first, 1 year to write the second) and the kids are running a little dry on ideas. Well, no problem... you now have a pool of songs to choose from. Young hopefuls from all over the world are sending you their very best ideas in the hopes of winning a recording session in L.A. (that was one of the prizes. In order to get it though the band was required to execute a transfer of copyright ownership to the song they recorded... not JUST a license-- I imagined how cool it would be to be the band that won, get the notoriety for winning, and then intentionally record the absolute WORST song you could come up with and give MySpace ownership of THAT) and you, the MySpace label, can now cherry pick from them and give them to the bands on your label with no royalty to the songwriter and no attribution either. Oh... and if your band wants to just lift a section of a song, a riff, etc. that's okay too, as it's a "derivative work."

So to the bands that think MySpace is looking out for them or has an interest in helping them, I would ask if that's so, why is MySpace confiscating their rights as condition to enter these contests? It appears they're just trying to screw over bright eyed eager kids. Honest to goodness, the terms of their contests are there for anyone to read and now that MySpace is owned by Fox, you'd think CNN would be chomping at the bit to do an expose on this and give a black eye to their competition.

rcannonp · Post by **rcannonp** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 12:23 pm

James Steele wrote:...and now that MySpace is owned by Fox, you'd think CNN would be chomping at the bit to do an expose on this and give a black eye to their competition.

I don't think that the mainstream news media cares one bit about bands that aren't already famous. A no-name band signing up to get screwed isn't news to them.

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 1:36 pm

rcannonp wrote:
James Steele wrote:...and now that MySpace is owned by Fox, you'd think CNN would be chomping at the bit to do an expose on this and give a black eye to their competition.
I don't think that the mainstream news media cares one bit about bands that aren't already famous. A no-name band signing up to get screwed isn't news to them.

No... I guess it isn't glamorous. I thought perhaps because CNN and Fox are indeed competitors, CNN might take a certain glee in doing a story about how MySpace (owned by Fox) is screwing young hopefuls.

rcannonp · Post by **rcannonp** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 1:55 pm

I have been surprised how many major label acts use their MySpace page as their website. I have seen a few bands that have a "www.bandname.com" web address that just links to their MySpace page. If a link directs me to MySpace, then they have lost me.

David Polich · Post by **David Polich** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 7:46 am

James, I never bothered to read the "fine print" about the MySpace record label. Thanks for the info - wow, I'd like to say I see at least "some" good in how the MySpace song contest operates, and the terms it requires users to agree to, but I don't. It's 100% lame for the bands and artists.

I agree with you about the "quality" of their mp3 player. It IS bad.

I suppose the reasoning for MySpace's popularity is - "everyone is on MySpace". Sort of like, Pro Toolss the "best" because after all, "everyone" is using Pro Tools. A herd mentality.

True that there are a lot of major label acts with a MySpace page - and also true that these acts own websites are equally as poor. It amazes me that some of the most amazing websites, with the best graphics and ease of navigation, are ones that belong to unsigned goth bands - what is about goth bands? Go to No Doubt's website, it looks like they've neglected it for months.

Anyway, I'm glad I'm not the only one who has misgivings about this.

monkey man · Post by **monkey man** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 4:22 am

`
MySpace gives me a CryFace.

It hogs all my bandwidth, making auxilliary surfing impossible.
When I'm occasionally lucky enough to load a page or part thereof, all I see is crap. Crap ads (aren't they all?), crap comments, crap clips, crap appraisals, crap sound... has there ever been such a pristine collection of crap assembled before?
I doubt it.

James' info only further expounds the crappiness of the place.
I hereby propose a new name for the site in question:
CrapSpace.

Thank you for the opportunity to vent, Davo.

zruzzo · Post by **zruzzo** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 5:58 am

If you don't like myspace you can try virb, is similar but clean and best, I made my site and the graphic is not confused like mispace.
Try it..

www.virb.com/sinigaglia

monkey man · Post by **monkey man** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 9:15 am

`
Dang, the opposition leader's started a MySpace page in the hope of gaining friends in the runup to the federal election.

Apparently you guys in the States have a similar problem with your pollies.

Riccardo, you're right!
The page loaded quickly, and it wasn't a flashing light show of ads.
Well done, mate!

dynamix · Post by **dynamix** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 12:21 am

Ahhh, nothing like a place on the web for your fans to visit, filled with aweful Flash ads that shout out "LOSER" if you don't click on them.

The ridiculous movements of these adds are designed to appeal to the most primitive, reptilian portions of the brain, prompting folks to click on these ads the same way you might tease a cat to play with a ball of yarn.

And yes, who reads those bulletins?

monkey man · Post by **monkey man** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 7:59 am

dynamix wrote:...reptilian portions of the brain...

Speak for yourself, dynamix!
Was your great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grand daddy... a lizard or a snake in the grass?

I'm convinced mine was 100% monkey.

Point well made, though, and I agree the advertisers' techniques are becoming ever more insidious, if that's even possible.

bongo_x · Post by **bongo_x** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 9:20 am

I'm old, but I don't get the point of myspace. I can't figure out what the hell people are doing on it, even when I'm sitting in the room with them. I've worked with some young bands that were into it and it's seems like the equivalent of a million people saying;

"what are you doing?" - "nothing, what are you doing?" "I'll put you on my page and you put me on your page"

back and forth all day.

I personally won't click a link that says myspace and will kill it before it loads if I end up there. to much clutter and nonsense.

I said I was old.

bb

OldTimey · Post by **OldTimey** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 9:39 am

i dont consider myspace to be a replacement for an actual webpage, as it is too limited. but it is a good tool for bands just because of the sheer exposure possible. there are other, similar networking sites that are much sleeker and downright cool looking: ie ( www.virb.com ) but they just don't have the user base.

if you are looking to do something commercial and your target audience is the 15-30 y/o range, then a myspace page is a must in my opinion.

if you are doing your work for fun, or for a client base, or for the sake attempting something great, then myspace...ehh, it's irrelevant really.

janglyrecords · Post by **janglyrecords** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:22 pm

I think most bands gravitate to MySpace because it is free and it has a little web wizard that helps one build their site. If more bands knew how easy it is to have their own site and how little it costs they might do it.

That said, the company Hostbaby is the ticket. Derek Sivers, the man behind CDBaby.com, came up with this concept. It is $20 per month to have the site hosted and it comes with an amazing web wizard that lets you build a site in no time. You have unlimted access to updating and it even comes with e-mail accounts. Just darn hard to beat for the price.

You can check out my two sites done with Hostbaby for an idea of how they work. www.janglyrecords.com and also www.justcircular.com

Spread the word.

dynamix · Post by **dynamix** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 8:18 pm

monkey man wrote:
dynamix wrote:...reptilian portions of the brain...
Speak for yourself, dynamix!
Was your great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grand daddy... a lizard or a snake in the grass?
I'm convinced mine was 100% monkey.

Point well made, though, and I agree the advertisers' techniques are becoming ever more insidious, if that's even possible.

Hehe, love you Australians... Why did Rupert Murdoch have to be Australian?

Now he owns myspace... Soon, the Wall Street Journal! Well, I love MOST Australians...