Will work, but not for Rupert?

September 8, 2008 12:42 PM

I'm looking for musicians who've decided not to be on MySpace Music (because they don't want to provide free content/traffic for News Corp., because they don't want their work next to ads, or for other reasons related to MySpace). Where are statements, blog posts, etc., by such musicians? Your own thoughts on these issues are welcome too.
posted by kalapierson to media & arts (6 comments total)

Hi, i am one. I went with Last.fm becasue its a bit mature and alot less hassle than MyWasteofSpace.com

here, your not going to want to listen to me, but here is what my "page" looks like on Last.fm...oh and it is free.

Dismembered Robots

I fully agree with what your saying though....although, I kinda like Rupert...
posted by TeachTheDead at 12:58 PM on September 8, 2008

I think MySpace has two main advantages. The first one is letting people find your band. With so many bands already there, there are some people finding music solely through MySpace, causing all kind of bands (e.g. black metal, heh) to set up shop there. So, if you want to turn your back on MySpace you have to market your band more aggressively (and passively: A link on every web profile you have wouldn't hurt).

The second one is that MySpace has a community. Even if you don't like its rules (I don't), you have to pull together people who are or might be interested in your band.

If you consider MySpace a new kind of record label (you give them indirectly ad+content money, you get promoted in their space), you can draw on all the history of bands vs record labels. DIY, musicians like Frank Zappa taking their business in their own hands etc.
posted by ersatz at 1:43 PM on September 8, 2008

Though not an explicit condemnation, this piece by Rjyan Kidwell (a.k.a. Cex) is rather critical of online music consumption and includes damning references of MySpace.
posted by dhammond at 1:53 PM on September 8, 2008

All the way at the bottom of P.W. Elverum's (Microphones, Mount Eerie, etc.) site there's this:

p.s.- Mount Eerie/Phil Elverum/the Microphones/Phil Elvrum/ElverumandSun/etc. does not exist on “my space a place for friends”. Do not correspond with impostors and think it’s me. It’s not. I’m me.
posted by carsonb at 2:20 PM on September 8, 2008

Check out my band:

we're not on myspace.
posted by knowles at 4:47 PM on September 8, 2008

i think cex made some good points, especially in the second to last paragraph. but it's hard to shake off the condescending tone of the intro. he basically states that it made him feel special to 'work harder' to get obscure music and celebrate this music for obscurity alone. i feel like that's snobbery to the core, yet i agree with his summation that bars have been lowered, and discern all but absent.

i'm a musician and don't play live, so of course i have a myspace page. it's brought me some good 'exposure' but i've grown increasingly sour about it.

- too many bands. it's overload.

- it's a fugly, barely functional site.

- i cared more about playcount and friendcount than was healthy.

- it was karmic reward for trying to add tons of random people, but i kept getting tons of spam comments and spammy friend requests.

- sound quality not good.

- it bothers me that it seems like an obligatory thing for bands.


i haven't gotten rid of it yet, but it's only a matter of time. for my needs, a simple website will do the trick with none of the downsides of myspace.
posted by tremspeed at 7:58 PM on September 8, 2008