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The Big Takeover > essays

Talkin' Bout MySpace Generation

by Rachel Pesin
24 January 2006

Today as I was checking out the different bands on MySpace that my friend had messaged me about (through MySpace, of course), I realized just how much the website has helped the indie music scene.

First of all, the fact that all the bands he mentioned (and that he has mentioned before) are on MySpace is amazing. If you want to hear some songs by a band you’ve heard about, you no longer need to search the web for their web site or illegal mp3s. MySpace puts all of the music at your fingertips.

All you need to know about any band is on their MySpace profile: the members’ names, photos, tour dates, influences, and more. Moreover, many of the bands use their profile to communicate with fans via the messaging and bulletin systems. What more could a die hard fan ask for?

Not much more, and neither could the bands that MySpace is helping. Any band will tell you that MySpace has made it possible for people all over the world to hear their music and now they are asked to play in cities all over the globe. The best and most recent example of this success can be seen through the rapid rise of Sheffield, England’s ARCTIC MONKEYS. Still in their teens, they created a MySpace profile and put up some songs. Before they knew it, word of mouth had spread—via MySpace—and they soon had fans all over the country, and even the world! Fast forward to today, less than a week before their debut album is released. There is already talk that this will be the best selling debut of a British band in the UK… ever. They can thank MySpace for that.

This may sound cliche, but I don’t know what I did before MySpace! And to think, I had to be forced to get an account; I was holding out because I thought it was lame to have a pointless profile, but now I can’t imagine my life without MySpace. For anyone whose life revolves around music (as mine does), there is nothing better than MySpace, whether you’re a musician or just a fan.

Filed under musician resources britpop

Comments

so what’s your myspace address, rachel?

:-)


— jim santo    2006-01-25 01:38    #

Sorry, Rachel: After slightly renaming your article and posting, I did a quick search and found out that the same title is being used for an article in the February 2006 issue of Money. Once again, there I go thinking I’ve done something original…

Since what I tried to do was to reference a great rock song, I now submit an alternative, and original, title for your article:

Ladies and Gentlemen, We are Floating in MySpace


— Mick Lewis    2006-01-25 03:00    #

Oh no! I checked the new title, and there is one search result on Google for it! And it’s from a comment on Tom from MySpace’s blog! (Yes, that Tom, the one who’s everyone’s friend.)

I give up…


— Mick Lewis    2006-01-25 03:12    #

Okay, Jim. My MySpace name is girlscantell (Spoon’s third album.) And I’m damn proud of my ridiculous profile, so please, add me!


— Rachel Pesin    2006-01-25 12:32    #

Wow Jim, forget my above comment. You’ve ALREADY found me. I’ll have to take a listen before I add the band—I don’t just blindly add musicians you know! :o)


— Rachel Pesin    2006-01-25 12:35    #

Actually, that’s not true. Arctic Monkeys had absolutely nothing to do with their MySpace page. Thus, I would strongly disagree that MySpace “breaks” bands (I’d bet that the profiles that get the most hits are the ones that are well-known through other ways), though I agree that it’s a good place to sample tracks by both known and unknown bands. Here’s an interview with them that illustrates my point.

Artic Monkeys interview


— Matthew Berlyant    2006-01-25 19:05    #

Matthew:

I didn’t know the band had nothing to do with MySpace, probably because I’ve read articles in big time mags that have stated the opposite. However, I found a quote from one of the members: “We owe a lot to the Internet because it helped spread the word and the music,” Helders added.

I admit my mistake, but regardless, the internet (and MySpace in particular) sure helped them out.

And I have to disagree with your belief that MySpace doesn’t help break bands. Sure, it may not happen often, but it happens. I just saw a new You Hear It First on MTV featuring a band called Paramore, and on their YHIF they explicitly mention MySpace as a tool that helped get them noticed not just in Nashville, but all over the world.

Paramore YHIF


— Rachel Pesin    2006-01-25 21:10    #

New band to check out

ONE DAY LEFT

on myspace….of course!!


— Brian    2006-01-28 21:40    #