Music

MySpace (Remember Them?) Tries Again

Alan Cross 1 Comment

For the longest time, I was a fan and defender of MySpace–at least when it came to searching out new music.  If you could ignore the ugly layouts and the occasional functional annoyances, it was a pretty efficient way to get music out there.

But then News Corp lost interest, failed to keep up with Facebook, Bandcamp and Soundcloud, cut it to the bone and then sold it off at a discount.  I haven’t been back since.  MySpace has become the butt of jokes.

MySpace still exists, however.  The number of users is way down from its peak, but almost 25 million people use it every month.  That’s not a small number.  The site also hosts 42 million songs.  Of that, some 30 million songs are exclusive tracks from unsigned and indie artists.  Compare that to what you’ll find on iTunes or Spotify.  

The new owners, Specific Media, have plans.  They’ve just launched some new features that includes a new music player with a built-in search engine and better music recommendations.  There are more enhancements coming in 2012.

I might give things a look in the New Year, but I’ve largely moved on.  Meanwhile, read more here.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 38035 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

One thought on “MySpace (Remember Them?) Tries Again”

  • I miss the old Myspace.
    If it could return to the way it worked a couple of years ago i would be back daily.

    Reply

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