Actually, I had previously read the issues raised in the call for IDYMAD and found them all valid. That does not diminish the fact that anything involving social networking sites is about the 'me too' factor. That's how the sites become popular, it's how they fall apart.
I feel dirty even having one. I signed up just so I could contact a couple people I knew in college who were damn near impossible to get in touch with otherwise.
About the only way to go there without making your eyes melt out of their sockets and your brain pack up a suitcase and slip quietly out of your ear is to have CSS disabled or use a Greasemonkey script to disable all of the retardocrap. It's like webpages made by drunk chimpanzees, and I will never figure out why someone (or everyone on MySpace) might think a flashing background or a large dark photo as a background with nearly invisible black text over it was ever a good idea.
Until there's a replacement for myspace that includes song playback, messaging, blogging, show listings, all on a social network, myspace is a necessary evil for bands. It makes me ill to be on the side of Rupert Murdoch, but I'm just being realistic when I say that I and probably 99.9% of bands will never give up our myspace account(s) as they're essential tools of promotion -- and communication. I HATE that people myspace-message me instead of emailing me, when my email is completely public, but people feel more comfortable using that feature, and they would rather not talk to me at all then have to open their mail app, apparently. People also feel more comfortable listening to the crap streams then downloading tracks or listening to good streams on last.fm, as far as I can gather. I wish it wasn't this way, but everything else that's been a better version of myspace yet was missing one key feature has miserably failed to gain popularity. I can't afford to be elitist with my tiny tiny tiny fanbase.
Facebook fan pages do all that for bands... the events are handled really well too. While they have issues with ToS and privacy, I prefer their oppressive regime to MySpace's oppressive regime.
On the resulting page, at the bottom, there's a section called "Music Player" that you can add tracks to. You need to verify your account in some magic way, but it's there. I've created a couple such pages, but haven't bothered to verify my account yet to do that...
I'd heard from a few people that it doesn't exist, and I have to severely limit the number of things I sign up for or even poke around in. But now I will check it out. Thank you!
It's a bit different, but I use the Facebook iLike thingy which has a music quiz that plays songs, and I'd assume has some kind of upload-your-band's-songs thing.
I've played with setting up the band pages for a couple bands, and it's pretty decent. No obnoxious backgrounds possible, a user interface for configuration that wasn't designed by a retarded 6 year old, and relatively unobtrusive advertising.
After having to maintain MySpace band pages for people, Facebook's pages are a DREAM. I think I'll have to push the issue a bit more.
And that whole "you must be logged in just to view shit", unless it's changed since last time someone sent my something allegedly interesting in Facebook land.
Thanks for linking to that. I don't know why I hadn't done it already. I maligned their user interface in the "why are you leaving me, you heeartless bastard" box.
Another reason not listed is that MySpace discriminates against Atheist groups and deletes them at Xtian groups' request. No surprise from a News Corp property, I guess.
So be a non-conformist and don't delete your myspace account.
I assume by your assumption that this has anything at all to do with being or not being a conformist that you didn't bother to click the link.
Actually, I had previously read the issues raised in the call for IDYMAD and found them all valid. That does not diminish the fact that anything involving social networking sites is about the 'me too' factor. That's how the sites become popular, it's how they fall apart.
That felt great. I should have done it ages ago.
Is it worth it to create one, just so I can then delete it?
Myspace makes my eyes bleed, so I don't go there.
just don't leave LJ, 'k?
I feel dirty even having one. I signed up just so I could contact a couple people I knew in college who were damn near impossible to get in touch with otherwise.
About the only way to go there without making your eyes melt out of their sockets and your brain pack up a suitcase and slip quietly out of your ear is to have CSS disabled or use a Greasemonkey script to disable all of the retardocrap. It's like webpages made by drunk chimpanzees, and I will never figure out why someone (or everyone on MySpace) might think a flashing background or a large dark photo as a background with nearly invisible black text over it was ever a good idea.
It's retro. So very, very retro.
Until there's a replacement for myspace that includes song playback, messaging, blogging, show listings, all on a social network, myspace is a necessary evil for bands. It makes me ill to be on the side of Rupert Murdoch, but I'm just being realistic when I say that I and probably 99.9% of bands will never give up our myspace account(s) as they're essential tools of promotion -- and communication. I HATE that people myspace-message me instead of emailing me, when my email is completely public, but people feel more comfortable using that feature, and they would rather not talk to me at all then have to open their mail app, apparently. People also feel more comfortable listening to the crap streams then downloading tracks or listening to good streams on last.fm, as far as I can gather. I wish it wasn't this way, but everything else that's been a better version of myspace yet was missing one key feature has miserably failed to gain popularity. I can't afford to be elitist with my tiny tiny tiny fanbase.
Uber is probably a good substitute.
The fact that I've not heard of it until now is reason enough not to turn off the myspace page yet. But I'll check it out, thanks!
Facebook fan pages do all that for bands... the events are handled really well too. While they have issues with ToS and privacy, I prefer their oppressive regime to MySpace's oppressive regime.
Except the music player, which is kind of the whole point of a band page.
You get that on last.fm :P
I kid you not... it's there... it's not a "normal" facebook account, and lets you do things like track page views, etc.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php
Choose "Artist, Band, Public Figure"
Choose "Band" in drop-down
On the resulting page, at the bottom, there's a section called "Music Player" that you can add tracks to. You need to verify your account in some magic way, but it's there. I've created a couple such pages, but haven't bothered to verify my account yet to do that...
That is Jim-dandy!
I'd heard from a few people that it doesn't exist, and I have to severely limit the number of things I sign up for or even poke around in. But now I will check it out. Thank you!
I don't recall it really being ANNOUNCED... I just stumbled across it when I needed it :)
It's a bit different, but I use the Facebook iLike thingy which has a music quiz that plays songs, and I'd assume has some kind of upload-your-band's-songs thing.
More to the point -- unlike Myspace, Facebook's interface doesn't suck wet farts from dead pigeons.
Facebook's problem is that it doesn't have the critical mass of bands signed up that Myspace does.
I've played with setting up the band pages for a couple bands, and it's pretty decent. No obnoxious backgrounds possible, a user interface for configuration that wasn't designed by a retarded 6 year old, and relatively unobtrusive advertising.
After having to maintain MySpace band pages for people, Facebook's pages are a DREAM. I think I'll have to push the issue a bit more.
And that whole "you must be logged in just to view shit", unless it's changed since last time someone sent my something allegedly interesting in Facebook land.
But if you do that Rupert Murdoch won't do well with his $580,000,000 purchase.
I'd delete our MySpace page, but I think the other guys in the band would object. :-)
I don't like newspapers, but I don't see any reason to ignore the users that still use them.
I think the only times I've been to MySpace were for two band web pages, and for some reason the online episodes of 24 were hosted there.
Thanks for linking to that. I don't know why I hadn't done it already. I maligned their user interface in the "why are you leaving me, you heeartless bastard" box.
Deleted. That was fun.
Another reason not listed is that MySpace discriminates against Atheist groups and deletes them at Xtian groups' request. No surprise from a News Corp property, I guess.