Why I Miss MySpace

Myspace Ruined My Lifephoto © 2008 Bill Alldredge | more info (via: Wylio)I miss MySpace.

No, I’m not stuck in the past. Or insane.

Let me explain.

MySpace was the first social media tool I used extensively. Like a lot of people, I used MySpace primarily for music. It was a great place to discover new bands, hear their music, and find out when they were touring. But MySpace was also a great place for bands to discover me.

When MySpace was vibrant, I would get lots of friend requests from bands who thought I might like them. Most of the time, the bands saw the other bands I liked and figured I’d like them, too. I always did these bands the courtesy of listening to their music (sometimes only for a few seconds, but I always did listen). I discovered a some great music that way.

These days, I follow bands on Facebook, and that connection does allow me to keep up with what those bands are doing. But the ability for bands to find me is missing. There is no way for a band, via their Facebook page, to reach out to me. Perhaps this is a deliberate effort on Facebook’s part to protect users from unwanted messages. But I really miss that feature of MySpace.

From what I see, there are no great, widely-used social music tools out there. Facebook could (and should) become that service. Apple’s Ping has great potential as well, but is simply too cumbersome to use in its current state. MySpace has been hoping to return to its former glory as a music and entertainment hub. It’s certainly possible MySpace could rise again as a great social music service, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

Whatever the next great social music service is, I hope it will include the ability for bands to find me.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *