With an estimated 122 million members as of September, MySpace has become an ubiquitous platform for artist discovery and promotion. But new networking websites made specifically for music are challenging MySpace's reign over the virtual music world.
Social networking sites are anything but recent, with Classmates.com being the first of the kind in 1995. But Tom Anderson made a splash in history when he launched MySpace in 2003. Although some of the first people to use it were bands in the L.A. music scene, a factor contributing to MySpace's success is that it is not an exclusive music networking site-which has been both a blessing and a curse.
"It's absolute chaos," said senior Pulsar Li of student band the Pulsar Triyo. "But MySpace is probably the most established of the music sites and receives the most traffic and exposure."
The very same positive feedback loop that makes MySpace such a hit also leaves it open to exploitation. Bands such as the Shins have recently begun to voice their frustrations over spam on their MySpace profiles. In a four-hour timespan Tuesday, for example, an adult entertainer posted links to her MySpace page 27 times on the Shins' comments board.
However, new websites such as ReverbNation.com are specifically geared to the music community, eliminating some of the interests that are the major spamming forces on MySpace.
Similar to MySpace, ReverbNation is a site that links artists, fans, labels and even venues for the whole entertainment package. The goal of the site, according to Chief Marketing Officer Jed Carlson, is for ReverbNation to be "an ecosystem of all of the relevant players of the music community."
Whereas MySpace limits its members to using only the widgets and tools it provides, ReverbNation is an open source site, giving all members greater control over their profiles. Also unique to the site is the capability of artists and venues to send out e-mails that target a certain group of people, such as those in a certain locale.
Even more tailored for musicians, Indabamusic.com is more of a creative tool rather than an advertising bedlam; thus, it doesn't have problems with unsolicited self-promotion. Created by Harvard graduates Dan Zaccagnino and Matthew Siegel, the website allows its members to engage with other artists through an "open session" online, which allows for virtual jam sessions and file exchanges.
"We want Indaba to be the place where artists from around the world create music together," said Siegel. "By making every step of the music-making process transparent, we hope to inspire people to renovate it."
With these new sites specifically customized for musicians, what does MySpace still have to offer? Aside from the fact that not having a MySpace page has become the exception rather than the rule for musicians, musicians have cited the level of exposure among its redeeming qualities. Yet even that may have little translative value. For many bands, a few thousand hits on their MySpace page could translate to zero CD sales.
For most artists, however, the possibilities of discovery on MySpace still outweigh the drawbacks that come with it.
"Regardless of the problems with online music networks like MySpace, they are the great equalizer for the music industry," said sophomore Eric Holljes of the band Running Lights. "Every band has their shot to be seen and for the most part, the best rises to the top."
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