Perfect example of “If you’re not paying for it, you’re not the customer: yo’re the product”.
Myspace Product Manager Steve Clark approached me through my blog to have a chat about what was going on at Myspace, the big changes that they were making, and what they were doing to belatedly address the fact that they have access to (as I put it) every frickin’ band on the planet.
Now, I’ve been critical of Myspace in the past (to say the least). My complaints have been many and varied, but my concerns have been especially with respect to the fact that all of their efforts in the music space have been directed exclusively at major labels – and the fact that as an interface, both for artists and for fans, it’s a pile of crap.
A friend of mine once joked that you can’t polish a turd, but you can roll it in glitter. Basically, Myspace has been rolled in glitter.
Soon it will be October 24th
When I did my rant about Myspace nearly a year ago (which Steve tells me he’s quoted extensively in internal Powerpoint presentations), I suggested we give them until October 24th this year to sort everything out and properly respect the fact that they have every frickin’ band on the planet – and not only make the most of that opportunity, but actually provide a service to them that is helpful rather than contemptuous and outright exploitative.
My suggestion was that if they haven’t sorted things out by then, we stage a mass exodus. Everyone leave simultaneously.
You want a platform for your music? There are other choices. I will, of course suggest Bandcamp partly because (full disclosure here) I’m on their board of advisors, but mostly because I think it’s brilliant both for artists and for fans (which is why I’m on their board of advisors). There are other choices. The important point is would be that they’re not Myspace.
After my interesting, thoroughly pleasant, intelligent and amiable one-hour chat with the very nice man from Myspace music, it is my considered opinion that they are not capable of making those changes.