Afternoon all...

I am in the process of setting up a new myspace page to promote a few my tunes, but am I wasting my time?

Myspace seems to remind me a bit of the UK Hip-Hop scene, in that there are more DJs, artists, producers, singers, song writers etc than there are fans. Have people just got sick of random bands and artists adding them and sending them pointless messages and inviting them to random gigs. I get the impression more and more people have turned to Facebook for a slight bit more privacy (if you can call it that). I imagine you people reading this will consider yourselves as one of the above (artist, producer, writer etc), so what are your experiences of myspace and even Facebook for that matter?

It obviously depends on your target market and if you are reaching them, but myself have been approached by certain artists, bands and even promoters who I actually like and enjoy there music and still been pissed off with all the harassment.

I was wondering much the same thing. I used to have a myspace page but they froze me out for some reason. I can only assume it was due to my refusal to 'make friends'. I was interested in myspace for its ability to act as a forum for my tunes but I really have zero interest in cyber-mates and all that goes with it.

Aside from that I have morality issues with the Aussie chap who owns myspace and would prefer not to have anything to do with any of his organisations.

As for the other portals, I have the same problem. I wouldn't mind people listening to my songs but I have plenty of three dimensional flesh and blood type buddies who I can exchange banalities with.

The question is how much longer is this whole social networking thing going to remain popular? Myspace user hits are way down compared to Faceache and Twatter, but they themselves may get superceded. In the meantime every man, woman and child alive has got a tune to upload as you point out.

I've taken to a once weekly visit to my local bar on jam nights and content myself with playing with real people. As for my tunes, maybe one day someone will put up a site for musicians to upload their music without having to waste precious breath typing gibberish to billy-no-mates.

--------------------
shrootyruss, Mac Pro 2x2.66GHz, 10.6.8, Pro Tools 10, Logic 9, Lynx Aurora 16/AES16, DAV BG4, mics, guitars, cotton buds.

unfortunately, it still remains the case that if you are in a position to play your music to a+r, or sending info for a potential gig etc, the first thing they ask for is your myspace.

I can't help think that facebook should have pulled it's finger out and had a music system ready a long time ago.

I uploaded some songs onto facebook 3 months ago that still havent been approved, somehow uploading a picture of your passport is security that you wrote the music???

--------------------
Apple Certified Technician. One half of http://www.turnbacktospring.com

Personally I think yes.

The problem with facebook in my eyes is that it's not musician friendly. Great for catching up with old mates and alike, but not ideal to promote your music.

The big issue is that everyone now uses facebook, and myspace is getting left behind in its tracks.

As a band (www.myspace.com/thekillerstribute) the one thing we find limiting is that people cannot comment on your myspace without being a friend, and because so many people have migrated to facebook, the only 'real' comments your get come few and far between.

Cheers

Paul

--------------------
The Killerz - The UK's premier Killers Tribute The Ultimate Killers Tribute Band

Edited by Paul_XT (27/10/09 05:25 PM)

think of myspace now, as a place to have a 'musical flyer' that you can link people to.

nothing more than that.

--------------------
Apple Certified Technician. One half of http://www.turnbacktospring.com

Quote TBTS:

---

unfortunately, it still remains the case that if you are in a position to play your music to a+r, or sending info for a potential gig etc, the first thing they ask for is your myspace.

---

Even if you've got a proper website ? (with tracks for listening?)

Quote:

---

think of myspace now, as a place to have a 'musical flyer' that you can link people to.

---

Ah - abit like a website then

unfortunately theres a million and 10 ridiculously bad website designs with music players that dont work.

hence why they still ask for a myspace, they know where the player is, they can just click it regardless of the design.

--------------------
Apple Certified Technician. One half of http://www.turnbacktospring.com

Quote TBTS:

---

unfortunately theres a million and 10 ridiculously bad website designs with music players that dont work.

---

OK, I see.

Quote shrootyruss:

---

As for my tunes, maybe one day someone will put up a site for musicians to upload their music without having to waste precious breath typing gibberish to billy-no-mates.

---

There is - LastFM !

At the moment you may as well have a MySpace, don't think of it as promotion, just a web presence like your own website. You also need to have a Facebook band site too. Why? Because if you gig you will know that people often ask if you are on facebook!

I've not yet been asked if we are on Twatter, thank God for that! Now THAT is pointless in my opinion unless you're famous/well known or well on the way to being.

You don't have to get involved with inane nonsense on MySpace, just treat any MySpace messages you're not intereted in as you would spam, and delete without responding. But you must check, becasue there's always the odd message from someone who is a genuine 'fan' or offering a gig etc.

The future? people will get bored with it and move on inevitably to something else. Especially when everyone and their dog posting their music in order to be 'discovered' eventualy realises it isn't going to get them anywhere.

--------------------



Edited by GlynB (28/10/09 11:14 AM)

you could also try Soundcloud. They have nice players which can be linked/posted into different pages etc... Quality is also much better than myspace....

I can vouch for Soundcloud too...

Quote shrootyruss:

---

Aside from that I have morality issues with the Aussie chap who owns myspace and would prefer not to have anything to do with any of his organisations.

---

Have you looked into the background of FaceAr*e? It's even more sinister. Apparently there was a scheme set up in the USA by the CIA that have the objective of getting everyone on the planet in their database. After a couple of years due to protests in the USA it was deemed illegal. Not long after Ar*eFace came along and instead of surrepticiously getting everyones' details, why not just ask them to do it instead, as we all know we are to some extent vainglorious and sure enough, people were clamouring to give their details away. So they setup it up, got a geeky innocent looking guy, uberstein or what ever he is called to front it and there you got your database.

It might also be wise to be aware that if you look through the T&Cs you find a clause saying you agree to allow BacksideFace explicit permission to monitor all your communications, 'for marketing purposes' though we all know Uberstein (or whatever he is called) is a dataphile.

ANd perhaps unsurprisingly what happened to the man that setup the CIA initiative to get everyone on the database - why, he turned up on the board of drirectors of FaceBook!

Quote OneWorld:

---

Quote shrootyruss:

---

Aside from that I have morality issues with the Aussie chap who owns myspace and would prefer not to have anything to do with any of his organisations.

---

Have you looked into the background of FaceAr*e? It's even more sinister. Apparently there was a scheme set up in the USA by the CIA that have the objective of getting everyone on the planet in their database. After a couple of years due to protests in the USA it was deemed illegal. Not long after Ar*eFace came along and instead of surrepticiously getting everyones' details, why not just ask them to do it instead, as we all know we are to some extent vainglorious and sure enough, people were clamouring to give their details away. So they setup it up, got a geeky innocent looking guy, uberstein or what ever he is called to front it and there you got your database.

It might also be wise to be aware that if you look through the T&Cs you find a clause saying you agree to allow BacksideFace explicit permission to monitor all your communications, 'for marketing purposes' though we all know Uberstein (or whatever he is called) is a dataphile.

ANd perhaps unsurprisingly what happened to the man that setup the CIA initiative to get everyone on the database - why, he turned up on the board of drirectors of FaceBook!

---

I think if the CIA where looking into my life then they'd be yawning and eating doughnuts in no time. LOL

Seriously though myspace is what it is. It has had a conventional layout and been established for a long time so it's easy for professionals in the music industry to check it out. The music business has become very corporatized and its very easy for people in the industry to look at myspace stats and evaluate you that way. So, people such as potential managers of your band, lawyers, accountants, booking agents etc etc.

My advice is to maintain any presence on the net with care and to see myspace as an opportunity to present what you do to a person. With all the "talk" about myspace becoming a dead zone then its easy to believe the talk but attending music industry seminars recently has changed my mind on this.

Let the people who are the "can't be bothered merchants' languish in there bedsits or at home with their mum on a Saturday night whilst you are rockin the crowds at gigs. Their apathy and their settling for what they think they know about the world is your opportunity to get out there, communicate and find things out and to be offered opportunities they will never know about.

Do the myspace thing and put your personality into it.

Peace,
Octopussy

Cheers for the feedback boys and girls.

I have set one up ((www.myspace.com/kanesimms) - shameless plug!), but I think it will be just used to direct people to a place they can hear my music if need be. So I'm not going to spend weeks searching the population for people who I think will like my stuff (people who might not even use myspace anymore), instead, once the giggin and DJin begins its a easy thing to promote on flyers or on CDs etc, so thanks a lot...

Quote OneWorld:

---

Have you looked into the background of FaceAr*e? It's even more sinister. Apparently there was a scheme set up in the USA by the CIA that have the objective of getting everyone on the planet in their database. After a couple of years due to protests in the USA it was deemed illegal. Not long after Ar*eFace came along and instead of surrepticiously getting everyones' details, why not just ask them to do it instead, as we all know we are to some extent vainglorious and sure enough, people were clamouring to give their details away. So they setup it up, got a geeky innocent looking guy, uberstein or what ever he is called to front it and there you got your database.

It might also be wise to be aware that if you look through the T&Cs you find a clause saying you agree to allow BacksideFace explicit permission to monitor all your communications, 'for marketing purposes' though we all know Uberstein (or whatever he is called) is a dataphile.

ANd perhaps unsurprisingly what happened to the man that setup the CIA initiative to get everyone on the database - why, he turned up on the board of drirectors of FaceBook!

---

Have you seen that documentary, The Matrix?

--------------------
gentle robot - chapel hill rock band

Even more sinister, try deleting your Facebook account. It's impossible. They only let you suspend it. Like the police with your DNA, once they have you it's for life.

--------------------
http://www.myspace.com/ianhubball

Well, you know what they say...

If you aren't doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about.




--------------------

Quote TBTS:

---

unfortunately theres a million and 10 ridiculously bad website designs with music players that dont work.

hence why they still ask for a myspace, they know where the player is, they can just click it regardless of the design.

---

As long as the artist hasn't [ ****** ] about with the basic myspace layout in the first place- it's better to stick to something simple on there that loads quick and doesn't take an age to update when the punter is trying to move around on the page. Building some monstrosity which is groaning with content and flash graphics just results in a dead sloooowww experience which just pisses people off. K.I.S.S ....

--------------------
http://anotherfineday.bandcamp.com/ http://anotherfineday.co.uk http://apollomusic.co.uk

Quote tomafd:

---

Quote TBTS:

---

unfortunately theres a million and 10 ridiculously bad website designs with music players that dont work.

hence why they still ask for a myspace, they know where the player is, they can just click it regardless of the design.

---

As long as the artist hasn't [ ****** ] about with the basic myspace layout in the first place- it's better to stick to something simple on there that loads quick and doesn't take an age to update when the punter is trying to move around on the page. Building some monstrosity which is groaning with content and flash graphics just results in a dead sloooowww experience which just pisses people off. K.I.S.S ....

---

well of course, but this goes for the net in general.

--------------------
Apple Certified Technician. One half of http://www.turnbacktospring.com

But myspace sites almost always seem to take longer to load / more CPU to render than pretty much anything else out there.

Many MySpace pages give me a headache due to people with no sense of design customising their pages. Some can be very difficult to read as a result of some idiot thinking it'd be a good idea to have black text on brown background or grey text on top of photographs. It sometimes feels like the virtual equivalent of walking into a primary school art exhibition.

--------------------
Steve Cooke
http://soundcloud.com/stevecooke

I can't work out how to customise it like this http://www.myspace.com/goodoldwar to get a nice run down the middle. Do you need lots of HTML or is it easy?

--------------------
Director, singer-songwriter and producer.
Click here for my portfolio

Myspace is handy as a quick reference point, someone says "what's your myspace page" you can just say "oh its mybandname" and all they have to remember is the 'mybandname' bit. Start giving them other sites to look you up under and they are more likely to forget it.

Better still might be also having your own proper .com site. So someone asks "whats your myspace" then you can answer "oh its mybandname, or check out mybandname.com".

It helps if someone else hasn't taken them! A very important consideration in naming your band these days is that the myspace and .com should be free!

--------------------
http://www.jeremycorbett.co.uk

Quote Mahoobley:

---

It helps if someone else hasn't taken them! A very important consideration in naming your band these days is that the myspace and .com should be free!

---

Exactly. If your band's called 'The Eggs' but you have to tell people 'theeggsbandmanchesteruktunes' and excpect them to remember, then it ain't going to happen!

Amazing how many new bands choose a name only to find out later they share it with 10+ others...totally avoidable now using the Internet.

--------------------

Quote GlynB:

---

Quote Mahoobley:

---

It helps if someone else hasn't taken them! A very important consideration in naming your band these days is that the myspace and .com should be free!

---

Exactly. If your band's called 'The Eggs' but you have to tell people 'theeggsbandmanchesteruktunes' and excpect them to remember, then it ain't going to happen!

Amazing how many new bands choose a name only to find out later they share it with 10+ others...totally avoidable now using the Internet.

---

Yeah, like that band Friendly Fires who nicked the name of my band/project I've been using since 1991 - ie, Friendly Fire.

And even more annoying, they're better than me. ;-)

--------------------
Steve Cooke
http://soundcloud.com/stevecooke

Quote comradec:

---

Quote GlynB:

---

Quote Mahoobley:

---

It helps if someone else hasn't taken them! A very important consideration in naming your band these days is that the myspace and .com should be free!

---

Exactly. If your band's called 'The Eggs' but you have to tell people 'theeggsbandmanchesteruktunes' and excpect them to remember, then it ain't going to happen!

Amazing how many new bands choose a name only to find out later they share it with 10+ others...totally avoidable now using the Internet.

---

Yeah, like that band Friendly Fires who nicked the name of my band/project I've been using since 1991 - ie, Friendly Fire.

And even more annoying, they're better than me. ;-)

---

Your case was unavoidable, unless you can afford better lawyers than them!

There is no excuse for choosing a new name today that someone has already been using...

No way of knowing if Friendly Fires did a quick check to see if the name was free, but they may well have started using it at the same time as you, just taken them so long to get success - I don't know.

A local band I saw the other night are simply called 'OK', I don't even need to Google to know that there will be several other acts using the name.

--------------------

Quote GlynB:

---

Your case was unavoidable, unless you can afford better lawyers than them!

There is no excuse for choosing a new name today that someone has already been using...

No way of knowing if Friendly Fires did a quick check to see if the name was free, but they may well have started using it at the same time as you, just taken them so long to get success - I don't know.

A local band I saw the other night are simply called 'OK', I don't even need to Google to know that there will be several other acts using the name.

---

To be fair, the 'original' Friendly Fire had no web presence at all. A few reviews in local newspapers and suchlike, but it was in a state of ... er ... ceasefire by the end of the 1990s.

Not sure when the currently famous Friendly Fires were formed. Their first release was in 2006, according to Wikipedia. By 2002 or thereabouts, I'd spotted that someone had registered the name 'Friendly Fires' with the Band Register website (is that still around?). Might not have been the same people, though.

And it would be difficult for me to argue that the people buying the Friendly Fires' music now were doing so because they'd mistaken them for the same act they saw playing at an obscure pub in Aberystwyth in the early 1990s.

But to preserve the memory of the original FF, I've created a page at SoundClick where I've uploaded some of the project's recordings: http://www.soundclick.com/friendlyfireuk

In case anyone is interested (and they weren't in the 1990s so why would they be now?), the only synths used on the tracks were the Yamaha QY10 'walkstation' and a Casio CZ1000.

--------------------
Steve Cooke
http://soundcloud.com/stevecooke

"... The question is how much longer is this whole social networking thing going to remain popular?"

This change is forever.

Internet, social communities and virtual reality are the biggest change in our life.

I mean, it got my wife sitting on a computer. Something she would not be doing voluntarily if it only be a technical tool.

Mmmmh.

Sven

--------------------
http://www.shore-music.com
http://www.myspace.com/svenhorlemann

Quote TBTS:

---

think of myspace now, as a place to have a 'musical flyer' that you can link people to.

nothing more than that.

---

Exactly. And because of the compromised sound quality you can even post complete songs.

Sven

--------------------
http://www.shore-music.com
http://www.myspace.com/svenhorlemann

Quote OneWorld:

---

Have you looked into the background of FaceAr*e? It's even more sinister. Apparently there was a scheme set up in the USA by the CIA that have the objective of getting everyone on the planet in their database. After a couple of years due to protests in the USA it was deemed illegal. Not long after Ar*eFace came along and instead of surrepticiously getting everyones' details, why not just ask them to do it instead, as we all know we are to some extent vainglorious and sure enough, people were clamouring to give their details away. So they setup it up, got a geeky innocent looking guy, uberstein or what ever he is called to front it and there you got your database.

It might also be wise to be aware that if you look through the T&Cs you find a clause saying you agree to allow BacksideFace explicit permission to monitor all your communications, 'for marketing purposes' though we all know Uberstein (or whatever he is called) is a dataphile.

ANd perhaps unsurprisingly what happened to the man that setup the CIA initiative to get everyone on the database - why, he turned up on the board of drirectors of FaceBook!

---

and the pertinent term in the first paragraph would be "apparently"..... FFS - I have a tenuous tie to MI6!!

However - you're right about the terms and conditions .... although I'd trust facebook more than any record label..so far. One day this will be tested - i'm sure the unlikely scenario whereby social networking pages have fiscal worth will come into play at some stage - and someone will get exploited. A court case will emerge, a precedent will be set and Facebook and the myriad others like it will have their free roaming status curtailed.

Oh and James Breyer wasn't part of the CIA database set up at all. He served on the board of the National Venture Capital Assoc {a FAR more suspect organisation if ever there was one!!} alongside Gilman Louie. Gilman WAS part of the company InQtel who do have CIA links. It's an internet conspiracy leap of faith that Facebook is therefore an offshoot of the CIA.

I reckon the threat posed by scammers lifting data off Facebook to perpetrate identity theft/fraud is a much better reason to avoid it than any link to the CIA.

TBH, none of us have a choice when it comes to the new world of social networking- punters out there looking for our music will expect to find us on some site or other, and will often go the biggest ones as a first port of call before visiting our own sites for more detail, and probably a free download or two, before some of them hopefully actually get the credit card out and order product (I know, I know, painfully few of them, but you gotta try)

The best policy has to be putting up enough data to get punters interested while also making sure that personal data that might get the scammers interested just isn't there (no addresses, no phone numbers, no mother's maiden names, etc) - and there's no reason to put it up there anyway. With Facebook, you do have to be careful to avoid it looking like too much of a 'business' site because they're not happy about that kind of thing and will pull it down without warning if it does look one.

Otherwise, it's worth finding as many freebie opportunities for putting up profiles as you can, Twitter, myspace, lastfm, linkedin, whatever, it can only help widen the possibility that some punter somewhere will find your stuff. For those looking for more obvious business/sync opportunities, no harm in checking out

http://biznik.com/
http://www.fastpitchnetworking.com/
http://www.plaxo.com/
http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/
http://www.qalias.com/

all of which are business (all business, not specifically music business) social networking sites, a bit more 'pro' than LinkedIn. They won't necessarily generate opportunities automatically, but the fact that your label/studio/music library or whatever is up on them can't but help get the word around and helps your business look pro.

Yup, it's feckin' tedious keeping up with all this shite, and you have to maintain them- nothing worse than a page with a 'last update' date on it that's six months ago - and it sure as hell chews into the writing time, but we don't have a choice (unless you're lucky enough to be signed up with an agent who's pulling loads of work for you) We work in a business where the value (financially) of what we do is going down all the time, while the number of people trying to enter the market is going up all the time, due to cheap technology for making music and promoting it.

Failure to use every single opportunity out there to promote anything you do will ensure one certain thing ...

... NOTHING will happen for you !

--------------------
http://anotherfineday.bandcamp.com/ http://anotherfineday.co.uk http://apollomusic.co.uk

I only use myspace to attract listeners to my personal webpage and let them know what my plans are regarding my music. The only online merchant I would ever use is iTunes. Everyone trusts them and I know they charge close to 30 percent per sales but we all must make sacrifices to become successful. From my experience, when I think too much of money I end up with almost nothing in my bank account... But when I dont think of it I end up saving more and more. Your moral question should be.. Do I really care about this 30%. All you really need to do is keep advertising your music and you will end up satisfied with extra cash in your pocket. If you trust other digital distributer that say then do not charge more than iTunes then go ahead. Just dont be pissed off if nobody is buying your album.

just remember... Work hard on your music and advertise, advertise, advertise.... Music is an investment of a lifetime. Dont give up!

--------------------
Pro Audio Fanatic