Cancel Your MySpace Account

When’s the last time you logged into MySpace? When’s the last time you referenced that dying social network without making it the butt of some joke? When’s the last time you had a meaningful interaction through the site?

I’m guessing it has been awhile.

I logged into my account tonight just to see if anything had happened in the last 6 months that I should know about. Finding nothing of any significance, I began pruning my profile. Now if you visit my page (which I don’t recommend you do), you’ll see that there’s nothing left but a photo, my tracks, and a notice that says:

MySpace is dead. For more about Scott Troyer visit: http://scotttroyer.com

Why haven’t I cancelled my account? Well, I maintain a MySpace profile simply because when booking shows some venues still ask for a MySpace link. At one time (approximately the fall of 1945) this made sense because there were very few places that bands could easily create a page and post their music for people to hear. Now, there are so many sites like Facebook, YouTube, SoundCloud, Twitter, BandCamp, CDbaby, NoiseTrade, Vimeo, Tumblr, WordPress, iTunes…the list goes on and on…that allow musicians to create profiles and stay in touch with fans in much better ways. While it is true that these new networks are not perfect, they’re far superior to the horrible experience that MySpace offers.

Plea To Venues

Please, stop asking for MySpace links. Let’s party like it’s 2099, not 1999. The entire Internet wants to move on. Even my Grandma has figured out Facebook. You should too. It doesn’t matter how big or cool MySpace once was, sometimes you just have to let things go.

Plea to Fans

Quit MySpace. Seriously. Don’t just leave your data lying around on the Internet. Do you want creepers or future employers finding the pictures, posts, and comments you and some of your MySpace “friends” made 4 years ago? Go here to cancel your account. Then follow your favorite artists on other networks.

Plea to Musicians

Ask venues and fans to quit MySpace. There is power in numbers. Let’s unite and make the world a better place. If not for yourself, do it for the children.

31 January Is For Videos: OK Go – A Million Ways

Today is the last day of January and so our little ‘January Is For Videos’ blog series comes to an end. I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to see some of the music videos that have influenced me. This was not an exhaustive list by any means, but gives you a glimpse at what makes me tick. I liked having a project for the month and have a similar idea planned for next month. February can be equally as drab as January, so I’ve got a pick-me-up planned that I think you’ll find interesting. I’ll announce my plans February 1st, so come back tomorrow, my friends, and get all the juicy details. For the final installment of this series, I’m presenting the video “A Million Ways” by rock band OK Go. Though this Chicago-born band had connections with They Might Be Giants and made some waves on Chicago Public Radio‘s This American Life, it was their viral video spreading across the internet that eventually brought them fame. You wouldn’t think that a homemade one-take video of four dudes dancing awkwardly to their own song would catch people’s attention, but it did. Between the fall of 2005, when it was dumped into the internet tubes, and August 2006, it had been downloaded 9 million times – the most times a music video has ever been downloaded. In July of 2006, they released their famous “treadmill” music video for “Here It Goes Again,” which had just under 29 million views by the time of this blog being published. If you ask me, this signals another media master for the music industry. Much in the same way “Video Killed The Radio Star” changed the landscape of pop music, the internet is changing it again. In fact, the internet is changing things so drastically that the old music business models are failing. A new standard has not yet been established and the music industry feels a little bit like the old west. Everyone is rushing out there, trying to stake claim in something. Fortunes are being invested, sought, made, and lost. It’s an untamed world and no one knows for sure when it’s all going to settle down. So here’s to the future. Someday your kids will look back at this low budget video and ask what all the fuss was about. You can tell them – you were there. Link