Why MySpace should have said "No" to MJ Memorial

MySpace is doing the exact opposite of what it was created to do. I remember in 2005 when I signed up for my first MySpace account for my band Highway Jackson (4.20.05 to be exact) and seeing other bands on the "space" and thinking how fucking (excuse my french) MySpace was. Back then you could go to a band or someone's personal page and it wouldn't take a half hour for it to load because there was no customization of pages and back then...it WAS...all about the music.

Just like everything else in life, the first ones are the lucky ones. Being one of the first bands (and by first I mean first million) to sign up for MySpace made it very easy to network with other bands and show swap. I remember getting a message from a band asking if we wanted to open up for them in Boston (thanks to the guys again in Sad Marvin) and thinking, "Wow this is EASY". Of course that only happened a handful of times until MySpace was over saturated with everyone and their grandmother making a music page. This however, is not the ultimate problem.

The problem with MySpace is at first they were rebelling against the mainstream for a place to discover new music. Now MySpace IS the mainstream and just like independent bands have done many times before, we're rebelling against the mainstream. Against MySpace.

Signing on to stream Michael Jackson's memorial service is exactly what MySpace shouldn't do. It's as mainstream as mainstream gets. Instead of setting up some sort of musical tribute page(which would still be mainstream but not half as bad) they ignore the music and deal with the celebrity aspect of MJ. Does MySpace think they're MSNBC or CNN now? News coverage? Really?

Dear MySpace,

Get rid of all the ads. Get rid of MySpace Records too since all the bands on your label are already signed somewhere else. Delete music pages and individual pages that haven't been logged into for over 3 months. Drop the customization of pages because it just clutters everything up.

Thanks,

Former MySpace Users

P.S. Facebook is kicking your ass...if you don't already know that...and you don't see them over at the Staples Center do you?