JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum MySpace talking to independents Posted by: "Derek at CD Baby"

Actually, the point is that without 4,999,000 there would be no MySpace Music. If the majors could simply post pages for their artist roster and make the same money, they'd do that without MySpace Music getting a dime. You can easily argue the exact reverse of what you're saying. MySpace Music isn't going to be the same company as MySpace. It's a spin off.

And my point was, after getting tons of emails about how amazing this turn of events was going to be for Indie Artists and how they were suddenly going to start making all this money from the site, I think folks needed a reality check that in fact their ship was not coming in and if anything, things would get worse, not better on MySpace Music. I see nothing in what you're saying to dispute that in any way. So why are you feeling the need to strongly disagree with me?

Does NIN have a lot of fans? Sure. So do a couple of hundred other major stars. But most of the major label roster isn't even using MySpace to start with. So your theory that those folks are driving most all the traffic simply doesn't hold up. Not when Indie artists outnumber about 25,000 to one. People go on to MySpace to check out pictures of hot women and listen to free music. Sure, now they'll have more free major label music to listen to. Great. My article didn't say it was bad for major labels, though the 360 deals are certainly not universally accepted as a good thing for even the average major label artist. And if indies start giving a percentage of the little they are selling to MySpace, how is that a good thing? Other than simply "existing" what is MySpace doing? And if, by your claim, that no one is visiting any indie artists now, then why would adding major label content be a good thing for indies either? It's odd how you keep making my point, but act as though we disagree.

As for what do to? I think being aware of what is going on is a good start. You can't make a plan until you do that. Next, just as people flocked to MySpace Music, they can easily flock somewhere else. It won't happen overnight, but we all know that in the end, it's going to happen eventually anyway. People rarely stick with one thing forever. Facebook seems like one option. Or any of the dozens of new starts ups coming out. I literally got contacted by 2 different start ups today alone that want to offer more to the indie community and try and compete with MySpace. And I get those types of contacts all the time. Who knows which one will be the successor, but why not start looking now rather than later?

I've predicted this type of thing happening with MySpace since day one. I've taken heat because I didn't recommend people join MySpace. It's always been solely about collecting data and selling ads. It's always been hollow. Why is it that we should all collectively just roll over with our heads in the sand and accept the rotting table scraps that some corporations choose to throw us? Why should we keep letting corporations get rich by exploiting our music for free? I've never believed in that crap. (It appears Turnaround doesn't either). I don't so undervalue the work of our members that I think we should simply bow down to anyone willing to exploit us. Sure, there may or may not be a better alternative right now. But we'll never collectively know if we keep kneeling at the feet of people who clearly assign zero value to the entire indie community. The labels have always played that game... keep them groveling and dreaming that one day they'll be invited to sit at the grown up table. One of the few saving graces about MySpace was that everyone got pretty much the same deal and the same treatment and the same status. Now even that has changed. I have to ask you, why are you so desperate to settle for what they offer?

Brian