OUT
MySpace is your space by David Heller
TOP TEN MOST VIEWED BANDS ON MYSPACE
UNSIGNED
INDIE
MAJOR
1 TILA TEQUILA PANICI AT THE DISCO FALLOUT BOY
HEAVYGRINDER
NICKELBACK
AVENGED SEVENFOLD
3 JEFFREE STAR
CASCADA
JAMES BLUNT
NUMBER 1 HATER
YING YANG TWINS
MY CHEMICAL
ROMANCE
5 KEVIN FEDERLINE underOATH KEYSHIA COLE
RAILA
HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS
BEYONCE
7 CASSIE HELLO GOODBYE SYSTEM OF A DOWN
8 HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD ATREYU ASHLEE SIMPSON
ALEX M.
RASCAL FLATS
LIL JON
10 THE SCENF AESTHETIC JENNY LEWIS NELLY
Technology's great gift to the music industry
Every afternoon, Adam Bettis Wichita senior, logs onto his MySpace account to check his e-mail, download music and talk with friends. In addition, Bettis also uses the site to promote his younger brother Luke's band, The Luke Bettis Band.
The Luke Bettis Band consists of four KU students: Scott Johnson (drums/percussion), Ryan Staub (bass/background vocals), Joe Sparacino (piano/vocals/harmonica) and Luke Bettis (guitar/vocals). The band, like other unsigned bands and DJs, uses MySpace for publicity.
Adam Bettis acts as the band's promotional manager. He says that MySpace is an excellent resource for information on how to contact and meet other local bands in the area, as well as generate a larger fan base.
"MySpace is a particularly good Web site for us because of all the kids and adults well into their 50s who've heard our music online," Bettis says.
MySpace is an online college forum enabling users to access each other's personal information, profiles and respective interests. It is an excellent resource for upcoming music events throughout the country. Based in Santa Monica, California, MySpace serves as a place for signed and unsigned bands to join together and meet new people. The site also promotes its own record label, MySpace Records. Founded two years ago by Chris DeWolfe and Tom Anderson, MySpace now hosts 660,000 artists and bands.
The popular Web site also provides other services for its users. "MySpace is an online community that lets you meet your friends' friends," the MySpace home page says. MySpace, users gain the ability to share photos, journals, and music. With over 46 million users, MySpace is a free service that anyone can use, unlike
www.facebook.com, a communal Web site that requires a college or high school e-mail address.
Although MySpace began on the West Coast, the community has spread all over the world. With mainstream media comes mainstream advertising. MySpace functions as an effective advertiser for products like turntables and record companies, along with household appliances.
However, some users of the Web site believe that too much advertising diminishes the quality of the service. John Paine, Kansas State University sophomore and DJ,says he has mixed feelings about MySpace.
"It's a great place to promote your name, but you also have all these fake people out there who just want to sell shit," Paine says. Despite his objection to excessive advertising, he continues to use MySpace, he says.
Most users of MySpace are content with its services. Chetan Michie, Manhattan junior, logs onto his MySpace account to chat with his friends online and check for upcoming concert events around the area. Michie signed onto the site about a year ago, mainly to keep in touch with old friends and acquaintances around town.
"Through MySpace, I've been exposed to a lot of West Coast punk rock bands," Michie says. He also adds bands to his friends list that he already listens to, he says.
"With the site, old friends are no more than a click away," Michie says. "I check my MySpace mail more than my KU e-mail."
Michie has only one criticism: "I don't like it when people I don't know message me out of the blue to vote for stuff like person of the year or best celebrity. It becomes this big popularity contest to see how many friends you have," he says.
02.09.2006 JAYPLAY
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