Why MySpace Matters

So I’ve blabbed on about how I won’t download music for free anymore and how instituting a pay-what-you-want scheme for music may not work for anyone whose last name is not Yorke or Reznor. Stealing or buying it is not the only way to access to music online.

It has been the case throughout the world, spanning across time, that there was/is an exchange system in place for trading goods and services. In Malinowski’s description of the Trobriand Islanders and the Kula Ring, he demonstrated in a gift-exchange economy there is the “goal” to maintain social relations (this of course is a gross oversimplification and not the whole story, but good enough for my argument here). Gifts are given based on the movement of beads and necklaces in ceremonial fashion as a prelude to regular trade or a part of it. If you are part of the community, you have a certain obligation to participate in these practices (perhaps to gain social capital or out of fear of being ostracized). Today, gifts are given back and forth between friends not only to demonstrate feelings of friendship and love, but also to maintain that connection with other person. If you give a present to a friend on their birthday it shows that you not only are aware of that persons existence, but actually like them, want to make them happy and know enough about them to seek out something they would like. If a gift on your own birthday is not received from a friend who you have given something in the past, their relationship may sour (to varying degrees). The overarching idea between these two examples are similar. What does this have to do with music? Hear me out.

Listen. The purchase of music (and other goods) is an inherently isolated transaction. You go into a store (or webstore), pick something, pay for it, and leave. There is no obligation (or perhaps even an opportunity) to maintain a connection with whomever is selling you the music you like. Sure, you may be a audiophile like myself and seek out those rarities and 7″ singles, become part of the online community of fans, track news and tours, but I’m certain that I’m part of the minority of music fanatics. So where do sites like MySpace come in? Bands create these online profiles and usually upload a few songs to stream. I think of these songs that are just available for stream as a taste. The band offers you a sample of a few tracks from their new CD, and in return they hope that you will buy the full album to get those deeper cuts that don’t usually find their way online. But that’s not all. These profiles have tour dates, merch stores, blog posts, videos, and, perhaps most importantly, access to an online community of fans. All these features are in one place, on one easy to understand page. Fans can comment on songs and share their thoughts on the band. They can also provide links to other bands and artists that are similar. The sites themselves can also suggest new bands that you like based on your listening and browsing history. This creates a whole network between bands and their fans. If tour dates are immediately listed right under the music player, is that not a great reminder that if you like a band, you should go see them when they’re in your city? If you’re someone, unlike me, who is not on their computer listening to music for hours at a time, no one would hold a grudge against you if you forgot to look up the latest tour into. Some bands will even stream their entire albums online, but offer really neat packages, usually limited editions with shirts, autographed artwork and bonus material. Maybe it’s not an obligation, but fans may be more inclined to purchase music from bands that are willing to interact with them online and offer them some cool shit. Bands give a little, and fans give back by purchasing music, t-shirts, and concert tickets. Bands link to other bands on the basis that there is reciprocal linkage and exposure to different fan bases. Labels can then see the online traffic and their bands are getting and be in a better position to promote the music accordingly.

This is why sites like MySpace, Pure Volume, Reverb Nation, Last.fm, Pandora, etc matter. Music may be free, but bands get something valuable in return: listeners and potentially die-hard fans.