Myspace Re-enters The Social Media Ring
“In a single sentence, it’s a social network for the creative community to connect to their fans,” Myspace owner Tim Vanderhook told the Hollywood Reporter.
The re-branded website looks like a mash-up between Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook, with a huge focus on music integration.
Even though it has been largely replaced by newer social networks, Myspace has managed to survive thanks to the constant stream of musicians on the site, who still use it as a marketing platform.
Co-founder of Whitesmith Entertainment and Readymade Records, Emily White, said though Myspace is often written-off, it is routinely the top result when someone searches for artists.
“They do have all that traffic and all that data from previously being number one, so I feel like if they can rebrand themselves and take advantage of that, then that’s going to be really huge,” White told the Guardian.
Emily White updates Myspace information for the artists she manages – including Brendan Benson of the Raconteurs and Eric Burdon of The Animals – because of the traffic the site still generates.
“I don’t consider Myspace a social network, I consider it a one-page, informational destination,” White said.
One way Myspace may be able to reinvent itself as a relevant social network is with its focus on artists.
The rebrand video showcases what an musician’s profile would look like, for example Justin Timberlake’s profile. In the preview, he’s given access to the actions of his top fans and can see who is listening to his music and where they are.
The site has not set a date for its official re-launch and Tim Vanderhook said: “We’re really far along, but we really want that last twenty percent to really be crafted by more people like Justin that actually know the tools and things that they need.”
So…I guess: Justin’s bringing Myspace back… yeah!