Indie Artists and Fans Unite: MySpace Listens and Changes its Service

In a previous blog entry I mentioned how MySpace had the ability to generate a huge amount of revenue for the struggling music industry with its new MySpace Music (see left below) service. Although the music industry would surely benefit from this service, the independent labels and artists were the ones hurt because they were left out of it. In the previous blog, I expressed my belief that MySpace was going to face negative repercussions for excluding independent artists from their new service; especially when independent artists were one of the biggest reasons why MySpace had become so popular. I mentioned that I personally believed that MySpace would change its service within a few days or weeks, to allow independent labels and artists back into the MySpace Music service. A recent article on StarTribune.com puts it best, "A month after irking part of the independent recording community by launching its online music service mostly with major labels, MySpace Music has made a deal to almost double the amount of indie tunes available through the service." MySpace finally realized that what they had done was not in the best interest for their company's image and profitability. They decided to listen to all the reports and complaints that people were having about this issue and make a change for the better. Although independent labels and artists are now happy to be back on the MySpace Music, the major labels might be feeling a little bit uneasy since now they will confront competition from the hundreds if not thousands of independent artists on MySpace.

The top major labels make up a huge percentage of all the music that is sold throughout the country but they depend on a fewer or limited number of artists to generate their revenue from. Although the major labels do not necessarily need the revenue that will be generated by MySpace Music, that revenue stream would be a great help for an already struggling industry. In a comment I left previously, I had mentioned that the music industry had already made $800 million dollars already on paper; well not the top record labels might be feeling a little nervous about the fact that no longer will they be the only ones getting a pay off from the MySpace Music service. As much as the top labels want the music industry to do well, they definitely do not like losing potential revenue to other labels and specially not independent labels. Although the top major labels will definitely cringe with this current development, the fans will definitely be ecstatic about the fact that they will once again be able to discover new and true raw music that has yet to be changed to fit into what is found popular by mainstream America. As I mentioned up above, MySpace Music decided to work a partnership with independent labels and artists, the big partnership was between MySpace Music and the independent digital distributor IODA. The IODA (see right below) is a distribution company that takes care of distributing, marketing, and other technology issues for all of its independent labels and their respective artists. MySpace Music having formed this relationship with IODA increased its independent labels on its service to the thousands. An article on Billboard.biz says, "MySpace Music's executive director of strategy and business development, Frank Hajdu, told Billboard.biz that MySpace Music is dedicated to the indie artist community." This comes as a shock since at first they denied all the allegations that they had left out independent artist out of their new music service when it fact they had; this quote does make independent labels feel reassured now that they will not be forgotten anymore. I personally believe that MySpace should be dedicated to the indie artist community because without them, MySpace would have never achieved the status and number of users that it has today.

As many expected it, MySpace ended up changing their whole service on October 23, 2008 in order to adapt to the true music culture that lives on the Internet, the independent non-mainstream music. MySpace would have truly lost its dominance in the social networking arena if it did not correct its mistake of not allowing other music on its service beside that of big record labels. MySpace had no choice but to listen to its users and a large group of artists in order to remain popular, which is really their first goal because if they are no longer popular no one would go to their site and in return there would be no revenue generated from music being played on their site. Independent artists in return now have a place once again where they can upload their music and create their fan base, they can market themselves and their upcoming shows which will lead to their popularity increasing among thousands of potential fans on MySpace. Now since everyone's needs and demands have been met to an understandable level, the top major labels earning revenue from their streamed music, indie artists being able to create and upload music; and fans being able to truly find diversified music in one location, the question that remains is whether this service will last in the ever fast changing online music distribution world or will it just fade away like many other services have before. Another question I raise is the fact that since independent artists will now have the chance to reach thousands fans, will they now become mainstream musicians or will they keep the indie vibe alive? I personally believe that whenever something gets mass media attention, it tends to loose its appeal to the people that live for underground, uncomercialed music. Once artists start making money, the also forget about their love for the music and it becomes merely a way of making money and getting rich. We will have to wait in order to truly see the effects that this music service will have on independent artists, but until then everyone can benefit from MySpace's change to its music service.