An entrant in Ze Frank’s Ugly MySpace Competition

Another one I get asked an awful lot - particularly by musicians who are just getting started in the online environment. They’ve heard about MySpace, and that it’s where all the musicians are - but they’ve had a bit of a look through and are a bit bewildered.

Let me help: What should be on your MySpace page?
Frankly - as little as possible.

While it’s true that the purpose of having a MySpace page is to direct people to your own site, that doesn’t mean your profile should be so ugly that it has them running and screaming. Zen levels of simplicity and design are paramount.

Assuming that you’re a musician, or in a band, then as we’ve discussed, it’s pretty important to have a MySpace page, even though that might seem to defy common sense, taste and decency. So let’s talk about how to avoid the worst MySpace crimes and use it to its best advantage.

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I get this question a lot. Because you hear this a lot. And musicians want to know, because most of them rely on MySpace as an integral part of their online strategy.

Well, as much as it pains me to say this, I have to come back with the answer: No, I’m sorry - it still matters.

Because I’m not a fan of MySpace. Hate it with a fiery passion, in fact. And yet, when I compiled a recent top 10 list of music-related sites that artists NEED to be on, this came out as number one. It’s not relevant because it’s good - it’s important because it’s so widespread.

So while this makes me incredibly uncomfortable, here are three good reasons that MySpace is not just still alive and well, but actually pretty damn near crucial for online music business.

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Photo by Liz Henry

A whole bunch of local blogfriends went off to Austin, Texas this week to attend South By Southwest Interactive - which is kind of the tech end of what is probably the biggest music industry conference and festival on the planet.

I’ve been to some cool places recently, but that didn’t stop me being dead jealous of everyone.

But I like to think that having a bit of distance and perspective on the whole thing stops you from getting carried away with the spirit of the moment - and lets you see the real trends and significant lessons from the whole thing. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

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I thought I’d get this off my chest.

I have a lot to report from the CMJ Music Marathon (halfway through as I type this at the NZ Music Stand), but first I wanted to say thanks. This is the shirt I wore yesterday at the panel session I co-presented about the ‘future of the music business’ and to all of the media and music events I attended well into the night.

It’s my way saying thanks for helping me get to New York to attend. Much appreciated.