myspace replacing band webpages

[genocide roach]

because metal has no trends?

sorry, lame excuse
~gR~

 

[Cythraul]

What an excessive thing to say.

What a fucking douche you are.

because metal has no trends?

sorry, lame excuse
~gR~

I don't think anybody claimed that there aren't trends internal to the metal genre. At any rate, even if there are that doesn't mean we have to think they're cool.

sorry, try again

~C~

 

[cookiecutter]

I like myspace a lot. I have found tons of bands, communicated with some of those bands, and it's probably led me to buy tons of CDs. I don't agree with people who say it is trendy or cheapens the songs. If you want to get away from commercial culture, move to Papua New Guinea or else you're just going to have to deal with it. What really matters is that myspace connects people to music and musicians that they may never have found, and that is something I think is really great.

 

[AchrisK]

While Myspace has benefits, such as an easy way for bands to share music, as well as keep their fans actively updated, I think it is a poor substitute for a real band website. Generally speaking a good band site should have separate pages for things such as a detailed discography, bio, a shopping page or a page of links to places to get their music, maybe a lyrics page, an area to post reviews and interviews of the band, or links to them.

There is much good info that is unavailable on most myspace band pages. If I had a band I would have a real band website and a myspace page.

 

[waif]

I am starting to realize that internet is ruining the entire metal genre altogether. There's no mysticism anymore, with everything being so easily accessible. Bands and albums aren't given the opportunity to "air out" as everything is just the flavour of the week, because no one can possibly digest the music properly when there's a new album every fucking day that has to be heard, categorized and shelfed.

I kinda see what your saying. When I first got into metal I acquired albums rather slowly, and purely through word of mouth from people I knew. While I could have used the internet, I guess, I didn't really know about it...so, there was definitely an element of mysticism and when i started buying stuff en masse that definitely went away.

But I still think the internet is good for metal. Myspace is excellent. A band should still have a website, but for finding bands myspace is cool.

 

[MasterOLightning]

Indeed.

I am starting to realize that internet is ruining the entire metal genre altogether. There's no mysticism anymore, with everything being so easily accessible. Bands and albums aren't given the opportunity to "air out" as everything is just the flavour of the week, because no one can possibly digest the music properly when there's a new album every fucking day that has to be heard, categorized and shelfed.

No one's making you use the internet. No one's making you listen to a new album everyday either. In fact, most people don't.

 

[Vossyrus]

I think it works good if bands have both.
If there's a band that I want to quickly check them out, I'll usually go to their myspace, but if I wanted to know more about the band I am more likely to check out their website. The reality is most bands I listen to barely ever update their official site.

I personally don't care if a band has a myspace - it really isnt 'trendy' and how is it any different from having their own site?

 

[Crimson Velvet]

But my point is not restricted to us fans. Allow me to offer an analogy:

In the olden days, the different people of Norway were separated by mountains, rivers and deep forests, which resulted in that all the different people developed their own customs and, most importantly, dialects.

This is, of course, all quite obvious, but apply the very same logic to the metal scenes: The different scenes, secluded as they were, were given time to evolve independently of each other, which is, without a doubt, the most important reason as to why the metal genre became so versatile in the first place.

I won't claim to know anything as to the possible effects this will have on the metal of tomorrow, but I am having a hard time picturing any advantages...


EDIT: Woah, 4000 posts in four years...

 

[waif]

My band is located in the Boston area. Should we be forced to sound like another crappy Boston metalcore band?
No. Instead, thanks to teh interwebs we get to have good bands as influences.

 

[Crimson Velvet]

That's not quite what I mean, and you know it. Just 'cause the internet wouldn't let you listen to every cult, underground, super mystic band to pop out of the grim Transilvanian forests of Romania, doesn't mean you can't go to record store and buy a fucking CD by a signed band.

 

[waif]

Yeah, but we wouldn't have found them without the internet...actually, we wouldn't have been able to get them without the internet either...

With the internet now there will be fewer scenes. Instead, there'll just be genres. There'll be a bunch of bands that play the same genre influencing each other even though geographically they're nowhere near. I can't see how that's a bad thing...

 

[Jreg]

How do they make their own mix? As far as I knew the sound files are just compressed into mp3 format.

Well they are compressed like any normal mp3, which of course will cause a discrepancy in the digital file and the track on the physical CD, depending on the bitrate. But on top of that (and I don't really know the mechanics of it right now), myspace "remixes" the file so that it will sound different on their site than if it were downloaded somewhere else. In theory, their mix is supposed to sound "better". Don't let me exaggerate the magnitude of it though: if you submit any typical kvlt, underproduced black metal tune, it's not like they'll magically turn it into an Abyss Studio production. It's a bit more subtle than that. In the long run, the difference isn't so huge that you're likely to feel deceived when purchasing an album based on what you heard of it through myspace, but it's a little annoying to see a single, large-scale organization snoop around and tamper with everyone's art like that.

 

[Vossyrus]

Well, it's actually quite easy to 'steal' mp3s uploaded onto myspace, if you know how to obtain the file's address. So I think I will acquire a song from myspace, and compare it to the actual cd rip.

I personally just thought, songs on myspace were uploaded in poor quality, because I do tend to notice a bit of difference.

I compared a few songs and didn't see any real differences. It appears most songs on myspace are 96kbps. The one on myspace just sounds worse.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

No, they're re-encoded in lower bitrates afaik. Personally, I think that they should be allowed to do this since A). it's to promote themselves and shouldn't be considered "the final perfect form of the song" (crap way of thinking because technically CDs are not the highest quality especially compared to masters in the studio) and B). the site can't just host high/CD quality mp3s by every fucking band ever and expect to still be around. Also re: the "tampering your art" bit...yeah I can see that being problematic to very anal people who complain about minuscule things and are ungrateful that a site would even host a ton of info and 6 of your songs for free with the ability to connect to your fans and other brotherly bands for free.

Crimson Velvet, I think you're taking a very ridiculous stance on this. I know you are older and for some reason you think this gives you the right to slam modern technology and advances in the promotion of metal music. As Nec said, it's all what you make of it. Your post basically just sounds like crying about the "sad state" metal is in, when in fact it's probably just you making it seem much more extreme than it is...just what I think. I believe the whole "metal is dying because it's losing its mystique" argument is pretty tired and silly considering it's been this way before Myspace also with filesharing etc. in the first place. That isn't really the place for this discussion, but if "mystique" is your biggest priority, best get into some sub-underground harsh noise or something...doubt that'll make the big bucks for quite a while.

 

[Koude Haat]

The only thing thats gay about it, is bands will update their myspace but not their offical site as often.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

Because they realize more people go to their Myspace

 

[Jreg]

No, they're re-encoded in lower bitrates afaik. Personally, I think that they should be allowed to do this since A). it's to promote themselves and shouldn't be considered "the final perfect form of the song" (crap way of thinking because technically CDs are not the highest quality especially compared to masters in the studio) and B). the site can't just host high/CD quality mp3s by every fucking band ever and expect to still be around.

Bad analogy. The quality on the physical album is the product you're marketing. Unless somebody's employing some zany new business strategy of inviting all your fans into the recording studio to hear the masters, the difference between them is negligible. But your point stands. MySpace is a promotional tool, and an effective one at that.

 

[Bothering]

@ Killbot
You don't see how a band hosting their music next to ads for shitty consumer garbage is cheapening the art? You don't see how these "anti-status quo" bands host their music on a site owned by one of the world's largest corporate leaders lessens the music? You don't think a band's page full of people saying "thanx 4 da add" or advertising their own stupid projects makes the whole page cheap?

You don't need to have a friends and comments section on your Myspace. Also, there is an easy way to get rid of the adds they put everywhere - Myspace doesn't like it, but how the fuck are they going to know anyways.

 

[Crimson Velvet]

Crimson Velvet, I think you're taking a very ridiculous stance on this.

Gee, what a surprise!

But, actually, I'm quite happy with the state of metal today, so I think you misunderstood a little. My concern was in regards to the future.

In truth, I haven't been this excited about new bands in over ten years! With curtains finally having opened for bands such as Orodruin, Fall of the Idols, Hour of 13 and all those true doom bands, in addition to favourites such as The Chasm, Summoning and Deströyer 666 still releasing fa-fucking-tastic music, all is well!

But when it all comes down it, the masterminds behind those bands are still of my generation, people who developed their tastes before all this myspace nonsense. I am concerned - concerned being the keyword here, as I can't predict the future - with what will happen when it's time for the next generation to step up to the plate. Could be brilliant, could be plastic, sterile rubbish, I am merely pointing out a possible problem in regards to future developments...

 

[skeptik]

I don't think Crimson Velvet's overall position is 'ridiculous,' but rather on the very extreme, and in fact I have a feeling he's playing more of a skeptical devil's advocate than a doomsayer.