MySpace Is Selling Music Now

Did you hear that MySpace has gone into the music download business? I read about it, but I wasn't all that interested, since I've got a reliable source for downloadable music (Amazon).

I went to our band's MySpace page today, since I do like to check in once a week or so, and I noticed the "playlists" option. I spent a little time trying to figure out how it worked, and how exactly it would be a benefit to us.

From what I can discern, it's an option for non-band MySpace users to create playlists and post them on their site, I guess to share with their friends or with the world or with whomever might happen to stumble upon their page.

I like it and I think it's a cool option. Who doesn't like to recommend music to other people? I know I do.

I created an "alternate playlist" of songs that the members of Red River like. It's sort of like a puzzle, first figuring out which songs or artists to search for, and then actually finding what you're looking for, and then, of course, sequencing the songs (because sequencing is an art all to itself - just ask my husband - the expert).

So, I'm glad that MySpace created this option. Frankly, it gives me a reason to actually go there, because there's not a whole lot happening for Red River there.

Anyway, if you have a MySpace page, go ahead and create a playlist. And let me know if you do, because I'd like to listen to it.

My playlist is called, "The Eclectic Tastes of Red River". To find it, click on the down arrow next to "featured playlist" on our music player. I probably will add more songs as I think of them, but it's been kind of fun, I must admit.

Then, of course, being the CMA historian that I have apparently become, I created two more playlists; one featuring the singles of the year from 1967 to the present. There was only one that I couldn't find - "Country Bumpkin" by Cal Smith. I don't know what the deal is with this song and its unavailability. I couldn't find it on YouTube, either. There were also two other singles that I could not find by the original artists, so I went with alternate versions.

The more fun playlist, for me, was the CMA entertainers of the year, again from 1967 to the present. This allowed me to pick songs by these artists that I actually like.

I really think the CMA should pay me for all the free publicity I'm giving them. Lord knows, I could use the extra income.

Anyway, as you can see, I'm having "fun with playlists".

Here's our MySpace address. We always welcome new friend requests.

Red River's MySpace Page

MySpace Bands & Artists - Good Advice, I Think

MySpace can be a lot of fun. As a band, we get a lot of friend requests, and I enjoy checking out new bands and solo artists, finding out where they live, listening to their music. I don't sign on to our MySpace account as often as I should, but when I do, it's always a pleasant surprise to see new friend requests.

My ONE BIG COMPLAINT about some of these MySpace pages, however, is that they take FOREVER TO LOAD. If I was on dial-up, I would go insane.

There are a lot of add-on options for personalizing one's page. That doesn't necessarily mean that one has to use them all.

I frankly have often given up on trying to listen to someone's music, simply because, after waiting for all four of the videos to load, and for all 50 pictures to materialize, I've lost interest.

My PC is operating at near max capacity as is, and therefore, a heavily loaded MySpace page will often freeze up my computer. This is extremely annoying.

Sometimes less is better.

I've been guilty of overloading our page in the past, too. But something that is helpful is actually clicking on one's official MySpace link to see how it loads (rather than just editing the page and leaving it at that).

Here's what I like to see when visiting someone's page:

1. A nice background (not the generic default background - that just looks cheap).

2. A picture of the band or artist.

3. SONGS - the most important component!

4. Blog entries - If I want to get to know a band or artist, their blog posts will tell me more about them than 100 videos on their home page (which I am not going to watch). The writing doesn't have to be fancy, just real.

(A note regarding blog posts - please try to use font sizes and colors that are easy to read. Sure, there are a lot of options - red text on a yellow background, for example, but that kind of stuff just gives me a headache. And I don't like squinting to try to read what someone has written.)

5. Videos are fine, but just add them to your video page - then if someone wants to watch them, they can click on the video link.

6. A bunch of press releases aren't really that impressive. The only people who are going to read them are your family.

7. Update your page now and then. Give people a reason to come back.*

*I should take my own advice, perhaps.

So, there you go. Some hints and tips from just an average MySpace peruser.

Oh, here's our link, by the way (thought it would be appropriate to put that here):

Red River On MySpace