Here's the link to the BBC Myspace thread:http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbradio2/F2142825?thread=2380796
And the fRoots one:
http://froots.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1292
The benefits of Myspace are huge! At the touch of a button, music is now being whizzed around the world like never before! The other day, on my page, I was playing Seth Lakeman's music and I had a link to his site on the main page. Someone sent me a message, later that day, from Maine in the USA, to say that they'd just heard Seth's music after finding my page and liked it so much that they'd downloaded all three of his CDs from iTunes immediately!
Diane (the countess)has been doing her utmost to cause chaos over Myspace, as you'll see in the BBC thread. But..the benefits far outweigh the risks (in my opinion) It is putting artists in touch with other artists and those artists can now also be in touch with their audience too...from a safe and private distance.
I can now e mail an artist's page to all sorts of people and say "Here....LISTEN to this music! Isn't it SENSATIONAL!" It is the most magical thing, it really is!
Murdoch didn't invent Myspace, he just bought it recently.
Ian Anderson of fRoots is behind it, as are other artists on the BBC thread. I'd read what *they* all have to say, before making any decisions on what Diane is saying. There are now over 80 million people in Myspace....there is a whole folk community in there, from musicians to dancers, folk festivals/magazines to radio programmes. It is like it's own music industry now, but one in which we all have a say. Everyone is helping each other, everyone is supportive.
If you're paranoid about it all, then just have some samples for people to hear.
I've found nearly 600 wonderful musicians from all around the world and some of that music has been staggeringly beautiful! To the extent that I've bought CDs almost immediately!...CDs from artists whom I would probably never, *ever* have heard of if I hadn't been in Myspace.
And...they are all here:
http://www.myspace.com/lizziecornish
And far from going on messageboards to try and put artists OFF Myspace Diane, I'll say once more what I said to you on the BBC, and that is, that perhaps you could do far more good by getting your own page and trying to help all the artists that you admire to spread their music as far as it will reach.
Lizzie :0)