Myspace is enormous - have no doubt of that or, if you did, check out these numbers: 188,994 death metal acts registered - enough disillusioned teenagers to reach from my home in Newent to someone else's home quite a flipping long way away (I've noticed that death metal fans tend towards the lanky), and can you imagine the noise?
Kudos too then to Annotations of an Autopsy for crawling their way to the top of that particular chart, although they don't look like they're about to crack a smile about it, or anything apart from the complete collapse of civilization and the reappearance of berserker Viking warriors on the streets of their home town, Lowestoft.
There may be triple counting going on, as each band can select three genres into which they fit, but that's still a lot of black t-shirts. And, death metal is a long way down the genre chart, there are more than a million artists listed as hip hop, R and B, or rock myspacers.
I'm a space explorer.
I have my own page under my pseudonym, The Reverend Spadge Dooley, and people have listened to my music and even said nice things about it - this, and I assure you there's no false modesty here, would not have happened without Myspace.
There has been much debate as to whether anyone can really break as an artist entirely through Mr. Murdoch's social networking site - some of those who credit Myspace turn out to have more complex stories or hidden PR machines behind them.
A fella I know set up his own record label and is starting to make a name for the band he manages, The Novocaines. Much of his promotion has been virtual - it's a cracking way for a band to keep in touch with their fanbase and for their fanbase to feel involved with their heroes - although the Forest of Dean foursome certainly haven't swapped gigging, bothering the local and specialist music press, and posting hopeful demos for sitting and clicking.
But there are gems out there and I urge you to have an explore, make yourself an account if you really want to get involved, hell, record yourself reciting your own sick poetry and stick it up there; you never know what might happen.
All I'd like to do with Space Explorer is point people to things I like - completely subjective and with no other rhyme or reason. What does rhyme with subjective? Not much I think you'll find.
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