Could corporate control ruin MySpace?
Almost out of nowhere, MySpace has eclipsed Friendster and Orkut as the premier internet destination for the youth generation. But could corporate control ruin this runaway success?…
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
Article comments
— go to most recent comments26 - Stone
For all you MySpace fans out there:
http://www.myspace.com/murdoch_rupert
27 - Dave Nalle
Wow, what a brain damaged bloglet you have. I love the juxtaposition of the attempt to smear murdoch with lame and innacurate descriptions of his beliefs and the real quotes you include which show him to be a smart and responsible businessman.
Dave
28 - elisa
I'M SAD THAT MYSPACE WAS SOLD... I FEEL THAT I HAVE NO PRIVACY NO MORE... I THOUGHT IT WAS A PLACE FOR FRIENDS.. AND NOW THE GOVERNMENT OWNS IT... I KNOW TOM DESERVES HIS MONEY FOR HIS HARD WORK... BUT I FEEL THAT WE SHOULD BE WARNED OF THE TAKE OVER... I DON'T TRUST THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION... AND I JUST FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE A LOT TO DO WITH THIS... CAUSE... WE HAVE A LOT OF INFO AND REALLY ITS THE BEST WAY TO KNOW DIFFERENT PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE AND ANY OTHER DETAILS THEY MAKE IT SOUND AS IF IT IS TO ADVERTISE... BUT THATS WHAT THEY WANT US TO THINK....
I'M SO SAD... ABOUT THIS TAKE OVER NOW I DON'T KNOW IF I EVEN WANT TO BE A PART OF MYSPACE ANY MORE. THAT JUST TOOK THE WHOLE FEEL OUT OF IT.
29 - carrie
in response to elisa--
the government doesn't own myspace, a media corporation does. and i highly doubt the buying of myspace has anything to do with the bush administration...but nice try.
30 - Israel Limon
I just finished organizing a MASSIVE festival, and i put all the bands and Djs together only with myspace. Get this, I HATE networking sites, Friendster, Hi 5 are all useless!!, Myspace let me hook up with old college buddies and even helped me network on the internet, which I never did before. Tom you idiot, how could you sell it to Rupert f�n Murdoch the most vile of media mogul douchebags?. The site is probably gonna go to crap, just like MP3.COM
31 - Nicodemus
People who despise a website need to get a life. It's a website. A web... site.
Anyway, for my part, I have reconnected with old friends. I'm not lazy, so I can stop the music from playing by pointing my mouse pointer over the stop button and, generating enough energy in order to come up with the required effort (which is enormous, apparently), click it. How novel. So, people use it to meet other peope? So what? So, some people are HTML-dumb and make their profile look like crap. So what? Don't go there. But for crying out loud, if the place is so vile you have to talk trash about it, then why bother even going to it?
Just some musings...
32 - john
Who the hell cares what Billy Corgan has to say about this.
33 - Eric Olsen
excellent job Stone, thanks, very important news
34 - kevin
All those saying myspace sucks. Well from a web developers viewpoint, it does indeed. It's unorganized and built extremly confusing and shitty. But ....
a lot of people use it, and it's very effective at doing what it's meant to do, connecting you with people.
I just found it last week myself and I've already met a girl in my area and we've hit it off and couldn't be happier. I love myspace now and i hope it stays around.
35 - michael
This is so gay, i'm VERY upset...but I will not be upset yet. I'm def not mad at Tom. Tom, you do ur thing man u deserve the cash! However, I am TERRIFIED at what might happen to the site by corporate America owning it...and if it becomes a paysite...I'M OUT!!! I will also tell all of my a lil over half a million friends to leave the site too, and i'm sure they will all tell there friends, and so on and so forth, and we will just have to make a new one...that's free again!
lol
36 - Phillip Winn
michael, gay? In the sense that two companies of the same sort are co-mingling, you mean? One's publicly-traded and the other's private, though. Isn't that hetero?
:-)
37 - Eric Olsen
calling things gay is so gay
38 - Phillip Winn
Earnestly responding to such comments as if one is oblivious to the slang vernacular -- also gay. I confess.
39 - emy
dude wtf?
myspace has a millions of users.
wtf is gonna happen to them?
there gonna be devastated.
i am COMPLETLEY ADDICTED to myspace.
and if it goes away that would really piss me off.
its help me get to know freinds,guys ive liked and everything.
theres no reason for this.
this is gay.
40 - adam cofield
ha! those emo kids have no place to go now, i admit, i too have a myspace but i really cant see why someone would spend 3 hours on it every day, some of those kids have thousands of "friends" on there, thousands...
why would someone do that and how could that not be a major thing in that persons life??
i think a lot of people are going to be crying their little emo eyes out because myspace is going mainstream and they wont be able to converse with theire 296275986729576 friends regularly without being bothers by ads for the OC and laguna beach
hahaha
41 - Natalie Davis
"Earnestly responding to such comments as if one is oblivious to the slang vernacular -- also gay."
Earnestly responding to such comments may come from the fact that many people find the vernacular offensive and upsetting. Hey, as long as one doesn't insult anyone other than the queers...
(Eric and Mr. Winn, I heart you.)
42 - Eric Olsen
likewise Nat
43 - Stone
>excellent job Stone, thanks, very important news
Thanks Eric. I see I've brought out the MySpace loyalists, too
44 - Vincent
so is tom rich?
45 - Leo
for he record, Rupert Murdoch is a fascist turd.
46 - Eric Olsen
"fascist turd" or "turd-like fascist"?
47 - Dave
Basically the government is running myspace. Corporations are backed by government officials. Doing research for draft contenders. Basically just be careful and be smart of what you say. Murdoch is a very smart man just to let all you folks know that are into myspace those banners you see on myspace are paying at least anywhere from 4G's a month to 100Gs a month each one of those banners. Also Myspace is the top 10 most visited site on the net. I dont think Mr Murdoch is dumb, I'd say he's smart and creative.
48 - steve
Are you all fcking retarded?I cannot believe you are so useless as to actually believe this is about anything more than money!
For you to be fearful is beyond pathetic! Even if by some bizarre "right-wing plot" myspace is turned on it's side, WHO CARES?!!?!?!?!?
Go outside and live! It's so sad to me that you're "TERRIFIED"!!! The big bad neo-cons are gonna get you!
As for privacy, Intermix (the first company that bought MySpace) was ordered to pay up in court because of unethical spying practices! Where were you morons on that transaction?)
You're precious elite liberal media will be just fine!!!!
Get a life! Get a clue!
49 - Temple Stark
Okay steve you pegged us. We are indeed all f*cking retarded. Join us in our success, I mean our retardation.
50 - Kid Hobo
For the record: I am the guy who created the Rupert Murdoch satire profile: http://www.myspace.com/murdoch_rupert
Problem is that after a week, MySpace pulled me from the site citing 'streaming pornography'. Total BS! I was censored. After a reporter from the LA Times called the company to inquire, they hurridly put my profile back up, but revoked my ability to post bulletins and or blogs on the site. IE, censorship.
51 - Ken
The fact that somebody can speak as if business decisions are not affected by politics in all aspects is ridiculous. FOX will come in and screw everything up for all myspacers, unless you wanna pay monthly! Enjoy it while it lasts!!!
52 - LamentsRapture
Corporate Buyouts happen all the time. We'll get used and/or get over it. If not, you leave and find something else...
53 - LamentsRapture
here
54 - Phillip Winn
True that, LR.
55 - Peace Stand
Im out~its simple~do I want to support one of the biggest supporters of the war~FOX~ hell no~ I shut down after recreating myspace~took off everything personal and for 2 days I posted of every truth about the evil corporation I could find and today I stand behind my principles~I SHUT DOWN~why everyone else is so SUCKED in that they cant back what they say...my friends all said oh Im against the war but oh I cant quit myspace, Im waiting for the grass roots version NO ADS NO FOX And btw TOM U SUX
56 - TAMRA SMITH
MYSPACE IS A REALLY COOL SITE WHERE PEOPLE CAN INTERACT WITH NEW PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD WIDE WEB. I THINK IT'S UNFAIR THAT THIS SITUATION HAS OCCURRED.I WANT TO STAY ON MYSPACE AND NOT HAVE TO PAY A $5.50 CHARGE TO KEEP MY ACCOUNT. THIS IS REALLY UNFAIR TO MYSPACE MEMBERS AND IT'S SO UNJUST THAT THIS WHOLE CATASTROPHE HAS OCCURRED!! I AM A MYSPACE USER AND I'M ADDITCTIED TO IT!!!!
57 - Costa
I think MYSPACE.COM was great. Now it is all corporate. People wake up! $580 million includes your email addresses, info and habits. I dont think Fox is paying for the site, but its users! Get ready to be used. It is all business since Intermix bought it a while ago. I tried contacting MySpace twice to do a music promotion advertising and I havent heard back from them. So much for loving the artist! I was gonna pay you know! Obviously something is wrong. Ill be working on a site that is ten times better than myspace that actually performs a function in the music industry and community. I loved MySpace.com for what it was. I am not selling out to major labels or the FOX networks. POWER to the CONSUMER and BUYER. Its a matter of time that the site will lose its appeal. Good time to sell Tom! Oooops I mean Intermix... I guess selling out twice is interesting! Hey, it IS a business after all! And I thought this was a cool, independantly-handled fun site... $580 million is overpriced UNLESS everyones email addresses, habits and info is part of the deal. What do you think? I think were not stupid. I could care less if thy charge a fee. Im more about the atmosphere and environment. It's just starting to look dull...
58 - peacestand
People just dont get it ~ but why would they, blind and brainwashed they go~lots of things are COOL but who is benefiting from it....will amerika ever wake up ....I DOUBT IT~ so go ahead rupert get all thier info so when the revolution comes they will know right where to get you, what you read, who you listen too, where you stand~blind little sheep led to the slaughter~
59 - mtaylor769
Looks like MySpace just "Jumped the Shark"....
60 - u r all losers
you guys are all f'n lame.
61 - illpablo
this is an actual message that i received from tom... isnt he a nice guy... he (or whoever emails for him) has sent me three unprovoked emails which contain nonsense... i finally threatened him with sending petitions and boycotts to advertisers if he didnt stop the harassing messages... then he stop. f- tom... myspace is on a downslide.
----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Tom
Date: Jul 27, 2005 1:43 AM
what i can't fathom is that a grown man would think we'd program our system to delete anti-fox sentiment.
i get that from 15 year olds who've watched too many michael moore movies, not adults.
your message was posted to gather attention and inflame people's anger about fox - not because you thought there was a bug. grow up.
62 - Nate
Quote
"I don't see this as a cause for worry. Fox markets their TV fare to a younger audience, and that ties in well with the purchase. Plus remember that Murdoch is first and foremost a businessman, and if MySpace makes money then he's not going to mess with it. His politics are largely irrelevant to how he runs his businesses. He's not a moralistic type at all - Fox News was conceived to fill a market need and filled it well and made money. It's less an expression of his politics than of his smart business sense."
Shut the fuck up you little fucking Murcock PR bitch!! I'd bitch slap you if I could see you.
Nate
63 - Cerulean
Ruin MySpace? How?
64 - OMAR
who gives a shit if they make us pay we just wait for another idiot like to to make one and sell it
65 - Daniel
What ticks me off about coverage of the Myspace/Intermix acquisition has been that the media seem to be allowing Tom (Myspace's guru) just skate by and make the most misleading statements. Furthermore, the press
The facts are this:
* News Corp didn't buy Myspace. They bought Intermix Media. Intermix Media just got caught by the NYS Attorney General's office for sneaking in spyware/adware through their products without consent. That is by their own admission.
* Myspace is already loaded with annoying advertisement up the wazoo. So much that when I was a Myspace user, I absolutely refused to log in from anything other than Firefox w/ Adblock installed.
* Even if Rupert Murdoch doesn't necessarily control what goes on your crappy Myspace blog, your presence on (indeed, the very act of viewing of) Myspace is now a source of revenue for him. I don't know about you, but that's fairly disturbing.
So the instant I heard News Corp. bought Intermix, I didn't put up a protest page. I didn't put up a parody profile. I put up a factually-based analysis of it in a bulletin, and told it like it is: all your profile is now is a source of money for a company that trades on bigoted, racist, right-wing news. And as such, I friggin' refuse to support it. I let it stay up for a week, and then kicked my Myspace profile to the curb.
66 - al
If you want a possible scenario re: what will happen to myspace, just check out the latest offerings from the major record labels, following merger upon merger upon merger. Funny that I just joined myspace, but don't know if I will populate my page with anything because of the new Fox association. Supporting those who support Bush or his pocket-lining in any way is not on my to do list. And being a member will allow Murdoch's Corp. to keep saying "14 million new members" and in turn draw their advertising dollars.
Here's a radical idea: all myspace members should mass-exodus from myspace right now, instead of acting like "wait and see" sheep. Then "they" will start paying attention, because we'll have hit "them" in their advertising dollar-filled wallet. That'll get some notice! People in the US are just so bloody willing to go along to get along. And they'll buy anything if it's a copy (and vote for it too--yeehaawww). If you read the list of things about "what makes America great", those two things are not on it.
People simply have to stop being lazy and thinking that things will not change. If you don't like the change, then vote with your feet and your money, and take your friends with you. It might just be the right time to find, or make, the next new innovative little thing. There's always going to be one so go and invent it or find it.
67 - Sito
It seems to me that myspace members should be informed and from there will either decide to act like "wait and see" sheep , or leave myspace before it becomes every little unique underground/corporate bought out company filled to the brim with ads and spyware/adware. Personally , i never liked myspace . It so annoying , when i hear people ask " OMG DID U SEE MY NEW MYSPACE LAYOUT?! or I PUT A NEW VIDEO UP! " Its cool that u can find old friends and meet new ones , but some people spend so much time doing something thats really un-social thats supposed to benefit their social life? wtf. If u want , make a geocities website , or xanga at least. myspace just screams immature , pokemon/yu-gi-oh trend , for those of u who know what i mean. Get over it , i know alot of u had to look through the music and video and layout codes site to make ur myspace look cute or pretty or slutty or anime or gothy or emo or hardcore. Get over it and talk to people in real life , thats how u make real friends.
In the meantime , start disembling the personal info on ur myspace before its too late , like habits or secret info u think u or ur friends only know. Your about to come under the looking glass , and Rupert Murdoch and Fox (and maybe the goverment) are the one holding it.
68 - jessica
omg if myspace is sold i know alot of people that r leving WELL OVER A 200,000 SO tom cant sell hes good at keepin the site like it is!
69 - Phillip Winn
What is with these people talking about "if"?
Guys, myspace.com is under new ownership. It's done. There is no "IF" about it.
70 - -E
I never got addicted to MySpace. I just had a bunch of random bands try to add me to their friends list or invite me to their groups. All I really ever did was play the games in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep.
As for finding long lost friends? I've had more luck with that on TheFacebook. But again, none of those sites do I think I could spend 30 minutes on, let alone three hours.
Power to those who love it. Power to those making money off of it. Who really cares?
71 - nik
well, myspace has decided to block all connections from BT Broadband in the UK over the past few days. see http://forums.techguy.org/t375745.html for details.
this is not a good start for the new ownership, they've already alienated tens of thousands of people by default. it can only get worse - you just watch.
72 - illuminata
I find it interesting that no one has mentioned the simple issue of media conglomeration. For the record, I cancelled my myspace account the day the purchase was announced. I'm not particularly concerned with the consequences of the buy-out; although it's reasonable to assume that your privacy may be compromised or that there will be "premium service" charges. Murdoch didn't pay over half a billion dollars for nothing. However, my issue with all of this is the fact that one entity owns a massive portion of radio, television, publishing, film, and (now) Internet media. Does anyone have a problem with this?
73 - gonzo marx
problem with media conglomerate mergers...
in a word...
fuck yes
ok, that's two words...
note, the collapse of "equal time" for political speech via the public airwaves in the 80's
the mergers and aquisitions after "deregulations" to stop just such occurences in the 90's
and some folks wonder why we get such dreck in the 21st century?
see reap and sow
nuff said?
Excelsior!
74 - rolo
i am way addicted to myspace. its like my cell phone, i loose it, i loose connection with the world. i check it multipul times daily and find so many people on it. i even take pictures of fun things i do just to put them on myspace. its tight
75 - Richard
myspace is done. buzznex.com will be the next big thing, just wait and see. these kinds of sites are jere to stay and buzznex is going to blow myspace away because it can do so much more.