[brandong]

I've oft wondered why MySpace doesn't attempt to become the standard for bands- so much so that they don't need standalone websites for their group. If they could offer all of the functionality and backend that bands set up on their actual websites they may be able to parlay their last stronghold into something with great value that also hasn't been done to great extent elsewhere.

Drop the social network- focus on the millions of myspace bands.

(Also, Snowgoons on HN? My worlds just collided...)

[ctkrohn]

I think Myspace actually HAS become the standard for such bands, at least for the music that I listen to (metal/punk/hardcore/indie/experimental). You can look up pretty much any band by Googling "band name myspace". You'll get the tour schedule, blog, link to the record label, etc. Often the Myspace pages are designed by the label itself, incorporating the artwork from their latest album. Here's a pretty good example:

http://www.myspace.com/kylesa

Myspace took over from mp3.com after it shut down in late 2003. There was some early competition (at least in underground rock) from purevolume.com, but Myspace's social features won the day. Myspace is still the standard for bands and will likely remain so for a long time -- but "social network for teens and twentysomethings who are into music" is a far cry from "social network for the entire world."