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Happy 21st Bday, Myspace

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Cheers to MySpace, which turns 21 today. MySpace was the OG platform that let ‘A place for friends’ to connect online back in the day

It was a peak era post-high school. When social media was just starting to find its footing. It wasn’t just about friending your BFFs; MySpace was a game-changer for musicians. It encouraged artists to share their tunes with the world. Think of it as the Spotify of the early 2000s, but music discovery was between friends.

MySpace was the launchpad for some major music careers. Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, Katy Perry, and The Killers were the new kids on the block? Yep, they got their start on MySpace. It was basically the TikTok FYP page for discovering new music. At the time, radio stations gated by record labels and TRL (aka Total Request Live) were the best ways to find new music your peers were listening to.

But let’s not forget the real MVP – Tom Anderson. He was literally everyone’s first friend on MySpace. Tom seems to have vanished from the public eye. These days, you can find him traveling the world like James Bond, snapping photos. But for the users who still want a place for friends.

 

MySpace 2.0? Enter NoPlace

What’s old is new again, and the features of MySpace are still working. NoPlace, the new social media app that’s giving us major MySpace vibes. It’s got the customizable profiles, the colorful layouts – all the makings of a Millennial’s dream site. But this time around, it’s Gen Z who’s running the show. No HTML required for creating glittery pages.

NoPlace is like the love child of MySpace, Facebook, with features that’ll make old-school social media enthusiasts feel nostalgic.

Stand By Me

The legacy of MySpace isn’t just influencing new social media platforms; it’s also making waves in the world of film. “DiDi,” a semi-autobiographical flick that dives into the wild world of early 2000s digital culture. Sean Wang set out to make a ‘Stand by Me’ for the infancy of the digital era. The plot thickens when a character gets axed from another’s top eight friends.

Speaking of friends. The MySpace crew have built internet empires after the acquisition.

The Myspace Mafia is thriving are thriving as geek icons. 

  •  Adam Bain: Ran the MySpace ad platform while at Fox Interactive Media. Now, he’s head of sales at Twitter.
  • Jeff Berman: Former president of sales and marketing. Now, he’s GM of the NFL’s digital media unit.
  • Jason Hirschhorn: Former co-president and chief product officer. Now, he’s on the MGM board, an angel investor, and rumored to be working on a curation start-up.
    Amit Kapur: Former COO. Now, he’s CEO of Gravity, an information filtering service start-up.
  • Chris DeWolfe: Co-founder and former CEO. Now, he’s CEO of MindJolt, an online gaming roll-up.
    Ross Levinsohn: Former president of FIM, integral to buying MySpace. Now, he’s EVP of the Americas unit at Yahoo.
  • Mike Lang: Former News Corp. strategy exec involved in the MySpace purchase. Now, he’s CEO of Miramax.
  • Aber Whitcomb: Former CTO. Now, he’s CTO at MindJolt.
  • Jim Heckman: Former chief strategy officer of FIM. Now, he’s CEO of 5to1, recently sold to Yahoo for $25 million.
  • Dani Dudeck: Former communications head. Now, she’s PR head at Zynga.
  • Travis Katz: Former SVP of international. Now, he’s CEO of Gogobot, a social travel start-up.
  • Richard Rosenblatt: Former CEO of Intermix Media and Chairman of MySpace.