Myspace, Myspace, Myspace... What is Myspace and Why is it so Popular?

We see it on TV everyday. On CNN, NBC, every news channel, even on Martha Stewarts show -yes, she is on Myspace also. Hundreds of thousands of bands from Kid Rock and Uncle Cracker to 50 Cent, Jessica Simpson, etc... all have their own Myspace pages. Myspace has grown in the past 2-3 years to over 66 million users and is growing at a rate of 2-10K per hour and several million per month. There are now more people on Myspace then there are searches per day on Google - the largest internet search engine. Comedian Dane Cook has over 900,000 friends on Myspace now and it helped promote him from nothing to on Saturday Night Live and a nationwide tour under his name with many top comedians. Myspace doesn't charge a penny and doesn't bombard you with ads like other free services in the paste (Kazaa, ICQ, etc...). You can advertise for free, start a blog, start a romance, build friends, network, etc... With over 65 million users the possibilities are endless. Its also very easy to use - It doesn't take a manual or a learning timeframe like AOL in the past. This free service has attracted bands in droves. There are over 100,000 bands, artists and similar on Myspace with pages showing tour schedules, factoids, etc... Many of these bands are using Myspace for free publicity and to grow their fanbase and popularity. They can release videos, excerpts, free songs, etc... It all works - just look at some of the bands and their numbers of page views and friends - Jessica Simpson has over 200,000 friends - that is over 200,000 people that get free updates and info from Jessica. Relatively unknown websites and artists can now get free publicity and get heard. To test this we started a Myspace page 1 week ago and today have over 1,000 page views and over 700 friends. We receive over 70 bulletins per day with announcements on everything from band tour dates to concerts, special invites, offer for a date, business websites, etc... The majority of users are teens and young (under 38) adults. It seems this age group has grown tired of VH1 and MTV reality shows and the lack of music and information that is tailored to their desires. This is what Myspace provides. You control who is in your network and what information, music videos, news, etc... you receive and subscribe to. Myspace is the next AOL, and the sky is the limit. It is rumored that a lot of programming will soon be live off websites like Myspace. Maybe Myspace will become like XM radio - no or little commercials, choose your own programming 24 hours a day. No need to pay for cable TV, or movies. You will just pay a flat monthly fee. What ever Myspace's future holds, it is sure to change TV, radio, and our world or our space for ever. It certainly had a profound effect on Dane Cook and his future is looking brighter and brighter. Myspace has left its mark and is here to stay.