Being a MySpace Musician

It’s hard to take this article very seriously. It’s about an unsigned MySpace music artist named Tila Tequila (can you tell that’s not her real name?).

I mention it because I hark back to my previous post on MySpace. This “recording artist” has 1.7 million friends, and yet her single on iTunes:

Sold 14,000 99-cent downloads in its first week -- a figure that doesn't even equal 1 percent of Tequila's MySpace friends.

Another reason why I don’t think MySpace will last for a long time unless it comes up with something new is that not much of its content is genuine. And when it is genuine, it’s mostly just gossip that does nothing for anyone. Simply put, MySpace lacks an ability to be serious overall, and the brand will require some invigoration in the future if wants to remain viable.

As for Tequila’s music career:

There are other hurdles, too, says Craig Marks, editor of Blender magazine. "Her problem is that she's just not that good. As a test case, I'm not sure she's going to measure up because I don't think she has the skill."

Strictly speaking economically, for Tila Tequila, this venture of hers has had a huge payoff. She’s signed with a prominent publicist, represented by United Artist Talent Agency, and an artist management firm. And obviously if I’m even mentioning her, then the buzz being generated for her must be working. I will disclose this though: I have yet to go to her MySpace page, or even hear a snippet of her song on iTunes.

In the end, my favorite quote from the Washington Post article was in regards as to how staff writer J. Freedom du Lac described Tequila’s single:

An abrasive, expletive-laced rap-rock revenge fantasy

Only on MySpace…