Can Myspace come back from the dead?
Ok, young whipper snappers, let grand-dad tell you a story: Once there was a social networking website called Myspace. Everybody used it. It was the original Internet time suck. It had parents worried and kids listening to Rock and Roll at all hours of the night — way back in 2003. Then it died a slow and painful death.
But guess what? It’s back. The brand just relaunched with a fancy party and a promise to return to its roots. And Justin Timberlake, who co-owns the social network with digital ad company Specific Media, wants it to be cool again. To do that, Myspace is getting the help of musicians, such as the electronic artist Kenna.
“I was on Myspace right at the beginning, at that time it was much more about friends finding eachother,” Kenna says. “But pretty quickly when they started to allow you to upload music, thats when I started to see a real transition.”
Even with a star-studded relaunch, coming back from the dead isn’t something many tech companies have been able to accomplish. But, Myspace’s vice president of marketing, Christian Parkes, says time is on the company’s side.
“It’s people like us, of our generation, that are actually raising eyebrows,” Parkes says. “People who are 15-, 16-years-old, Myspace never existed for them, so they are looking at it with completely fresh eyes.”
To hear more about Myspace’s relaunch, click on the audio player above.
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