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Has MySpace jumped the shark?

MySpace has screwed with the best thing it had going for it. 

I think the best aspect of MySpace is its close connection to music. Every artist has a MySpace page where you can listen to songs, become a "friend" and get updates if they are so inclined. It has become a great replacement for the so-old-school "add me to the mailing list" option.

But now -- MySpace offers a karaoke program where any 15-minutes-of-fame chaser can record their version and publish it for the world. A desperate bid to keep Internet eyeballs on their site, yes? A classic jump the shark move.

The list of the popular karaoke songs reveal the primary user so far is female, angsty, and wants to be seen as sexy. Top songs include:

  • Don't Know Why (Norah Jones)
  • Angel (Sarah McLachlan)
  • Hurt (the Johnny Cash version)
  • Don't Cha (Pussycat Dolls)
  • Yesterday (Beatles)

OUCH! My "friends" on MySpace (mainly music- or art-related peeps) aren't in this demographic so I'm not likely to hit a landmine of karaoke. Thank God.

And you? Be careful out there. It's getting scary.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008
by Jeanine Anderson

Topics mentioned:

1   imaginary dana said on May 7, 2008

Based on the headline alone -- YES.

And based on the new karaoke feature... and I say this as a HUGE karaoke fan -- GROAN. Isn't the drunken noisy bar a mandatory feature of making karaoke fun?

Terrible idea, IMHO. But then, this coming from a site where one of our "Friend Updates" last night read, "I'm making a pancake bikini and then eating it!" So yah know, how much lower can things get?

2   Erik Gonzalez said on May 7, 2008

Um, myspace jumped the shark since the moment it was born.

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