The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

MySpace and music mania

All over campus students are franticly searching for a computer to check their space online at MySpace.com.

“It’s a positive way to keep in touch with people and it’s a positive way to interact,” said Associated Student President Eric Borlaug.

Currently, however, it is changing into new shapes and colors that no one could have predicted.

This site has become a breeding ground for small independent bands that have yet to be discovered.

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MySpace is a Web site that was created as a tool for people to meet from all over the world and it is becoming a popular site for bands to promote their work at no cost.

“Our band doesn’t need to use any other Web site because MySpace works so well,” said student Patrick Krah, who is the manager of hip-hop group, Enfamus.

The people who might stumble across these up-and-coming bands are growing exponentially, with four million new MySpace users every month according to NBC.

Krah, who has spent two years at City College, explained that he promotes his band by messaging friends and telling fans at shows to check out their site on MySpace.

The selection of music MySpace is endless. Not only do mainstream bands participate to generate new fans, but they are also transforming and offering more kinds of music.

These growing artists can also spread their name by networking and adding friends.

“A lot of bands request me and if they do, then I download them,” student Airica Prange said. “I think it’s good for bands to get their name out there.”

Krah agrees, “We have around a thousand friends just from spreading the word about our group.”

But are these bands giving music lovers an opportunity for the latest and greatest or are they just becoming an annoyance?

“I did search for bands on MySpace but then I got overwhelmed by requests from bands and a lot of it was really bad,” said film major Matt Simpson.

The exposure to awful bands has left some users swearing off MySpace music forever. But with a user average of 43 million users, according to NBC news, some of these bands still have a chance to grow a fan base.

Krah said that he receives at least 15 percent of his show bookings for Enfamus on MySpace alone.

MySpace users search the music site even if it is only to put a song on their own page for people to listen to while viewing their profile. “I don’t really look for them, but if I go on people’s pages and if I like the band then I’ll download them,” Prange said.

The selection of people who are interested in finding music on MySpace seems to be dwindling, but with such a large mass of people on this Web site bands are profiting regardless.

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