Dec 19th, 2008 · From Flickr to Facebook, Twitter to MySpace, social media sites help people follow the news and, in some cases, become part of the story. Tim O'Reilly, founder and CEO of O'Reilly Media, looks back at the role of social media in 2008 and gives predictions for the future.
Dec 16th, 2008 · The conservative Islamic kingdom of Saudi Arabia is hardly a place to hear about up-and-coming rock bands, let alone an all-female one. The AccoLade has gained an international following via Facebook and MySpace. The band talks about attracting attention from religious clerics, as well as the way creating a somewhat anonymous identity online lets the band thrive in a strict society.
Dec 7th, 2008 · Last spring on its MySpace page, the Brooklyn experimental rock band Parts & Labor asked fans to send sound samples to put on the group's new album. Parts & Labor used every single one, often blurring the line between instruments and samples.
Dec 4th, 2008 · A Missouri mother who used a fake MySpace account to torment a teenage girl has been found guilty of three misdemeanor charges nearly two years after the teen committed suicide. What implications does the verdict have for social networking sites?
Nov 28th, 2008 · This is another of those cautionary tales about putting too much information on the Web. Somebody in suburban Philadelphia spray-painted graffiti in dozens of places. Some of the tags used the words, "Devient Art." Deviant was spelled incorrectly. This soon led police directly to a suspect named Melanie Brockway. Police discovered that the artist had a MySpace screen name spelled the same way.
Nov 25th, 2008 · Southern California-based Faded Paper Figures wears its inspirations on its sleeve. On its MySpace page, bands such as The Postal Service and Stars are listed as major influences a fact that's easy to hear on the electro-pop trio's debut, Dynamo. It features intriguing lyrics, the occasional duet, and plenty of drum machines and programmed keyboards.
Oct 28th, 2008 · On its MySpace page, Small Sur facetiously claims its style of music falls into the reggaeton genre. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth, as this Baltimore-based group instead creates strikingly peaceful folk that feels as if it has sprung from the Pacific coasts of California rather than the East Coast.
Oct 24th, 2008 · On his third and latest album, iii, Canadian musician Michael Milosh serves up a collection of seductive, down-tempo electronica, inspired by his year living and recording on Thailand's tropical Koh Samui island. A classically trained cellist since the age of 3, Milosh writes on his MySpace page that he's "always had an intense attraction to songs that are sad, soft and beautiful" and that in his music, he attempts to "ride that thin line of mixing technology with some heart." On iii, he's succeeded in doing just that.