‘MySpace bands’ and ‘tagging wars’: Conflicts of genre, work ethic and media platforms in an extreme music scene

Abstract

In this paper I interpret the transformations that took place in an extreme metal scene due to online fan interactions during the first wave of music–related online social media between 2004 and 2008. I show how the online success of a band on MySpace led to the devaluation of a whole genre, and also to the decreased reputation of MySpace as a medium among fans, coining the term ‘MySpace band.’ I describe how this judgment was strongly interrelated with the common conviction among fans that the activity of a band on a social platform should not be considered as ‘work’ as opposed to ‘working hard’, playing shows and touring ‘in real life’. In another case study I examine how the use of the tagging function on Last.fm lead to conflicts regarding the categorization of the genre and ignited vivid debates in the scene. The boundaries of the scene became uncontrollable in the open online social sphere, with newcomers transforming the representation of the scene in real time. Through those case studies, on the one hand, my aim is to show the interrelation of culture and technology: how value judgments on social boundaries, genres and work ethics are closely bound up with the uses and interpretations of media platforms. On the other hand, as subcultural and post–subcultural explanation schemes too could be applied to those scenic practices, I suggest that instead of concentrating on the presumed structural nature of scenes, focusing on the discursive constructions of genre may offer a fruitful avenue for understanding collectivities of musical taste.

Popular Music, Technology, and the Changing Media Ecosystem

“…An inspiring example is the adoption of the devaluing label of "MySpace band," which implies both a judgment about music aesthetic and the recognition of a platform's logic related to the circulation of fame and visibility online. The adoption of MySpace as an early music-based social network "brought about radical changes in band communication and music distribution in the scene -but the changes themselves, the actual meanings and uses of the media platform were shaped by the scene's own cultural tradition and by the conflicting value judgments" (Tofalvy 2014). In other words, what we can appreciate in this example is exactly the co-constitutive dynamics involving music platforms and scenes' values and aesthetics judgments.…”

“…Similarly, on MySpace, everyone was allowed to create an account, upload their music, or get acquainted with other users. In this online environment, niche cultures unexpectedly became exposed to mass publicity, which initiated conflicts and vigorous debates among those who deemed themselves authentic members of a given niche culture, and the commenters or users reckoned by them as intruders (Tofalvy 2014).…”

Genre work: ‘How’ vs ‘what’ questions in the sociology of music culture

“…Charles (2018) develops a multimodal form of analysis, utilising musical, interactional and observational data, to conceptualise the genre of grime. Coates (2003), Whelan (2008), Tófalvy (2014) and Jóri (2021) all look specifically at the interactional practices of online communities devoted to music, across a range of platforms. Of course, none of these examples describes itself as genre work, and they draw on a disparate range of methodological resources.…”

The People Behind the Press: Building Social Capital in Networked News Models

“…The website grew as an interest-driven community based around music and entertainment, which de-emphasised the value of interpersonal connections (Tofalvy, 2014).…”

“…(Tofalvy, 2014). This, combined with a heavy focus on commercialisation efforts through ad placements (Sullivan, 2006), contrasted starkly with Facebook's focus on delivering features that improve the social networking experience (Valenzuela et al, 2009)…”