#topic: myspace

[tayfabe75]

"We were like, even more kind of artsy than we are now like, when we were like sixteen, seventeen there were no pictures of our faces, there was no… this and that and that, it was just a Myspace page with music on it. And, for some reason or another, some girl who followed another band or something had met our manager and told him about our Myspace page and he checked it out. And it was rubbish, so he thought, well that's rubbish. He then sent us an email asking us if we had any new material and we'd actually just come out of the studio and we'd recorded Robbers. We sent it to him. I'm what, eighteen? And then this guy, this grown-up, started ringing me all the time saying 'Can I come and meet you? Can I come and meet you?' and I was thinking, like, yeah if you want… but I've got, I don't know, I've got like, school and… you know? It was all… it didn't seem very realistic. And then Jamie turned up in his BMW and his barber jacket and he was like, 'I want to manage you' and we didn't know what that meant. We were like, what do you mean? And then I think the first… he said 'I want to be your manager' and my first question, I thought I was being savvy, I said, 'How much does it cost?' He said, 'It doesn't quite work like that, mate, but I think you guys could be one of the biggest bands in the world'. And I mean, he said that to us. And this… remember, this was a grown-up, we'd been through no processes of qualification. We'd been validated by no one apart from my dad. So, to have somebody who obviously had more than thirty quid telling us that we were going to be a massive band… We believed him."

April 28, 2014: Matty describes how his manager found the band on Myspace. (source 1, 2)

[tayfabe75]

Hi :-) I'm 18-- and a half. I'm the girl who is best friends with a guitar and writes songs about everything and everyone that happens to me. Names included. ;-) Class of 2008. In my spare time, I like to conduct random baking experiments in my kitchen and write letters to people. I really love people who like my music. They're number 1 on my favorite things list. I'm not a big deal. At all. I love people who are nice to me, I've never been one to say things like "All you people think you know me, well you don't". Because I'm not that complicated. My complications come out in my songs. All you need to do to be my friend is like me. My middle name is Alison. And I'm extremely tall. Like, I'm that really tall person that is blocking your view at a concert. On behalf of all of us, we're sorry. My ideal outfit is a sun dress and cowboy boots. I love surprises and hardwood floors. I like people who are excitable. I think it's endearing when people cry when they're happy. I'm pretty excitable too. I've never been the kind of girl who needs a boyfriend. Plus, guys don't ask me out because they know I'll write songs about them. But I'm also the girl who still believes prince charming exists somewhere out there-- fully equipped with great hair and an immature sense of humor. I wear too many bracelets and I can't concentrate on the conversation if the TV's on. I grew up on a Christmas tree farm. Seriously. I'm fascinated by black and white pictures, I have them hung up everywhere. I like people who can be sarcastic and laugh about tense situations. I never assume someone's not being honest with me. I like to read up on weird medical problems, so if one of my friends ever complains of a headache or stomach ache, I'm probably going to spout off 12 different things that could be wrong with them. Because I'm way paranoid. I think Keri Russell and Ellen DeGeneres are the coolest celebrities ever. I don't like making decisions when I don't have to. So right now my toenails are painted 5 different colors. I will never straighten my hair to impress a guy ever again. There's never going to be a time when I'm annoyed by compliments about my music. I need everything to be organized. All the time. I think little kids are awesome. I'm a thinker and an over-analyzer. I'm not jaded. I'm a fan of fans. You are absolutely wonderful to me. I've got your back, just like you've had mine. To anyone who has gone out and bought my CD, or come to a show, or even turned my song up when it came on the radio, all I can say is thank you. Oh yeah.. My name's Taylor.

July 26, 2008: Snapshot of Taylor Swift's archived Myspace profile, highlighting what she looks for in a partner. (source 1, 2)

[tayfabe75]

And it all comes down to this. Hey guys! I should be sleeping, because I have to get up in a few hours to go to Good Morning America tomorrow– but I can't. I can't stop thinking about the fact that in less than 24 HOURS, the new album is going to be out. It's crazy to think about, because this is literally everything I've thought about for the past two years. I've been wanting you to hear these new songs since the very moment of their creation. Every single song has a face attached. They're all about people. Some even mention names. But most importantly, these songs tell my stories. These songs tell the story of my freshmen year of high school, and the day I met Abigail. They tell the story of the guy who apologized over and over again without ever meaning it. The story about saying goodbye to someone when you don't want to, because you can't breathe without them. The story of the boy who never realized he was with the wrong girl, and that the right one was right there in front of him. The story of my childhood, and the moment I realized my mom was the best friend I'll ever have. The memories of running and laughing and having the best days with her. These songs tell stories about fairytale romances, and how sometimes they don't work out the way you dream about when you're a little girl. Because when we're young, we dream about Romeo and Prince Charming– and we hope he'll ride up on a white horse and rescue us. But sometimes the white horse shows up too late, after the prince has already let you down and left your dreams out in the rain. I never read a fairy tale with that ending. I guess that's the hard part about living in reality. One song tells the story of the underdogs who spent every day dreaming about the day they'd see things change, and the story of the night things finally…. did. And they sang hallelujah. There's the story of the first date that's so magical, you want to dance around the parking lot in the rain. In your best dress. There's the tragic story of the boy who walked away–because he found some other girl to promise forever to. Then there's the love story about how it can all actually work out perfectly and wonderfully. And how love really CAN be everything we dream about. About how someday, we all just might find the one that will kneel to the ground and pull out a ring and say "Marry me, Juliet. You never have to be alone. I love you and that's all I really know." And maybe that's wishful thinking. But maybe… that's just being fearless. ;) Midnight tonight. Be there. lovelovelove -T- PS: I heard a great place to buy the first copy is the Wal Mart in Hendersonville, TN. It's so great, I might just go there myself and pick one up.

November 10, 2008: Taylor posts to Myspace on the eve of the Fearless album release. (source)

[tayfabe75]

December 23, 2008: Snapshot of Drive Like I Do's archived Myspace page. (source)

[tayfabe75]

July 4, 2008: Snapshot of Taylor Swift's archived Myspace page. (source)

[tayfabe75]

"Not being invited to the parties and sleepovers in my hometown made me feel hopelessly lonely, but because I felt alone, I would sit in my room and write the songs that would get me a ticket somewhere else. Having label executives in Nashville tell me that only 35-year-old housewives listen to country music and there was no place for a 13-year-old on their roster made me cry in the car on the way home. But then I'd post my songs on my Myspace and yes, Myspace, and would message with other teenagers like me who loved country music, but just didn't have anyone singing from their perspective. Having journalists write in-depth, oftentimes critical, pieces about who they perceive me to be made me feel like I was living in some weird simulation, but it also made me look inward to learn about who I actually am. Having the world treat my love life like a spectator sport in which I lose every single game was not a great way to date in my teens and twenties, but it taught me to protect my private life fiercely. Being publicly humiliated over and over again at a young age was excruciatingly painful but it forced me to devalue the ridiculous notion of minute by minute, ever fluctuating social relevance and likability. Getting canceled on the internet and nearly losing my career gave me an excellent knowledge of all the types of wine."

May 18, 2022: During her commencement speech for NYU, Taylor mentions finding solace in other teenage country fans on Myspace when she was just starting out, and shares how those spectating her love life taught her to guard her private life fiercely. (source 1, 2)

[tayfabe75]

June 26, 2008: Taylor explains how she found success on Myspace through authenticity. (source)

[tayfabe75]

"I had the ability outside of Myspace, which we did put our music on and stuff like that, if we had the ability to like put stuff on Spotify and hope that it catches an algorithm or something like that, we… the 17-year-old me would have done that."

November 2022: Matty mentions having put his old music on Myspace when he was seventeen. (published August 2023: source)