Melbourne band, All India Radio, was recently on tour in the US as a result of the connections they made with US band, Signal Hill. Their news section after the tour read:
“Thanks to everyone who helped with our US tour, all the bands we played with, the fans and myspace friends who came along and all the people we met along the way...it would not have happened without you!” [17]Through grassroots MySpace networking, bands such as this have established connections which have allowed them to travel overseas to perform to enthusiastic albeit modestly sized audiences, all of whom familiarised themselves through MySpace. Previously unpopular music that had only limited appeal within small localised circles are now given an outlet to expand their popularity, and the example I will analyse here is the vernal but emerging scene of the post-rock genre. MySpace has helped strengthen and popularise this genre that would not have been able to otherwise expand at this rate in any other way, “harness[ing] the connectivity and distribution potential of the Internet to support their live appearance and promote their music to people all around the world who may never be able to see them live.” [18]
Inaccessibility and lack of commercial appeal were the original barriers that kept post-rock from breaking into the mainstream, but the networking aspect of MySpace has allowed for the tightening of this previously scattered community; “a move to communities of interest and action rather than an individual personalized customer market focus.” [19] Geographical distance and an inability to share music and shape one another aesthetically is a barrier that met dissolution after the emergence of MySpace. Sumpton says that “the benefits of a musician having direct contact with their audience extend further than sales” [20], and Pfahl adds that “the alignment of interests will enhance this relationship far beyond today’s industry-imposed barriers.” [21] The development of the relationships within this community and ultimately the genre as a whole prove how the possibilities of MySpace can surpass the interests of the individuals.
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17. News, All India Radio, 2007
18. Pfahl, 2001
19. Henshall, 2000
20. Sumpton, 2001:14
21. Pfahl, 2001
