Myspace has lost a significant chunk of its archive.
Last year, Reddit users noticed that tracks could no longer be streamed via Myspace’s music player. Now, it’s been confirmed that the site’s archive, dating from 2003 to 2015, has been lost. As noted by tech expert Andy Biao, the archive contained “over 50 million songs from 14 million artists”.
A statement from Myspace reads: “As a result of a server migration project, any photos, videos, and audio files you uploaded more than three years ago may no longer be available on or from Myspace. We apologise for the inconvenience and suggest that you retain your back up copies.”
“If you would like more information, please contact our Data Protection Officer, Dr. Jana Jentzsch at DPO@myspace.com.”
An email circulating online from Myspace’s Data Privacy Officer confirms that “there is no way to recover the lost data.”
https://t.co/m4itH5Hx1u Just in case you’re wondering how it’s going. pic.twitter.com/3O5l551F7e
— Jason Scott (@textfiles) March 17, 2019
Myspace was the most popular social media platform in the 2000s, and in 2006 Jupiter Research published a report stating that the site generated the most community-related musical activity online – more so than any other platform. Artists and labels, including former Crack Magazine cover star M.I.A., had uploaded their music and connected with fans through the site. Read some of the responses to the news below.
Holy shit Myspace has lost every piece of music uploaded to their site between 2003 and 2015. An entire archive just… gone, forever. https://t.co/CT9hBiYrEL
— Ed Gillett (@ehgillett) March 17, 2019
Was just talkin bout this a few days ago.
They had demos. First songs. They had communications. Connections between artists. An important archive of youth culture. And completely fucked it. https://t.co/BZqyTHHBzO
— LUCKYME® (@LuckyMe) March 17, 2019
Remember the Autechre page that flipped the html so that the player jumped out of the way when you tried to move your cursor over it?
Or the Jae Electronica page that was just a white screen with a download of the first 17 minute eternal sunshine tape?
— LUCKYME® (@LuckyMe) March 17, 2019
