History of Myspace in Timeline
Myspace, launched in 2003, was a pioneering social networking service that achieved global reach and shaped technology, pop culture, and music. It played a crucial role in the rise of platforms like YouTube and fostered the development of companies such as Zynga, RockYou, and Photobucket. Myspace held the position of the world's largest social networking site from 2005 to 2009.
2002: MySpace.com Domain Originally for Data Storage
Initially, the domain MySpace.com was owned by YourZ.com, Inc., and was intended for online data storage and sharing until 2002.
June 2003: Jeffrey Edell Joins Intermix Media
Just before the launch of Myspace, Jeffrey Edell assumed the role of chairman at Intermix Media, the parent company, in June 2003.
August 1, 2003: Myspace Launch
Myspace, originally stylized as MySpace, was launched on August 1, 2003. It was the first social network to achieve global reach.
August 2003: Inspiration from Friendster
In August 2003, eUniverse employees, inspired by Friendster, saw an opportunity to create a social networking site and swiftly developed the first version of Myspace using ColdFusion.
2003: MySpace.com Transition to Social Networking
By late 2003, MySpace.com transitioned from a data storage service to a social networking platform.
2003: Use of Windows Server 2003
Since 2003, Myspace's server infrastructure included the use of Windows Server 2003 for its web, cache, and database servers.
February 2005: Myspace Declines Facebook Acquisition
In February 2005, Myspace considered acquiring Facebook but ultimately rejected Mark Zuckerberg's offer to sell for $75 million.
July 2005: News Corporation Acquires Myspace
In July 2005, News Corporation purchased Myspace for $580 million, marking a turning point for the platform.
2005: Myspace Dominates Social Media
From 2005 to 2009, Myspace rose to prominence as the world's largest social networking site.
2005: Use of SQL Server 2005
In 2005, Myspace's server infrastructure included the use of SQL Server 2005 for its database servers.
2005: News Corp. Acquires Myspace
In 2005, News Corporation purchased Myspace for $580 million, a decision later called a "huge mistake" by Rupert Murdoch.
2005: Launch of MySpace Records
In 2005, shortly after being sold to News Corporation, Myspace launched MySpace Records, aiming to discover unknown talent on Myspace Music, a platform for artists to upload their music.
2005: Myspace Bans Embedded YouTube Videos
In late 2005, Myspace banned embedded YouTube videos from user profiles, which was widely protested and led to the ban being lifted shortly after.
January 2006: Myspace Goes International
Fox revealed plans to introduce a UK version of Myspace in January 2006. Myspace expanded globally, launching localized versions in 11 countries across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
January 2006: Myspace's Rapid Growth
Mypace's user base expanded quickly, with 200,000 new users signing up each day by January 2006.
June 2006: Myspace Becomes Most Visited US Website
Myspace surpassed Yahoo! and Google in June 2006 to become the most frequented website in the United States.
August 8, 2006: Google Deal for Search and Advertising
On August 8, 2006, Myspace signed a $900 million deal with Google to provide a search facility and advertising on the platform.
August 9, 2006: Myspace Hits 100 Million Users and Partners with Google
Myspace achieved a milestone on August 9, 2006, with the creation of its 100 millionth account, originating in the Netherlands. The same month, Myspace secured a significant advertising agreement with Google, valued at $900 million over three years.
August 2006: Myspace Begins Offering Classified Ads
In August 2006, Myspace began offering classified ads, a service that grew by 33% over the following year.
October 2006: Myspace Revenue Soars
By October 2006, Myspace's revenue had grown substantially to $30 million per month, with half generated from its Google partnership and the other half from its internal sales team's display advertising efforts.
November 2006: Myspace Expands to Japan
Myspace announced a joint venture with Softbank in November 2006 to launch the social networking site in Japan.
2006: Investigation into Children's Exposure to Pornography on Myspace
In 2006, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal launched an investigation into children's exposure to pornography on Myspace. This led to a media frenzy and damaged the site’s reputation.
2006: Launch of Regional Versions
Since early 2006, Myspace offered regional versions of its service, presenting localized content, languages, and accommodating regional differences in spelling and conventions.
2006: Period Between 2006 and 2007
The period between 2006 and 2007 saw various developments and changes on Myspace, though no specific events are detailed.
May 16, 2007: Partnership with News Publications
On May 16, 2007, Myspace partnered with National Geographic, the New York Times, and Reuters to provide professional visual content on its social-networking site.
June 27, 2007: Launch of MySpaceTV
On June 27, 2007, Myspace launched MySpaceTV, expanding its platform to include video content.
July 2007: Myspace Dominates Europe
MySpace became the top social networking platform in every European country where it had a local presence.
August 8, 2007: Partnership with The Onion
On August 8, 2007, Myspace partnered with the satire publication The Onion to provide audio, video, and print content to the platform.
October 22, 2007: Launch of Roommates Web Series
On October 22, 2007, Myspace launched its first original web series, Roommates, offering users a television-like experience with interactive benefits.
November 2007: Introduction of OpenSocial API
In November 2007, Google introduced the OpenSocial API, which Myspace's developer platform would later be based on.
2007: Myspace's Peak Valuation
During merger discussions with Yahoo! in 2007, Myspace reached its highest valuation at $12 billion, boasting over 300 million registered users.
2007: Continued Developments
In 2007, Myspace continued to evolve and implement new features, although specific events are not detailed.
2007: Migration of Users to Facebook
In 2007, Myspace users, particularly teenagers, began migrating to Facebook, which was more successful at attracting older users and providing a safer environment.
2007: Launch of The MySpace Transmissions
In late 2007, Myspace launched The MySpace Transmissions, a series featuring live-in-studio recordings by well-known artists, enhancing its music content offerings.
2007: Myspace Remains Dominant
Myspace held its position as the leading social networking site, surpassing Facebook in traffic, as Facebook's focus remained on college students.
February 5, 2008: Launch of Developer Platform
On February 5, 2008, Myspace set up a developer platform allowing developers to write their own applications, with a workshop held at Myspace's San Francisco offices.
February 27, 2008: TMZ Launch on MySpaceTV
On February 27, 2008, TMZ launched its web channel on MySpaceTV, adding to the platform's entertainment content.
March 5, 2008: Release of MySpace Apps Beta
The first public beta of MySpace Apps was released on March 5, 2008, featuring around 1,000 applications, based on the OpenSocial API.
April 2008: Myspace and Facebook Reach 115 Million Users
Myspace and Facebook both achieved 115 million monthly users in April 2008, but Facebook began to edge out Myspace in global users.
April 19, 2008: Facebook Overtakes Myspace in Alexa Rankings
On April 19, 2008, Facebook overtook Myspace in Alexa rankings. This marked the beginning of a significant decline for Myspace as it continued to lose members.
April 21, 2008: Deal with Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios
On April 21, 2008, Myspace signed a deal with Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios, bringing programming like Comics Unleashed and Beautiful Homes and Great Estates to MySpaceTV.
November 2008: Announcement of Revenue Generation from User-Uploaded Content
In November 2008, Myspace announced that user-uploaded content infringing on copyrights held by MTV would be redistributed with advertisements to generate revenue for the companies.
2008: Period of Content Collection
Between 2008 and 2010, an anonymous academic study collected MP3s from Myspace, later known as the 'MySpace Dragon Hoard'.
2008: Data Transmission and Server Infrastructure
In 2008, Myspace's Chief Systems Architect revealed that the site was sending 100 gigabits of data per second, with a server infrastructure consisting of over 4,500 web servers, 1,200 cache servers, and 500 database servers.
2008: Data Breach Analysis
In 2008, a data breach occurred exposing almost 360 million Myspace accounts. The data included email addresses, usernames, and weakly encrypted passwords.
2008: Myspace Leads Social Networking
MySpace remained a dominant force in the social networking realm, outperforming Facebook in terms of user traffic.
March 2009: Meeting at News Corporation over Myspace’s Future
In March 2009, a pivotal meeting at News Corporation discussed Myspace's future direction, leading to a management shakeup and the departure of key personnel.
April 2009: Executive Team Reshuffle at Myspace
In April 2009, former Facebook COO Owen Van Natta replaced Chris DeWolfe as CEO of Myspace, following a reshuffle of the executive team.
May 2009: Facebook Surpasses Myspace
Facebook's popularity grew, and in May 2009, it surpassed Myspace in the number of unique US visitors.
May 2009: Facebook Surpasses Myspace in Unique U.S. Visitors
In May 2009, Facebook surpassed Myspace in the number of unique U.S. visitors. From this point, Myspace experienced a consistent loss of membership.
June 2009: Myspace Employs 1,600 People
In June 2009, Myspace had a peak employment of approximately 1,600 individuals.
June 2009: Mass Layoffs at Myspace
In June 2009, Myspace laid off 37.5% of its workforce, reducing its number of employees from 1,600 to 1,000.
November 18, 2009: Acquisition of Imeem
On November 18, 2009, Myspace Music acquired Imeem for less than $1 million, planning to transition Imeem's users and migrate their playlists to Myspace Music.
2009: Myspace's Reign Ends
By 2009, Myspace's reign as the top social network came to an end, although it continued to have global impact.
2009: Migration to SSD Technology
In 2009, Myspace began migrating some of its servers from HDD to SSD technology, resulting in space and power usage savings.
2009: Continued Developments
In 2009, Myspace continued to evolve and implement new features, although specific events are not detailed.
2009: Data Breach Analysis
In 2009, analysis of a data breach showed that the data for almost 360 million Myspace accounts was exposed around mid-2008 to early 2009.
January 15, 2010: Restoration of Imeem Playlists
On January 15, 2010, Myspace began restoring Imeem playlists following its acquisition of the company.
March 10, 2010: New Features and Enhanced Security
On March 10, 2010, Myspace added new features, including a recommendation engine and enhanced security options. Users could now choose content visibility settings like 'friends only' or '18 and older'.
October 8, 2010: Announcement of Logo Change
On October 8, 2010, Myspace announced a new logo, featuring the word 'my' in Helvetica followed by a space symbol, reflecting the upcoming site redesign.
October 2010: Beta Version of New Site Design
In October 2010, Myspace introduced a beta version of a new site design, focusing on music and targeting younger users, with plans to roll it out to all interested users in late November.
November 2010: New Logo and Facebook Integration
In November 2010, Myspace changed its logo to the new design and integrated with Facebook Connect, acknowledging Facebook's dominance in social networking.
2010: Artist Discovery Milestone
By 2010, over eight million artists had been discovered by users through Myspace, highlighting its role in the music industry and artist promotion.
2010: Significant Losses for Myspace
In 2010, Myspace reported losses of $156 million in the last quarter, dragging down News Corporation's otherwise strong results.
2010: End of Content Collection Period
The period of content collection for the 'MySpace Dragon Hoard' by an anonymous academic study concluded in 2010.
January 2011: Staff Reduction Announcement
In January 2011, Myspace announced a 47% reduction in staff as user adoption continued to decline.
February 2011: Sharp Decline in Myspace Users
In February 2011, Myspace registered its sharpest audience decline, with U.S. visitors falling 44% from a year earlier to 37.7 million.
February 2011: Myspace Put Up for Sale
In late February 2011, News Corporation officially put Myspace up for sale with an estimated price between $50–200 million.
March 2011: Comscore Reports 10 Million User Loss
In March 2011, Comscore released figures showing Myspace had lost 10 million users between January and February, dropping from 95 million to 63 million unique users over 12 months.
May 31, 2011: No Suitable Bids for Myspace
On May 31, 2011, the deadline for bids to purchase Myspace passed without any offers above the reserve price of $100 million.
June 2011: Specific Media Group and Justin Timberlake Acquire Myspace
Specific Media Group, along with Justin Timberlake, bought Myspace for around $35 million in June 2011.
June 29, 2011: Myspace Acquired by Specific Media
On June 29, 2011, Myspace was acquired by Specific Media for an undisclosed sum, rumored to be as low as $35 million.
September 2012: Announcement of New Redesign
In September 2012, Myspace announced plans for a new redesign, aiming to make the site more visual and optimized for tablets.
2012: Ex-Myspace Executive on Revenue vs. User Experience
In 2012, it was revealed that pressure from News Corporation to prioritize revenue over user experience had negatively impacted Myspace's flexibility and user engagement.
January 15, 2013: Public Release of Redesign
On January 15, 2013, Myspace publicly released its new redesign, making the site more visual and user-friendly.
April 2013: User Transfer to New Redesign
By April 2013, Myspace users were able to transfer to the new site redesign, marking a significant update to the platform's interface.
June 2013: Deletion of Previous Blogs
In June 2013, Myspace deleted all previous blogs as part of its redesign, leading to user backlash and the loss of valuable historical content.
June 2013: Myspace Releases Redesigned Mobile App
In June 2013, coinciding with their website redesign, Myspace launched a completely redesigned mobile application. Available on the Apple App Store, the app introduced features like creating and editing GIFs, posting to the Myspace stream, streaming live concerts, and simplified signup using Facebook, Twitter, or email.
June 2014: Milestone of Songs Uploaded
As of June 2014, over 53 million songs had been uploaded to Myspace by 14.2 million artists, showcasing the platform's significant impact on music sharing and discovery.
2015: End of User Content Backup
By 2015, Myspace had stopped backing up its user content, which contributed to the significant data loss discovered in 2019.
February 11, 2016: Time Inc. Acquires Myspace
Time Inc. purchased Myspace and its parent company for $87 million on February 11, 2016.
May 2016: Data Breach of Myspace Accounts
In May 2016, data for almost 360 million Myspace accounts was offered on the "Real Deal" dark market website, including email addresses, usernames, and weakly encrypted passwords.
January 31, 2018: Meredith Corporation Acquires Time Inc
Meredith Corporation acquired Time Inc., Myspace's parent company, on January 31, 2018.
March 18, 2019: Loss of User Content
On March 18, 2019, it was revealed that Myspace had lost all its user content from launch until 2015 due to a botched server migration with no backup, resulting in the permanent loss of over 50 million songs and 12 years' worth of content.
April 2019: Recovery of Some Lost Content
In April 2019, the Internet Archive recovered 490,000 MP3s from Myspace, known as the 'MySpace Dragon Hoard', which were uploaded between 2008 and 2010, using unknown means by an anonymous academic study.
November 4, 2019: Viant Technology Acquires Myspace
Meredith spun off Myspace and its original holding company on November 4, 2019, selling it to Viant Technology LLC.
2019: Myspace User Decline
Despite redesigns, Myspace's user base declined to seven million monthly visitors by 2019.
2022: Myspace Placed in Read-Only Mode
In 2022, Myspace was placed in a read-only mode, with no new articles published, media uploads disabled, broken images, and non-functional existing songs.
