As mentioned in the HN submission, Last.fm went through a redesign already over a decade ago. It stripped so much functionality that the site became useless except for merely tracking one's own listens, and there were already libre alternatives for that.
Last.fm is one of my go-to examples of how the internet has become a lonelier place. The old Last.fm was deeply linked with real life: it would show upcoming gigs in your town along with members who might be attending, and you could easily meet people in your own location who shared your own tastes in music. Where does a person find music-related socializing now?
Your comment made me wonder if there could have been a world where MySpace would have acquired Last.fm and dove deeper into the music angle. MySpace had a niche thing with music that Facebook in my eyes never achieved. I hated Facebook when it launched, MySpace in my eyes was superior, I could connect with some of my favorite artists, though I rarely directly messaged them, except one time...
Fun personal story about MySpace:
One of my favorite rappers at the time Temperamento (Puerto Rican rapper) was going to do a song with a rapper from Puerto Rico (MC Ceja - his eyebrows are distinct) I had songs from in my first Cassette tape I ever had. They had some weird falling out, because my favorite rapper lived in the states most of his life, and the rapper from Puerto Rico did not like that he wanted to do a Mixtape, which was very hot at the time here.
Anyway, he announces he's not going to like it, but he might drop a diss to the other rapper, I was excited, but bittersweet, but I gave him all my support, I mentioned his older disses, he had stopped dissing people for like a year or two to make regular music. I noted one of my favorite disses he ever did, named the rapper, and the song track.
The next day, the diss drops. "My fans want me to do to you what I did to x" and the track playing was from the same diss I mentioned.
Years later, I messaged him on Instagram, he still remembered my message.
Things you can't get out of Facebook or Last.fm that MySpace could.
No idea, but people in that scene get killed, there's a lot of connections between some reggaeton artists and local drug lords, including being funded by them and protected by them. By insulting every rapper you can lash out against, chances are high, you will anger some very dangerous people, think of like angering a cartel boss' favorite celebrity that he built up and funds.
Hector "El Father" was very much underneath the biggest king pin across all of Puerto Rico, who kept all the different barrios / caserios at peace since he was the big chief, but after the government arrested him and those closest to him, that all changed, its kind of like how in Mexico all the cartels had a "federation" they didn't mess with each other, but they eventually lost control of "peace" amongst each other, in Puerto Rico's case, after the feds took the top guys to prison, all the different barrios / caserios not only went their own way, but it was a bloodbath of people trying to be the next in charge, so its a little more dispersed.
Not every reggaeton artist is "affiliated" this way, but a number are and can be. It all went back to a moment back in the 90s / early 2000s where they arrested rappers who lived in these neighborhoods with other drug dealers, as a result some artists fled further towards these types of people since they felt like the government was associating them all the same and arresting them the same. At least this is their view.
Wild world.
Edit:
Some rappers here in the states have similar things where they pay to be protected by gangs, or they were in specific gangs, and that gives them access to protection across the country, or specific states / regions when they tour.
The Game most recently noted he's the reason Chris Browns is "in the Bloods" in his latest album, which surprised me to hear, but googling around, apparently Chris Brown claims to be a member, even though it probably just means he pays them for protection.
TFNA · · focus · HN ↗
Last.fm is one of my go-to examples of how the internet has become a lonelier place. The old Last.fm was deeply linked with real life: it would show upcoming gigs in your town along with members who might be attending, and you could easily meet people in your own location who shared your own tastes in music. Where does a person find music-related socializing now?
giancarlostoro · · focus · HN ↗
Fun personal story about MySpace:
One of my favorite rappers at the time Temperamento (Puerto Rican rapper) was going to do a song with a rapper from Puerto Rico (MC Ceja - his eyebrows are distinct) I had songs from in my first Cassette tape I ever had. They had some weird falling out, because my favorite rapper lived in the states most of his life, and the rapper from Puerto Rico did not like that he wanted to do a Mixtape, which was very hot at the time here.
Anyway, he announces he's not going to like it, but he might drop a diss to the other rapper, I was excited, but bittersweet, but I gave him all my support, I mentioned his older disses, he had stopped dissing people for like a year or two to make regular music. I noted one of my favorite disses he ever did, named the rapper, and the song track.
The next day, the diss drops. "My fans want me to do to you what I did to x" and the track playing was from the same diss I mentioned.
Years later, I messaged him on Instagram, he still remembered my message.
Things you can't get out of Facebook or Last.fm that MySpace could.
Wild world.
pwdisswordfishs · · focus · HN ↗
(All of this—and these people—are supposed to be cool?)
giancarlostoro · · focus · HN ↗
Hector "El Father" was very much underneath the biggest king pin across all of Puerto Rico, who kept all the different barrios / caserios at peace since he was the big chief, but after the government arrested him and those closest to him, that all changed, its kind of like how in Mexico all the cartels had a "federation" they didn't mess with each other, but they eventually lost control of "peace" amongst each other, in Puerto Rico's case, after the feds took the top guys to prison, all the different barrios / caserios not only went their own way, but it was a bloodbath of people trying to be the next in charge, so its a little more dispersed.
Not every reggaeton artist is "affiliated" this way, but a number are and can be. It all went back to a moment back in the 90s / early 2000s where they arrested rappers who lived in these neighborhoods with other drug dealers, as a result some artists fled further towards these types of people since they felt like the government was associating them all the same and arresting them the same. At least this is their view.
Wild world.
Edit:
Some rappers here in the states have similar things where they pay to be protected by gangs, or they were in specific gangs, and that gives them access to protection across the country, or specific states / regions when they tour.
The Game most recently noted he's the reason Chris Browns is "in the Bloods" in his latest album, which surprised me to hear, but googling around, apparently Chris Brown claims to be a member, even though it probably just means he pays them for protection.