Urgent.News

600+ sources. One page. See who else covered it.

Editions

Tech

Is Myspace coming back? Owners confirm relaunch plans

Myspace owners Chris and Tim Vanderhook plan to relaunch the platform, but no launch date or product details are available.

Is Myspace coming back? Owners confirm relaunch plans

Myspace's current owners, Chris and Tim Vanderhook, have confirmed their plans to relaunch the social media platform. In a recent documentary, they expressed their intention to bring back the once-dominant site, though no specific timeline or features have been announced yet. The brothers reiterated their commitment in a tweet, stating they are "waiting for the right time" to relaunch Myspace.

However, several questions remain unanswered about the relaunch. The owners have not disclosed a launch date, development timeline, or which classic Myspace features might return. The relaunch is more of a promise than a concrete product at this stage. Despite this, the idea of a Myspace comeback has generated excitement among former users, who lamented the platform's decline and expressed a desire for more control and personalization.

Myspace's history is marked by multiple attempts to revitalize the platform. Launched in 2003 by Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe, the site quickly gained popularity due to its unique features, such as HTML and CSS customization and automatic music playback. Artists like Adele, Lily Allen, Arctic Monkeys, and Calvin Harris used Myspace pages to share their music and connect with fans before streaming services became the norm.

News Corp acquired Myspace in 2005 for around $580 million, and it was sold to Justin Timberlake and Specific Media in 2011 for $35 million. After a redesigned, music-focused version in 2013, the platform struggled to regain its former audience, leading to significant financial losses for the new owners. Despite these setbacks, the Vanderhook brothers remain determined to try again, suggesting they will not hesitate to relaunch once more if the next attempt fails.

The prospect of a new Myspace has piqued the interest of some former users, who are eager to relive the platform's nostalgic past. However, the potential success of the relaunch will depend on whether the owners choose to recreate the older model or develop a new version that appeals to modern users. With a crowded social media landscape filled with Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Threads, Bluesky, and more, a revived Myspace would need to offer unique features and experiences to capture users' attention.

Written by urgent.news from Mashable's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

Read the original at mashable.com →

More in Tech

More from Sunday 2 August →