Can You Tell The Real “MySpace Trends” Apart From The Fake Ones?

Last month, MySpace came out with a survey of users that tried to suss out just what people between the ages of 18 and 24 were doing with their time on the slightly passe social-networking site, given that a good 45% of them said that if they had 15 minutes to spare, they’d spend it on the site instead of “watching TV, reading, talking on their mobile, or playing video games.” (Also of note: 14% “have made money on social networking sites using their commercial, creative and cultural skills.” Has anyone coined the term “social-networking Darwinism” yet?) And there was, of course, the obligatory listing of music trends: artists like Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong, Peggy Sue And The Pirates, and Conan And Mockasins, who will no doubt join Kate Nash and the Arctic Monkeys on the “we made it online” scrap heap; the terrifying new clique known as Super Super Kids, who are apparently the result of “new ravers” breeding with “new romantics”; and a smattering of musical genres, some of which don’t sound all that new and some of which sound like they spent a little too much time swinging on the flippity-flop. After the jump, some of the genres cited by the report, as well as brief descriptions that, I should note, were written by other people. (You’ll see why when you click.)

Toystep/Joystick Jungle: “sounds made from recycled plastic toys, game consoles and children’s Casio keyboards”

Grindie: “a blend of grime and indie”

Bassline: “mixes elements of speed garage, 4×4 garage and R&B”

Tape Music: “the new way chill-out sound moving from ambient to acoustic psychedelic”

Power Pop: “a mix of rock, hip-hop and rave”

Acousmatic: “acoustic sounds produced and fused through electronica”

Intelligent Dance Music: “a sound so sophisticated that it’s hard to dance to”

Screamo: “perhaps best defined by this YouTube clip”

OK, so I wrote that last one. But you have to admit it’s kind of perfect, and it’ll provide a neat soundtrack to what’s clearly going to be a bloody war between the old and new factions of “Power Pop.”

Social networking ‘becoming entertainment of choice’- research [netimperative.com] The top ten new bands online fans are tipping for 2008 [NME]