Three Stars

KUT's Asra Syed uses the story of one band to show how the website MySpace has forever changed the music industry. It's a good story, ably told.

A few things:
It's nice to hear from MySpace founder Tom Anderson about his surprise at MySpace's success and allure for folks like Rupert Murdoch. I would have liked to hear him speculate about where the "phenomenon" will go next.

At the outset, the piece is very conscientious in introducing The Octopus Project to listeners. But the music bed running underneath doesn't vary for over 2 minutes. I would have liked to hear a few clips from the band right up front. The mix also begs for a break in narration where a glockenspiel or theremin can be heard on its own.

Finally, the producer sometimes rushes her narration, particularly at the beginning of the piece. She should slow down or, perhaps, retrack her opening paragraphs after laying down the remainder.

The 7:30 segment fits naturally into Morning Edition, perhaps to cover another arts segment in the rollover. It could also help anchor a local business or technology show on similar issues.

NOTE:
The piece has a dated reference to April 2006's Coachella Valley Music Festival. It's near the end, and stations, may, perhaps consider editing it out.
The producer may also want to remix last :30 so other stations can program.

Anthea Raymond
PRX Editorial Board
May 19, 2006