Myspace comeback plans confirmed, but no launch date is set
Myspace’s current owners say they intend to relaunch it, though the timing, format and returning features remain unknown.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
Is Myspace coming back? Its current owners, Chris and Tim Vanderhook, say they intend to relaunch the early social-networking giant. For now, though, there is no date to circle, no published development schedule and no confirmed version of the product waiting in the wings.
The brothers set out their plans in filmmaker Tommy Avallone’s documentary Myspace, according to Mashable, E! News and People. Tim Vanderhook said they still own the brand and are waiting for the right moment to bring it back.
That is a stated intention, not a scheduled return. The Vanderhooks have not announced when a new Myspace will launch, what it will do or whether any of the site’s best-known old features will be included.
When will Myspace relaunch?
No release date or timeline has been made public. Mashable reported that the owners also have not said whether a relaunched service would bring back profile songs, customizable pages or other parts of the original experience.
In plain terms, people cannot yet sign up for a new Myspace product based on these plans. The only confirmed detail is that the current owners say they want another attempt at reviving the brand.
A familiar revival pitch
The Vanderhooks’ company acquired Myspace in 2011, Mashable reported. That same year, News Corp sold the platform to Specific Media and Justin Timberlake for a reported $35 million, according to the outlet.
The brothers previously spent two years preparing a redesign centered largely on music, E! News reported. The revamped service arrived in 2013 but did not restore the audience Myspace had once commanded, according to Mashable.
Tim Vanderhook said in the documentary that the earlier project sought to modernize Myspace, but it had become a different company. E! News reported that Chris Vanderhook said the platform had already been through four sets of management and chief executives before the brothers took over.
What was Myspace?
Myspace launched in 2003 and became known for letting users make profiles their own, including through page designs and music choices. It was also a place where artists could post songs and connect with listeners before streaming became the dominant route to music discovery, Mashable reported.
That history is why a return has sparked interest. But nostalgia does not establish the shape of a future service, and the Vanderhooks have not said whether they will rebuild the old model or create something different.
They have also described the financial difficulty of their previous effort. Mashable reported that the brothers said advertisers canceled contracts after the acquisition and that they estimated losing more than $150 million while trying to rebuild the platform. Those figures are the brothers’ account in the documentary, not an independently established balance sheet.
For now, Myspace has a comeback promise and little else: no launch window, no feature list and no indication of how close the relaunch is to becoming real.
This story draws on original reporting from Mashable.