So it finally happened. After several months of speculating, IMEEM has pulled the proverbial plug and is now a part of (Ack!) MySpace. So very sad. Already, I have read posts of dismay here and there around the web lamenting the transformation of this wonderful community of music lovers into yet another MySpace feature. Personally, I don't have anything against MySpace. I even have a page there (albeit undeveloped and not at all well maintained) that originally was meant to be one of my radio station's "calling cards". However, the 'climate' of the site wasn't one that I felt to be conducive to pure music sharing and networking among people who lived and breathed music the way so many of us do. And as such, I never took the time to grow and develop the page. And as annoyed as I am at IMEEM (and anyone who had anything whatsoever to do with its abrupt disappearance), the fact remains that IMEEM was an amazing place to experience the music and musical tastes of people from around the globe.
I have no doubt that somewhere in this vast expanse called the web, music lovers will once again begin to converge on a site to begin to build another community. That's what music lovers do; we experience our own sounds in our own unique ways, but we also grow and expand our personal horizons by sharing in the musical experiences of others. Perhaps those who do seek to form or join another similar community will do so with a more intense degree of caution, knowing full well that our world is also one where, unfortunately, money and wealth drives the direction in which it turns. And as such, having it dramatically changed without much (or any) warning is as simple as the click of a mouse button.
Yes, I'm just a tad pissed. And yes, I'll miss sharing in the melodious exhilaration along with the many people with whom I have developed some delightful and enlightening bonds. But I feel so wonderfully privileged to have experienced those who have shared so many incredibly enjoyable songs with me, and I with them.
So, IMEEM is gone. But ultimately, life is not so much about beginnings and endings. It is the sum total of our experiences in the middle that determine its most consequential impact on us. I hope my IMEEM family has fond memories of the musical joy I brought to their lives. I certainly will remember the joy they brought to mine.
-V
I have no doubt that somewhere in this vast expanse called the web, music lovers will once again begin to converge on a site to begin to build another community. That's what music lovers do; we experience our own sounds in our own unique ways, but we also grow and expand our personal horizons by sharing in the musical experiences of others. Perhaps those who do seek to form or join another similar community will do so with a more intense degree of caution, knowing full well that our world is also one where, unfortunately, money and wealth drives the direction in which it turns. And as such, having it dramatically changed without much (or any) warning is as simple as the click of a mouse button.
Yes, I'm just a tad pissed. And yes, I'll miss sharing in the melodious exhilaration along with the many people with whom I have developed some delightful and enlightening bonds. But I feel so wonderfully privileged to have experienced those who have shared so many incredibly enjoyable songs with me, and I with them.
So, IMEEM is gone. But ultimately, life is not so much about beginnings and endings. It is the sum total of our experiences in the middle that determine its most consequential impact on us. I hope my IMEEM family has fond memories of the musical joy I brought to their lives. I certainly will remember the joy they brought to mine.
-V
