450,000 lost mp3 files recovered from the Myspace server fiasco
1.3 terabytes of tunes that were uploaded to Myspace between 2008 - 2010
Back in March, Myspace sent the internet into a frenzy after the social media website announced that a recent server migration operation had resulted in the loss of over 50 million songs that had been uploaded to the site between 2003 and 2015.
The once popular social media destination is far beyond its former glory, but the platform was very popular with musicians in the 2000s and hosted archives of music history that, if not backed up, have now gone forever.
An announcement at the top of the website reads: “As a result of a server migration project, any photos, videos, and audio files you uploaded more than three years ago may no longer be available on or from Myspace. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you would like more information, please contact our Data Protection Officer at [email protected].”
Through this fiasco, a new online hero has emerged. Internet archive enthusiast Jason Scott has uploaded 1.3 terabytes of mp3 files that Myspace lost during its server migration to Archive.org.
The ‘Myspace Dragon Hoard’ as it has been named contains over 450,000 tracks that were uploaded to Myspace between 2008 and 2010. In a tweet, Scott explains this set of tracks was initially gathered by "an anonymous academic group who were studying music networks".
This set of 450,000 songs was done by an anonymous academic group who were studying music networks and grabbed 1.3 terabytes of mp3s to study from MySpace in roughly 2008-2010 to do so. And someone asked me "hey, do you want these, since they were lost?" Yes, yes I did. pic.twitter.com/ZqQC8bYfz1
— Jason Scott (@textfiles) April 4, 2019
The online archive comes paired with a “custom search and play mechanism” that allows you to seek out and play some of the songs that Myspace "deleted" by accident.
This data loss serves as a warning that cloud storage is not as secure as we may believe it to be, and the likes of YouTube, Facebook, SoundCloud and Instagram are not invulnerable to similar disasters. Those concerned about personal data they have stored on such sites may want to seek alternative storage options.
Check out the ‘Myspace Dragon Hoard’ by going here.
Cameron is Mixmag's Jr. Editor. Follow him on Twitter
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