Chatter around the web -- see this post at The Register, for example -- is buzzing about the realization that MySpace users give up rights to any material that they post to their profiles on the site. Someone actually sat down and read the terms of service, which include gems like this:
By displaying or publishing ("posting") any Content, messages, text, files, images, photos, video, sounds, profiles, works of authorship, or any other materials (collectively, "Content") on or through the Services, you hereby grant to MySpace.com, a non-exclusive, fully-paid and royalty-free, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense through unlimited levels of sublicensees) to use, copy, modify, adapt, translate, publicly perform, publicly display, store, reproduce, transmit, and distribute such Content on and through the Services.
The terms were changed on May 1st to say that once you remove your profile and/or the content, that News Corp. will remove your information from their servers and won't distribute it later. Awfully nice of Mr. Murdoch, isn't it?
So much for the site that provided a quick and easy way for independent artists to distribute their creativity; now it's just one big repository for News Corp. to siphon from. Anyone have any suggestions for other sites artists can use without getting ripped off?