I get that everyone has their own hobbies and interests, and one of mine has always been music. If you’ve been following along, you’ve gotten a small glimpse into my vinyl collection, but trust me — that’s just the surface. I haven’t shared nearly enough about it yet, but if you stick around long enough, you’ll hear plenty more. I’m looking forward to building that out and growing this community with you all through Lace Code.

Now… back to the music.

My taste has always been wide. A lot of that comes from growing up around my parents’ music — car rides, music playing around the house, and SiriusXM always tuned to Hair Nation. I swear, we’d be sitting at the dinner table, a song would come on, and my brother and I would ask my dad who it was. Nine times out of ten, he nailed the artist and the band instantly. Outside of that, my exposure came from everywhere — radio, cassette tapes, MTV, CDs, and eventually blogs. Man… the blog era. What a time.

The blog era was such a pivotal moment for me personally because it hit right when I was growing up. But it wasn’t just important to me — it was a turning point for the entire music industry. Roughly from 2006 to 2012, artists suddenly had a way to get their music out without needing a major label to open the door for them. That shift changed everything. Because of how big that impact was, I want to spend time writing about different artists from the blog era and how they used it to grow their reach, their fanbases, and ultimately their careers.

That shift didn’t happen overnight, though.

Around 2002 and 2003, you could feel the industry starting to move. A few early blogs began gaining traction, most notably Fluxblog, founded by Matthew Perpetua, and Stereogum, founded by Scott Lapatine. These were some of the first true MP3 blogs. Fluxblog, in particular, was a pioneer — daily posts featuring individual songs, MP3 downloads, thoughtful commentary, and links to artist sites or places to buy music. It became a blueprint for what music discovery online could look like.

Stereogum played a similar role, giving listeners a place to find new music and download MP3s directly. These platforms helped listeners feel like they were discovering something on their own, rather than being sold to. And while blogs like these helped lay the foundation, something even bigger was about to take over.

Enter MySpace.

When MySpace launched in August 2003, it completely changed how people interacted online. By 2006, it was the most visited website in the United States. Before MySpace, most online communication happened through instant messaging services like AOL Instant Messenger. I remember how big AIM was — but once MySpace hit, people slowly drifted away from IMs and toward profiles, comments, and top friends.

What’s funny is that MySpace actually started as an online data storage service before becoming a social networking platform. But once it made that pivot, there was no stopping it. It allowed people to connect with friends, family, and complete strangers who shared the same interests — and for music fans, that meant discovering artists in real time. It became one of the easiest ways to find new music and connect with communities built around it.

And while MySpace eventually got overtaken by Facebook (which I still use, by the way), Facebook never replaced what MySpace was. MySpace was chaotic, creative, customizable — and for artists, it was revolutionary.

Once MySpace took off, it became more than just a social platform. It turned into a digital stage. Artist profiles weren’t just bios — they were playlists, promo pages, fan hubs, and message boards all rolled into one. If a song caught someone at the right moment, it didn’t just get listened to — it got shared, reposted, and passed around instantly. Overnight momentum became real.

For the first time, artists didn’t need permission to be heard.

That’s how Adele was discovered — which still feels wild to say. A friend uploaded her demos to MySpace, people started listening, and the rest is history. Owl City followed a similar path, uploading songs consistently and interacting directly with fans until his following grew organically. Arctic Monkeys built massive momentum through fan sharing alone, becoming global stars before traditional marketing even caught up. Artists like Calvin Harris and My Chemical Romance also benefited from that same ecosystem.

And then there was Soulja Boy.

Soulja Boy didn’t just use MySpace — he mastered it. He paired it with early YouTube, spammed links, stayed active, and understood internet culture before most people even realized what it was becoming. Crank That wasn’t just a song — it was a moment. A dance. A viral phenomenon before “viral” was even part of the everyday vocabulary. At one point, he reportedly had over 700,000 MySpace friends, which is insane to think about now. That online momentum helped push Crank That to #1 in 2007 and cemented him as one of the defining figures of the blog era.

Looking back, that’s what made this era so special.

The blog era didn’t just produce stars — it reshaped the industry. It proved that artists could promote themselves, build loyal fanbases, and create careers through online platforms. It gave listeners more control, letting us discover music organically instead of being told what to like.

For me, it hit at the perfect time. I was growing up, forming my taste, bouncing between my parents’ music, the radio, CDs, MTV, and then suddenly blogs, MySpace pages, and MP3 downloads. It all blended together. That’s why my music taste is all over the place — and why I wouldn’t change it for anything.

The blog era holds a special place in my heart. And this is just the beginning. I’m excited to dig deeper into the artists, moments, and memories that shaped that time — and to share why it mattered so much, not just to me, but to an entire generation of music lovers.

Stick around. We’re just getting started.

– Jett Garden