This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Digital
MySpace launches new music player
By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 20 December 2011
MySpace has debuted its first major new product since the flagging social media site was bought by Specific Media earlier this year, a new music player with enhanced recommendations and search flim flam. As previously reported, the site’s newish owner is expected to totally reinvent MySpace as an entirely music-based service next year.
Perhaps more interestingly, MySpace has also announced it is making its streaming music offer available via Facebook, with integration with its one time rival similar to that instigated by Spotify, MOG and Rdio earlier this year. Specific Media’s Chris Vanderhook told Billboard: “This is a natural partnership. Because of the users they have and the integrations with Spotify, Mog and Rdio, it makes sense to open up our catalogue to their users”.
MySpace has operated an on-demand streaming service for some time, of course, initially operating under the separate MySpace Music brand, though after a lacklustre launch you got the impression the web firm – under its previous owners News Corp – chose to hide the service to an extent because of the costs of running a free to access on-demand streaming platform.
But Vanderhook seems convinced the MySpace streaming music service is the way to turn round the fortunes of the flagging website, frequently noting that MySpace has direct (if generally outdated) links to hundreds of thousands of self-releasing artists as well as deals with the big content owners.
Of course, given MySpace Music doesn’t currently charge a subscription fee, and adverts are on screen rather than between songs, that does possibly give the company competitive advantage, especially among the family of content providers hooked into Facebook. And especially if this time the player actually works. Though whether Specific could afford to maintain that service if it was to become really popular remains to be seen, there is still some scepticism that a streaming platform totally funded by advertising could ever truly add up once licensing fees are paid.
