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Tag: MySpace Music

  • Google Music, MySpace Music Encounter Difficulties

    A music service that doesn’t yet exist and a music service anchored to a fading social network (may) have both hit rough patches this week.  Reports indicate that Google Music isn’t succeeding in talks with record companies, while MySpace Music’s CTO has in fact left the organization.

    To start with the Google side of things: Peter Kafka wrote earlier today, “Google’s negotiations with the big music labels are ‘broken,’ says a source familiar with the search giant’s thinking: ‘There’s definitely a problem with the Google music conversations.’  Another industry source says Google’s top executives are reconsidering their music plans altogether.  ‘They’ve gone backwards . . .’”

    That’s less than encouraging for anyone who hoped to see Google start competing with Amazon and iTunes.  And at the same time, it’s plausible, given that Google Music rumors date back to at least 2006 and it managed to launch a music service in China in the meantime.

    As for what happened at MySpace, Liz Gannes reported, “Myspace Music CTO Dmitry Shapiro, who joined the company less than a year ago, has left to found a new start-up.”  And that’s similarly discouraging, since MySpace Music has been one of the few bright spots at MySpace in quite some time.

    Of course, this shouldn’t mark the end of the line for either venture.  Google can always send in a new negotiator or offer more cash, and MySpace has perhaps gotten used to replacing various execs.

    The timing’s just especially unfortunate on Google’s side since the company’s already dealing with a bad reaction to its first quarter earnings report.

  • Report: Pres. Of MySpace Music To Step Down

    In fairness to MySpace: its brand recognition is off the charts, and it still receives traffic for which many sites’ owners would kill.  But just about everyone who doesn’t work for the unit agrees that it’s declining, and now it looks like the president of MySpace Music has joined that crowd.

    Peter Kafka reported this afternoon, "Myspace Music head Courtney Holt is stepping down. . . .  Sources say Holt doesn’t have another post lined up.  But the real news is that he was still at the site, which is a joint venture between Myspace and the major music labels."

    Consider that MySpace’s traffic levels have been falling sharply for at least the past year.  That’s not the sort of pattern many execs associated with their name.

    Also, remember that different people at both News Corp. and MySpace have been pretty open about the possibility of a merger, spinoff, or sale due to losses.  Again, not something to brag about during a job interview.

    Holt may have plenty of career options, though.  Kafka speculated that he might land elsewhere within News Corp., or at Spotify.   Or even at Apple or Google.

    Meanwhile, MySpace CEO Mike Jones is supposed to take over MySpace Music in Holt’s absence.

  • MySpace Music, Songtrust Partner

    MySpace, which has long enjoyed a reputation for being a good place for individuals to get familiar with different bands, may soon become even more useful to up-and-coming musicians.  MySpace Music has partnered with Songtrust in an effort to introduce better music publishing management services.

    An official statement on the matter explained, "Songtrust is the first online rights management solution that empowers all songwriters to take control of their music publishing and related rights.  By streamlining the complex process of registering song copyrights, collecting royalties, and maximizing licensing opportunities, Songtrust empowers independent songwriters to track how and where their songs are being used around the world."

    Songtrust isn’t some dinky tool exclusively employed by garage bands, either.  The organization, which was just established in October of last year by Downtown Music, already boasts ties to the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), BMI, and SESAC (originally the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers).

    So Courtney Holt, the president of Myspace Music, said, "We’re very excited to deepen our relationship with Downtown Music and to promote this new, innovative service that helps songwriters take control of their music publishing."

    Unfortunately, no financial details were shared, making it hard to say what level of effort/investment this represents.  The move might just be intended to sweeten the pot prior to a sale of MySpace, or perhaps it’s supposed to have a major effect.

    In any event, MySpace Music intends to promote Songtrust to all of the site’s musicians.

  • MySpace Music Needs To Keep User Interest

    "MySpace Music profiles remain the simplest, fastest way to check out a new band", argues Ray Padget on Mashable. That’s a matter of opinion, but there’s no denying that MySpace is still a powerful player in the music space. So the big question may really be, can MySpace Music survive the wider MySpace decline?

    "Not unless it figures out a better way to keep visitors at the site," according to Padaget. "A non-user’s typical visit might begin and end at one artist’s page. When you’re done with the band, you’re done with the site."

    The solution: "MySpace needs to guide users to similar artists, perhaps artists recommended by the band itself. There are too many obscure artists for a computerized system like Pandora to be effective, but personal tips from a favorite band, linked to the respective artist pages, might add an idiosyncratic twist."

    "The page structure is there; MySpace Music just needs to connect the dots."  Unfortunately for MySpace Music, there are a whole lot of dots to connect.

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  • MySpace Tests Audio Ads With TargetSpot

    For most people, listening to music online is terribly convenient, and the occasional audio ad shouldn’t represent a deal breaker.  MySpace may be making a smart move, then, as it’s begun testing 30-second ads with help from an Internet radio advertising company called TargetSpot.

    MySpace LogoThe end result isn’t too different from what fans of Yahoo Music or Pandora – or even regular radio listeners – are already used to.  MySpace members just have to tolerate a short ad, and then they’re free to continue on their figurative way, listening to a number of songs before getting stuck with another commercial.

    That number of songs is quite large, too, with MySpace allowing people to progress through a playlist of 100 tunes between ads.  So even if MySpace becomes less generous in the future (and it probably will), the social network should have plenty of wiggle room before people begin to grow resentful.

    A MySpace representative confirmed to David Kaplan, "We’re testing some new ad products and the response from our users has been positive."

    The representative then encouraged more folks to weigh in, continuing, "As always, we’re interested in hearing feedback from our community and the advertising community as we roll out new functionality that creates the right balance between user experience and commerce."

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