MySpace might be the go-to site for many an aspiring artist, but the social networking site is turning to more established musical acts for a site that will feature video interviews, live music streams, and the option to purchase music.
The site, dubbed MySpace Transmissions, kicked off this week with selections from James Blunt, the singer-songwriter best known for his ubiquitous 2005 single "You're Beautiful."
The page currently gives users the option to listen to five songs from Blunt's latest album in their entirety. They can then purchase the whole album for $13.99 via lala.com, though MySpace does not have an exclusive partnership with the site, a MySpace spokeswoman said.
MySpace will announce plans for additional artists in the coming weeks, though "the frequency has not yet been determined," a spokeswoman said. In the meantime, it is soliciting suggestions on the Transmissions site from members. Current requests include Ryan Adams, A Tribe Called Quest and Bo Bice ...
The site is targeting more established stars for this venture because, "The bigger an artist becomes, the harder it is to truly stay connected with fans in a way that feels personal and organic," according to a spokeswoman. Transmissions will enable them to "re-connect" with fans on the site.
"I think it's much nicer not having a middleman and to have an audience and to have a direct contact to them through MySpace," Blunt said in a video interview about MySpace. "That's much more of a genuine, honest expression of how they feel about that music rather than, say, a music critic. A music critic, actually, when he writes a review is actually concerned about his own ego, about how he will be perceived as a music critic as he writes it."
Getting sassy, James.
I suppose the video portion of the site might be interesting if you were truly a fan of the artist, though the one-minute clips are not particularly in-depth or enlightening ("Why is MySpace so great?!"). The decision to focus on more established stars will likely drive traffic, but it might also be smart to throw in a few similar, lesser known acts who might be able to cash in on that action. At this point, Transmissions does not look all that different from Blunt's regular MySpace page. In fact, his MySpace page even offers his album and download at $9.99 via Lala.com instead of the $13.99 on Transmissions. What?
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