Tag: Myspace

MySpace’s death rattle?

Posted on by Lab Team

After five years at the top of the social networking pyramid, MySpace spent the last two years becoming the new Friendster. It’s a tag the company wore happily when it outdid Friendster in 2003, but in 2010 it’s nothing short of a scarlet letter. This week Rupert Murdoch folded Slingshot Labs, MySpace’s technology development arm, in what is the closest News Corp. has come to an admission of social networking “Game Over.”

In all likelihood MySpace will continue to loom in the social networking galaxy for years to come come, shimmering in the distance as a dying white dwarf star that grabs what financial dust it can from the ether. Music lovers might still use the site on occasion to check out new artists, but for the most part any self-respecting teenager will tell you that MySpace is “so 2006.”

So what went wrong?

Here are the three biggest MySpace missteps that newer sites like Facebook and Twitter can avoid: Continue reading “MySpace’s death rattle?”

MySpace Music might pay off

Posted on by Lab Team

myspaceWhile online music business missteps and failures litter the information super highway, MySpace has a good chance to hit paydirt with a new music business model that pleases music fans, artists, record labels and News Corp. bosses.

MySpace Music launched September 25th to mostly enthusiastic press and extremely hopeful music industry execs. Four major labels including Sony BMG, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and EMI are on board. The new site incorporates streaming music and a download store. Streaming music is free to users, supported with advertising brokered by MySpace. One-click music purchases will be fulfilled by Amazon’s MP3 download store. Advertising partners include Toyota, hosting a year-long download giveaway called “Toyota Tuesday’s,” McDonald’s brand-wrapping music players with other elements sponsored by State Farm and Sony Pictures. Continue reading “MySpace Music might pay off”