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MySpace launches video for karaoke

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MySpace has redesigned its karaoke service with a streamlined navigation, improved sharing of recordings, and dedicated upload manager. It has also added a major feature– video recording. Now you do not just sing along with your favorite tune, but show how you belt that performance.

“MySpace Karaoke is a great way for the MySpace community to express themselves, share their musical talents and connect around shared interests – the type of interaction MySpace has encouraged and fostered since its inception. In less than six months since its launch, over four million users have visited MySpace Karaoke and there are over 500,000 recordings, making it the largest karaoke venue in the world,” said Nimrod Lev, Senior Vice President and General Manager of MySpace Karaoke.

MySpace has licensing partnerships with all the major music publishers and many independent publishers, providing MySpace Karaoke users with access to thousands of licensed karaoke tracks. MySpace works closely with these publishers to acquire the legal rights to music and offer the most comprehensive online karaoke song catalog.

Originally posted on October 16, 2008 @ 4:39 pm

Universal Music Group partners with Dada Entertainment

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Universal Music Group and Dada Entertainment have completed an agreement that will now allow Dada.net users access to music from such chart-topping superstars as Young Jeezy, Ne-Yo, Pussycat Dolls and Lil Wayne, among many others.

Tracks from Universal Music Group’s catalogue will be available for Dada.net users to download as DRM-free full-track MP3s and ringtones. Dada Entertainment currently offers SONY BMG’s extensive music catalogue and will add content from other major and indie record labels in the near future. Dada is the only company to offer its content through all major mobile carriers.

Originally posted on October 6, 2008 @ 7:03 am

Major record companies and MySpace launch digital music JV

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MySpace, EMI Music, SONY BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony ATV/ Music Publishing unveiled the new MySpace Music product injecting the world’s richest online music community with a host of new features for both users and artists.

The new suite of products, which includes an ever-growing catalogue of premium audio and video content, e-commerce offerings, and user and artist playlists, aims to further enhance the MySpace Music experience as well as provide monetization opportunities for its active music community.

Beginning today, U.S. users can purchase DRM-free MP3 music downloads through MySpace Music’s new e-commerce solution powered by Amazon MP3. Now, adjacent to licensed songs within artist profile media players, user-created playlists, and certain music editorial pages, MySpace Music will feature buy buttons that will allow users to download and purchase MP3s playable on all digital music devices, including the iPod. Similarly, users can click on a Find Ringtones button, powered by Jamster, within music players to purchase ringtones of their favorite artists.

MySpace Music hosts more than 5 million major, indie, and unsigned artists within the site’s music profiles section, which provides for a vast artist-powered collection of songs, music videos, tour dates, blogs, and photos. MySpace’s deep, long-standing ties to the music community have allowed for numerous exclusive features from the most groundbreaking musicians in the world and the its new marketing initiatives will greatly enhance the existing MySpace Music offline concert franchises including Secret Shows, MySpaceLIVE!, Transmissions, Front to Back and The List.

Originally posted on September 25, 2008 @ 10:13 am

Yahoo! and Rhapsody deliver song playback in search

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Yahoo! and Rhapsody are putting the play buttons right in the search box and making the web playable. Users who search for an artist with available content on Yahoo! will be able to click play right in the Yahoo! shortcut at the top of the search results and instantly stream full-length songs by that artist through the FoxyTunes Player, which is powered by Rhapsody.

“The launch of full-song playback in Yahoo! Search brings us closer to realizing Yahoo! Music’s vision of making the web playable and removing the barriers that prevent people from clicking play and hearing music,” said Michael Spiegelman, head of Yahoo! Music. “The powerful combination of Rhapsody and Yahoo!’s FoxyTunes Player will greatly enhance the discovery and consumption of music on the Web by giving online music fans what they want – an easy way to hear music.”

Originally posted on September 18, 2008 @ 2:25 pm

MySpace to launch iTunes killer… oh really?

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MySpace is set to launch a new music service this week, which in conjunction with the world’s major record companies will allow online users to listen to almost any song they want.

The advertising supported site MySpace Music is partially owned by Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music, who in collaborating with the new system appear to have accepted that their old business model of selling individual CDs is now doomed.

According to the New York Times, EMI is also in advanced talks to join the venture, as is Orchard, the largest distributor of digital music from independent labels.

However, analysts said that while MySpace Music might represent the biggest threat yet to the dominance of Apple’s iTunes, its success was far from assured. The site has notable drawbacks. Users will not be able to transfer downloaded music to a mobile device or another computer. To do that they will have to purchase songs through a link with affiliated retailer Amazon.com.

Originally posted on September 15, 2008 @ 7:54 am