MySpace Teams With Record Companies To Create Music Site

The New York Times reports on a deal between MySpace and three of the four major music labels to develop a new music website. Users will be able to stream songs for free, purchase downloadable tracks, and (possibly) pay a flat monthly fee for unlimited access. From the Times: "Exact terms of the deal and details about the new site, like prices for downloaded music tracks, were not disclosed. But MySpace did say the site would offer songs free of digital rights management software or D.R.M., which is used to prevent illicit copying but can create technical hurdles for buyers. The songs would be playable on any portable music device, including Apple's iPod. For the music industry, the deal is partly born of desperation. In the face of widespread, escalating online piracy, music sales dropped to $11.5 billion in 2006 from a peak in 1999 of nearly $15 billion."

Comments

Re:Because of iTunes?

[Anonymous Coward]

While I have long been skeptical of MySpace's ability to do anything other than try to cause seizures in people, the fact that they seem finally willing to do something useful en masse is certainly giving me some hope for the future.

Unfortunately, I am not looking forward to the auditory equivalent of MySpace.

Re:Now if they'd just get the prices down

[Anonymous Coward]

If you insist on using that font, I must mark you as "foe".

You work for Verizon?

[d4nowar]

.04 dollars or .04 cents?

Re:Because of iTunes?

[yotto]

Yeah! If there's competition between iTunes and MySpace, and MySpace charges $2.99 per track like the RIAA wants, Whatever will Apple do? They'll be forced to raise their prices to $2.99 just to compete!

Re:I think the falling sales are the industry's fa

[Merusdraconis]

"In the face of widespread, escalating online piracy, music sales dropped to $11.5 billion in 2006 from a peak in 1999 of nearly $15 billion."

This has got less to do with piracy and more to do with Amy Winehouse's crack bill.