Her Space is in the Music Biz

Social networking leader 'is not our competition'

(NEWSER) - MySpace has officially waved the white flag in its battle with Facebook. The company’s new CEO—ex-Facebook exec Chris DeWolfe—tells the Financial Times that the company now sees itself as more of a music and entertainment hub than a social networking site. “Facebook is not our competition,” he says. “We’re very focused on a different space.” More»

(NEWSER) - Asher Roth’s image isn’t classic hip-hop: He’s a white kid who wears sweatshirts and calls himself a “dork.” But that image, along with the breakout hit “I Love College,” has earned him a top-10 spot on iTunes and millions of MySpace streams, the Wall Street Journal reports. The ode to college life—zeroing in on partying, beer pong, and sex—hits a niche “bullseye,” says a music marketer. More»

Rival launches today

(NEWSER) - Apple’s iTunes meets its first serious challenge today with the launch of MySpace Music, CNET reports. The second-largest online social network has joined forces with Amazon and the world’s four biggest record labels to offer free streaming and paid downloads. The move also pitches media mogul and MySpace owner Rupert Murdoch against Apple CEO Steve Jobs. More»

Joint venture with record companies aims to create competition

(NEWSER) - The world of online music buying looks set for a shakeup with the launch of MySpace Music, announced today. The joint venture between MySpace and three of the big four record labels aims to compete head-to-head with iTunes, CNET News reports. Music industry bigwigs are said to have long felt that iTunes was getting too powerful. More»