So, MySpace Music is finally live. Well, that took a while. After the multiple delays MySpace didn’t even make their midnight (EST) deadline. But who cares? It’s here and looks just like the leaks we saw a couple of days earlier. MSM is supposedly the most important launch since the introduction of the iTunes Store. It is therefore permitted to kick its tires really hard. Which a lot of news outlets have done already and more will follow. In fact, this launch will be discussed ad nauseam. My first impression: It works surprisingly well. It looks unsurprisingly ugly. I am not sure if I will spend less time on Facebook to look for music on MSM …
Some insiders say the delays are owed to EMI taking so long to sign on. Maybe MySpace should have waited even a couple more days to get the support of the independent community. Okay, The Orchard is part of the starting line-up. So are (essentially major-owned) ADA, Fontana, Caroline and RED. But where is the rest? IODA is said to be finishing talks with MSM, but the big names in indie music are still missing. No Domino, no Koch Records (DJ Khaled, anyone?), no Beggars Group, no finetunes, etc. Licensing agency Merlin are not really hiding their dissapointment with what they call a lock-out. The four majors were offered equity in the project, the indies will have to live with being mere business partners. More action to follow, I suppose.
Also a draw-back: MSM’s playlist function – which in itself is a nice feature – won’t travel. There is no portability to playlists you create on your profile. You can only expose your musical taste (or lack thereof) to your MySpace friends. Memo to Chris DeWolfe/Amit Kapur: Guys, you need to enable widgets. That is state-of-the-art today. And it will help you grow your reach and your marketing potential. The folks at Amazon MP3 will support that, I’m sure.
