Bands, buy ads – at MySpace

MySpace has opened its My Ads plattform to the public after an extended test. Jeff Berman, their President of marketing and sales, would like to see bands and their managements buy ads on the social network. Your starting bid: $25. My Ads budgets can go up to $10,000, though.

What do you get for that kind of money? An advertising technology focused on small businesses and individuals. Plus: HyperTargeting. MySpace says that there are more than 1,100 specific ways to target an ad based on geography, demographics, interests, and other information sourced from public profile data. 

Advertisers can then keep tabs on performance through online analytics. Says Berman via Billboard: ”I don’t think Mick Jagger is waking up on a Friday morning worrying about driving traffic to a show but The Rolling Stones cover band guy is. This service is for groups well-known in the scene as well as the guys playing in their high school auditorium.” 

We’ll see how well this concept sits with bands and labels who have been feeling like second class citizens since the launch of MySpace Music.

EUK assures its clients enough product over Christmas trading period

British wholesale operation EUK has told its clients that despite deppening worries about the financial future of its owner Woolworths Group it will keep up its business in the coming weeks and months, according to areport by Music Week. EUK has reached some agreements wwith retailers and labels to make sure there will be plenty of product on the shelves for the holiday shopping season. Two weeks ago news had surfaced that EUK was declined credit by its suppliers. 

EUK managing director Steve Lewis accepts this means labels will need to carry some risk. He says, “What we have come up with between all parties over the last 10 days is a sensible discussion around the terms on which we trade. The suppliers are still taking a reasonable level of risk themselves, whilst equally EUK and the retailers are being supportive in understanding their level of risk.” However, he moved to reassure labels. “I am absolutely confident that we will be able to maintain supply to all of our customers during the all-important quarter-four trading period,” says Lewis. “We have sufficient casflow to maintain all of our obligations.” 

The company expects to ship some 500m units of entertainment product in the coming weeks. EUK provides retailers like Zavvi, Sainsbury’s and Asda with CDs, DVDs, games and other entertainment products. 

Bush signs Anti-Piracy law

Counterfeiters and pirates beware. Dubbya on Monday signed the PRO-IP Act, which means higher penalties on movie and music piracy. The law also establishes the post of an Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) who will serve within the Office of the President of the U.S. This so called copyright czar’s job will be to find strategies to fight international and domestic piracy which according to the Chamber of Commerce costs the United States almost $250b per year. Bush may have signed it, but it looks like Obama or McCan’t – whoever wins on November 4 – will name the first IPEC.