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Does this mean it's crazy to "feed the MySpace beast", or not? Are MySpace tending to build their own versions of popular widgets, or hiring the widget people to do it? Did they build the slideshow thing themselves?
I guess you're referring to MySpace slideshows, which was rumored to have been made by the folks at Slide.com. To be honest, I still don't have a confirmation on that one. The startups can only hope that MySpace are snapping up the best stuff rather than building their own.
Oh, and both of today's MySpace stories look good for FavoriteThingz, since they're trying to sell products through MySpace widgets.
If we do start to buy unsigned bands in great numbers you can be assured that Apple and everyone else will offer them.
Can we calm down the hype a bit.
The unsigned bands is phase one - read DeWolfe's comment about bringing on the record labels next.
Congrats to Shawn Fanning.
Oh, and if anybody was wondering whether MySpace is a threat to the iTunes Music Store -- let alone the iPod -- the answer is “not in the slightest.â€
http://weblogs.jupiterresearch.com/analysts/car...
"Jupiter analysts suck"
:)
The artists earn too little at the offered revenue share rate and ultimately it only benefits the vendors (MySpace, Snocap, Paypal) as a result of the Long Tail and in pure money terms, it's not win-win. The calculations confirm it - say you price a track at 79 cents (99 cents being for established artists). The revenue share breakdown:
PayPal: US$0.30 + 3.4% (for $0 - $3,000 revenue) = $0.32
Snocap: 15% = $0.12
MySpace: unknown (likely to be from Snocap's share)
Total revenue for billing/ platfomr partners: $0.44 or 56% of retail price!!!
That is quite a hefty giveaway simply for billing and platform services!
But it has also got to be noted that MySpace and YouTube offer incredible potential ala the OK Go phenomenon to make it to the mainstream consciousness.
So the question is how do we balance the returns between fame and fortune. Is all fame and minimal fortune too high a price to pay or should it be more balanced? Currently, the MySpace/ Snocap deal does not seem to offer that balance as they offer fame at a huge premium by taking the lion's share of any major revenue potential from successful artists. But then again, independent artists traditionally do not have much negotiating power, so they will have to accept a certain measure of 'raw end of the deal'
Conceptually the MySpace/ Snocap deal is significant as they have highlighted the POTENTIAL that is there for artists to sell directly to their fans, but in this MySpace/Snocap case, there exists a middleman (to be precise, 3 middlemen!!!) who take too substantial a revenue and eventhough they do not demand 'exclusive rights', they do exercise some control on the artist rights - I suggest that you read Snocap's 13-page Artist Agreement in detail.
So philosophically we all agree that the potential is there for the artist to sell directly to the end-customer but we just need to find the right balance. So from that approach, the MySpace/Snocap/Paypal is a good start but it needs to evolve more.
It certainly seems like a great opportunity for a behemoth like Google to step into and offer reasonable micropayment and revenue share rates for the average Joe Musician to sell his music.
Put it this way, myspace may say "3 million unsigned artist" and "bla bla DRM bla bla" But in reality they are just testing the market. If they were to offer the same services that itunes is offering, they would be a problem to itunes.
Myspace has captured the internet arena for artists to provide an official contact location for themselves, and if they enabled store options it would hurt apple.
Apple is going to have to step their game up on artist presentation.
And customizable accounts. But even then, myspace is already the major player in that area.
I'm sorry guys, but this is an extermination.....
With the power of FOX T.V and connection. Myspace Will become the Arena for presentation and sales. For now aleast.
Google is buying youtube, meanwhile google has a relationship with myspace. Think about it......
Once Myspace calms down with all the POWER moves. I bet they link with Comcast to provide a Internet TV experience that will actually work this time.
• complex to design a profile ( dosen't cut web designers out )
• API less ( other communities would be able to have their features if so. Giving myspace value )
I like those guys, a very smart model.
Plus MySpace does not have 3 million active unsigned bands. More like around 100,000 at most.
We'd like to talk to you about the problems you're having. Your experience is not typical, so let's get to the bottom of it. Please contact me directly. drowley@snocap.com.
-Dave
I just used http://www.myspacegrab.com/ and its awesome.
Works every single time.