MySpace Friends Three Major Labels, Readies Launch of Music Service

Looking to compete with digital services like iTunes and Amazon — as well as fend off Facebook's increasing popularity — MySpace announced today that it has deals in place with Sony BMG, Universal and Warner to create MySpace Music, a digital music service that will sell downloads, stream ad-supported music and videos and serve as a storefront to physical goods and concert tickets. The move is in response to Facebook's hookup with iTunes via the iLike feature, allowing users to purchase and stream music, post play lists and update concert information. By striking deals with three of the four major labels (only EMI has not signed on), MySpace Music boasts "the most comprehensive catalogue of music content available online." The service anticipates launching "in the coming months."

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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