MySpace Music Launches After EMI Signs On

MySpace Music finally launched late last night after coming to terms with EMI. With all four major labels on board, MySpace unveiled their refurbished music pages, complete with new music players that allow artists to upload their entire discography (instead of the six song maximum) and allow fans to purchase music through a deal with the Amazon MP3 store. The whole venture is powered by ad revenues, with all labels and artists getting a share of the ad money based on the number of times their music is played. On the interface side, other new features include the fans' ability to post 10 songs on their personal sites and create a playlist of up to 100 tracks. Plus, with the new pop-up music player, fans can listen to music even after navigating from the artist's page. There are issues, however. Many indie labels are still watching the venture from the sidelines with their anti-trust accusations and the majority of the major artists music pages still don't have music for sale (they do provide links to iTunes, however). If the new MySpace Music finds its ad-based revenue stream successful for both artists and labels, it could completely re-arrange how the music business is run. Stay tuned to Rock Daily for further updates.

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• Long-Awaited MySpace Music Store Launching Soon

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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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