Five months ago, Myspace took its first steps toward re-branding itself as less of a social network and more of a go-to musician website. In 2011, Specific Media Co-Founders Chris and Tim Vanderhook, along with their friend Justin Timberlake, acquired the social netoworking site for $35 million with the hope of re-branding.
The New Myspace left its beta phase Wednesday and debuted as the newly re-imagined music website. It also launched an iPhone application for iOS that mirrors the overhauled website. This means you can find the stream of stories related to the musicians and artists you follow easily on your computer and iPhone, the design is very image-based and uses pictures to present a stream of new stories and news from everything having to do with the music business.
The iPhone application also gives users a free music streaming service as well. With 53 million tracks in its library, Myspace's radio feature is always available wherever you are in the app, accessed simply by swiping up to reveal a music menu bar. Unlike most music streaming services that start radio stations based on your personal taste, Myspace's radio gives users the ability to listen to their favorite artists' favorite radio stations and get an idea of their musical taste to see what inspires them.
"When you play an artist radio station, you're not just listening to their music, but you're listening to what they're interested in and the music that inspires them," Ali Tahmasbi, Myspace's VP of product marketing, told CNET. "We think it really helps establish a stronger connection between artists and their fans."
Available only for the iPhone, the application has a feature that creates GIF images automatically. It's not entirely original as it is very similar to Twitter's popular Vine app.
It would appear the new Myspace is finally shedding any trappings of its former social networking site and is finally now entirely fixed on music and the music industry. All older profiles still exist and have been supplanted and transitioned for the new platform.
