A year after it was purchased from Rupert Murdoch for $35 million, Myspace is preparing for its relaunch as an artist-centric social media site. Tim and Chris Vanderhook, the new owners of the floundering social media site — along with investor Justin Timberlake — rolled out the new version of Myspace in Los Angeles, showing off the sleek look of the once most popular social network.
When Myspace, which ignited the revolution of social venues, fell out of vogue after the rise of Facebook and Twitter, what mostly remained of the site’s users were artists, particularly music artists. As a platform which has launched the music careers of artists like Soulja Boy and Sean Kingston, Myspace is being re-imagined as a social platform where filmmakers, photographers and, particularly, musicians can connect directly with their audience.
“The site will serve artists,” explained Justin Timberlake. “What it will breed is that connection between the artist and the fan; between the artist and other artists.…  And who knows what we can all discover because of that.”
The new Myspace, which will look kind of like Pinterest, doesn’t deal in “friends” but rather in making “connections” between users. And within these connections, an up-and-coming artist can share new music, videos, photos and thoughts with their audience.
One promising new feature of the site will be the analytics tool, which will allow artists to gauge where, in the U.S., their work is getting attention.
But the biggest aspect of this retooled platform will be the question on everyone’s mind: Will the relaunch of Myspace be enough to put it back in favor with the mass of social networkers who’ve abandoned the site?
Timberlake and the Vanderhooks think so. Do you?
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(Photo: Courtesy of Myspace)