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MySpace Music's Long, Long Tail

Now that MySpace has its very own iTunes killer, the next step for the new music venture will be to integrate the catalog of long tail music belonging to the old MySpace Music. Listening to music was already one of the most popular activities on the site, and most of the content came from unlicensed acts. But one wonders how the big music companies will feel about having their musicians compete with unlicensed acts on a site that they own an equity stake in.

Indeed, it's crucial that the long tail stays intact. As CNET's Matt Rosoff says, "Major label acts are a small part of the MySpace experience... MySpace is the ultimate long tail site for musicians, where bar bands and small-town heroes can appear in the same context as the biggest bands in the world."

So what do the users want? The News Corp. site ought to extend the functionality of its music store to every musical act using MySpace. That would create a true music community and marketplace, and possibly, a true iTunes killer.

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