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Analyzing the New MySpace’s Spotify-Style Subscription Model

By Tom Hawking on

Last week we wrote about what we want out of band websites in 2012, and in doing so, wondered what the relaunched, Timberlake-helmed version of MySpace might bring to the party, given that the virtual landscape into which it’s being launched is very different from the one it dominated back in the early and mid-’00s. It appears that we’re a little closer to knowing the answer today, with the news that the site is seeking funding to relaunch itself as a music subscription service that would put it in competition with Spotify and Pandora. According to a presentation obtained by Business Insider, MySpace’s parent company Interactive Media Holdings is a seeking a $50m capital investment to fund its world domination plans. Anyway, after the jump, we analyze what this all means, so you don’t have to! Read on and let us know what you think in the comments section. … Read More

Web

What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Alison Nastasi on

Today at Flavorpill, we took a look at the best and worst sports team relocations in history. We wondered if blowing into Nintendo cartridges all those years actually helped the games load. We got hooked on this Lucille Bluth/Mitt Romney mashup for a hot minute. We chatted about … Read More

News

The Morning's Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. It turns out that Justin Timberlake now has a minor stake in MySpace thanks to that $35 million deal that went down yesterday. From his official statement: “Art is inspired by people and vice versa, so there’s a natural social component to entertainment. I’m excited to help revitalize Myspace by using its social media… Read More

Web

What's On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Caroline Stanley on

Today at Flavorpill, we wanted to take a bite out of this incredibly tiny gay wedding cake by food artist Jessica Hlavac. We couldn’t believe the news that MySpace just sold for $35 million after News Corp. paid $580 million for the site back in 2005. We learned more… Read More

Music

Revisiting Band Pages from the Early Days of MySpace

By Tom Hawking on

Ah, MySpace. It’s hard to believe that it was only five or six years ago when it was one of the most essential sites on the internet, a place to hear new bands and see some of the most headache-inducing layouts since the days of Geocities. With the news that Fleet Foxes are imploring MySpace to delete their page (they can’t log in and do it themselves, apparently), we got thinking about the early days of the site, when people were actually excited to join it, rather than desperate to get away from it. We had a look at the Wayback Machine and collected a few band sites from the early, innocent days of MySpace –- the good, the bad and the (very) ugly. … Read More

Web

Happy 9th Birthday to Friendster!

By Caroline Stanley on

A long, long time ago, way before the creation of copycats like MySpace or Facebook, there was Friendster, a social networking site launched by Jonathan Abrams and Peter Chin nine years ago today. And while the website has become something of a joke in recent years (particularly in business school classrooms), at the time it was insanely popular, gaining three million users within the first few months, and subsequently, a $30 million buyout offer from Google, which was declined in the hope of eventual billions. There were even spin-off sites. Remember Dogster? Or Elfster? … Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. Christopher Nolan is looking to cast two major female roles in The Dark Knight Rises — a villain and a love interest. Among the actresses who are scheduled to test: Keira Knightley, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Biel, and Kate Mara. [via Heat Vision]

2. MySpace has officially begun the process of laying off… Read More

Web

What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds In Our Office

By Sam Schlinkert on

Today at Flavorpill, we smiled at this grandma-turned-super hero. We were shocked to find out that 200 students at the University of Central Florida had cheated on midterm. We took a tour of ultra-tiny, ultra-efficient house in Japan built on a 30-square-meter plot of land. We watched a clip about Staff… Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. Watch last night’s opening sequence of The Simpsons, which was directed by Banksy. It’s more than a little dark. [via io9]
2. Disney will be screening a 23-minute preview of Tron: Legacy in movie theaters across the country at the end of the month. Tickets are free, and first come first… Read More

Web

What’s on at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Caroline Stanley on

Today at Flavorpill, we debated what it means to be “so Brooklyn.” We compared the food in fast food ads with what you actually get on your plate. We laughed out loud over these photos of the dumbest T-shirts at Glenn Beck’s rally of crazies. We wanted to live in … Read More