MySpace Will Allow Users To Sell Music

Downloads Of Original Music Will Be Available Via MySpace Web Pages

(AP) 
MySpace and Snocap officials declined to say what percentage of each transaction goes to the companies.

"The distribution fee is small, it's evolving and we're continuing to structure it as we go," said Rusty Rueff, Snocap's chief executive. "What we're trying to do right now is keep the costs as low as we can."

To get their music ready for sale, bands will have to upload their songs to Snocap's online music database. Once cleared by the company — a process to ensure someone isn't trying to sell music to which they don't own the copyrights — the tracks are available for purchase, Snocap said.

The online music feature is expected to be widely available in the United States by the end of the year, DeWolfe said.

Phil Leigh, an analyst with Inside Digital Media, said the marriage of social networking on MySpace with online retail should make a powerful combination for bands.

"There have been bands that have gotten onto MySpace that are not signed to any labels and have created quite a buzz," Leigh said. "This is the next logical step, to start selling."

A handful of bands have been testing the MySpace online music feature for several weeks.

One is The Format, an indie rock band from Phoenix, Ariz., that boasts more than 99,000 "friends" on their MySpace page.

Terry McBride, chief executive of Canadian label Nettwerk Records, which manages the band and handles their marketing and promotion, said having fans help sell the band's music is the wave of the future.

"We have a strong belief the next major retailer in music is the consumer themselves," McBride said. "This is a step in the right direction."