MySpace to compete with Spotify in music market

MySpace is to hit back at online music sites such as Spotify by offering unlimited free access to entire back catalogues of tens of thousands of songs and videos in the UK, it was announced today.

The overhauled service, which goes live today, will feature what the company claims is "the most comprehensive catalogue" on the internet, after signing deals with major and independent labels.

It has also struck a deal with PRS for Music to ensure writers and performers are rewarded for plays.

The site - which has 13 million UK accounts - has until now often been as the place to find up and coming bands, as well as just a handful of streamed tracks by more established bands.

But the revamp will see it competing with the popular service Spotify which allows users to stream a huge array of tracks for free with occasional adverts, or ad-free through a subscription.

Now MySpace - which has helped to break acts such as Arctic Monkeys and Lily Allen by exposing fans to their music - has refocused to allow access to full catalogues.

It too will be ad-funded although these will appear on-screen rather than between tracks.

MySpace is run by a subsidiary of News Corporation after its owner was bought out in 2005 for more than £300m (€331.15).

The service will also link to the iTunes store allowing people to buy and download tracks they have heard.

There will be further innovations for bands who stream their music on MySpace, allowing them to have detailed profiles of the type of people who are listening to their music.

They can also create playlists which can be displayed on their own pages and shared with friends.

To launch the revamped service, MySpace commissioned a number of celebrity playlists, including choices from Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and Katie Price, as well as one from the Vatican.

Courtney Holt, president of MySpace Music, said: "We're excited to be launching MySpace Music in the UK, a genuinely innovative service that brings artists and fans closer than ever before.

"MySpace has always had an unrivalled reputation for encouraging the enjoyment, discovery and sharing of music, and this launch concentrates and expands on that distinctive character."