MySpace to Start Selling Music Downloads - MyTunes Competition for iTunes   - 5,191 Views, 2 Comments

Explained MySpace co-founder Chris DeWolfe, “The goal is to be one of the biggest digital music stores out there. Everyone we’ve spoken to definitely wants an alternative to iTunes and the iPod. MySpace could be that alternative.”

And this isn’t only an alternative to iTunes. It’s a real incentive for indie artists to stay indie, offering a viable distribution channel as an alternative to the big recording house contracts - contracts which really are equivalent to indentured servitude for the artist (to read how that works, read our exclusive interview with a well-known recording artist which lays it on the line).

The immediate plan is to allow MySpace artists to sell their songs on My Space through both their own MySpace pages, and also on fan pages. The songs will be available in MP3 format, and will not be copy protected. MySpace will charge the artists a small distribution fee per download, and the artist can choose to charge whatever they like for the download above and beyond the My Space charge.

Payment will be via Paypal, said a MySpace spokesperson.

MySpace is also aiming to woo the big recording companies, said De Wolfe, and for that they will have to start offering copy protection. It is unclear at this time whether once there is copy protection in place it will be available to the indie artists which MySpace is currently counting on to jumpstart their music service.

MySpace has said that they are already gearing up the service, and that it will be available before the year’s end.