Sunday, July 10, 2011

Justin Timberlake may turn MySpace

In an effort to revamp the dying social network and make its focus solely music, Justin Timberlake is mulling a talent competition a la "America Idol."

"The Social Network" actor -- who became part-owner of MySpace last week -- will reveal his plans during an Aug. 17 press conference, says his manager Johnny Wright.

"Whether it becomes a talent competition or something like that, those are things that we will still flesh out," said Wright. "We definitely want to bring the industry back to MySpace to really look at the talented people that have put their faces there."

Timberlake's business partner is Specific Media, which purchased MySpace from News Corp. for $35 million just hours before announcing the Grammy-winning singer's involvement on Wednesday

Timberlake's manager Johnny Wright said the singer/actor/dancer/business owner is considering a talent competition as one way to breathe live into MySpace. "Whether it becomes a talent competition or something like that, those are things that we will still flesh out," Wright said to AP. "We definitely want to bring the industry back to Myspace to really look at the talented people that have put their faces there."
More information about this contest (or any future plans for MySpace) will be shared at a press conference on August 17. However, it is clear that the focus of MySpace 2.0 will be on new and emerging artists. (Reportedly, after the deal closed, Timberlake emailed Wright saying, "Are you up? My mind is going dizzy with ideas. I need to talk.") Timberlake has been an innovator in the music industry, but whether or not he has the power to bring MySpace back from the dead is another issue all together.
With the announcement of Google+, MySpace will have an uphill battle to reclaim social media dominance. Do you think "rebranding" MySpace to be a place to find new music again is a smart idea? Do you think a talent competition will save this brand.

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