Amazon, Apple may back MySpace Music

The upcoming MySpace Music service may ultimately be run by another major online music store, say alleged sources for TechCrunch. The social networking site is described as most likely picking Amazon MP3 to handle the commerce behind the store but is also said to be entertaining offers from other companies, including Apple and RealNetworks. No commitments have yet been made.

The decision to choose an outside firm for the infrastructure is believed to be spurred on by the large amount of traffic MySpace expects for customers purchasing direct tracks as well as for signing artists to deals, which is easier for established stores like iTunes and Rhapsody than for a newcomer.

MySpace has had difficulty landing complete support for its initiative, which will not only allow paid, unprotected downloads but also ringtones and free ad-supported streams. The Los Angeles-based firm has the music catalogs of Sony BMG, Universal, and Warner among major labels but lacks EMI and has yet to announce deals with many independents that already have profile pages on the social network.

Filed under: industry, audio, Apple
Other story tags: iTunes, Amazon, Universal, Warner, MySpace, EMI, Sony BMG, Rhapsody, RealNetworks