MySpace Music has launched, offering surfers millions of free songs including those from the four biggest record labels.

MySpace Music, initially launched in the US, will be available in the UK "as soon as possible" according to Travis Katz, managing director of MySpace International.

Katz said: "If we can make it available before Christmas here, we will."

The new service will let surfers search for a song by title, artist or album, select a track to add it to a playlist, and listen to it free using an online music player.

MySpace has signed with the four leading music labels, EMI, Universal, Sony and Warner, giving surfers access to a catalogue of artists including Girls Aloud and The Beatles.

However, if you want to download a track, you will have to pay. Adverts will appear on the media player with tracks on the playlist linking to Amazon.com's music store, where users can purchase them for download.

MySpace hopes to recoup the costs of its free music service through advertising.

Mark Mulligan of analyst firm Jupiter Research was underwhelmed with the US launch.

"This does not look like the quantum leap from their current position that I'd expected," he said.

"With the exception of a new audio player, the music experience isn't going to look that different. Perhaps that's the point. Seems like a missed opportunity though," he added.

MySpace has more than 120 million users throughout the world and is a popular portal for musicians; more than five million artists and groups have profiles on the website.

www.music.myspace.com
www.jupiterresearch.com

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