Looks like the labels went after Muxtape faster than I’d expected. Relaunching as a direct competitor to MySpace’s music player functionality strikes me as a smart move — the fidelity offered by MySpace is pretty terrible, and bands are willing to spend a few bucks, I think, for better promotional tools. There are plenty other services out there that scratch this itch, but most haven’t got the brand cachet or design sense of Muxtape. I think this could turn into a nice little business for Justin, the site’s creator.
On a side note, reading about the licensing challenges faced by Justin should underscore the impressiveness of the Hype Machine‘s continued existence. I don’t know the details of whatever arrangement Anthony worked out, but he obviously did it a while ago, when the labels were presumably less resigned to the importance of the internet. The Muxtape saga shows that threading this particular needle is still a difficult task; it must have been nearly impossible when HypeM did it.
Fast than you expected? Muxtape was up for an internet eternity. I only expected it to last two weeks.
It’s true that it was up for a while, but from the narrative Justin lays out, the labels came after it almost immediately. I figured they’d ignore it for a while first.
A friend of mine sent me your URL in an email, she said that I’d really like it – and I do!
Peace!