MySpace Music Will Not Let You Buy Whatever Popular Single You Like

noah | September 25, 2008 11:30 am
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The just-launched MySpace Music is all about making money for the labels, right? So it would behoove them to have songs that the people want to buy available for purchase on the service, no? Come with me as I try to buy the top 10 songs on this week’s Hot Digital Tracks chart by using MySpace’s widgetry:

1. Pink, “So What” Streamable from Pink’s MySpace page; not available for purchase via MySpace Music widget, despite presence on Amazon.

2. Kanye West, “Love Lockdown” First 1:30 streamable from West’s MySpace page; not available for purchase via MySpace Music widget, despite presence on Amazon.

3. T.I., “Whatever You Like” Streamable from T.I.’s MySpace page; not available for purchase via widget, despite presence on Amazon.

4. Taylor Swift, “Love Story” Seems to be bypassing MySpace Music’s official player/commerce widget, opting instead to pre-sell her forthcoming album on MySpace (with the option to buy a $75 box set!) and give people the download for “Love Story” instantly.

5. Rihanna, “Disturbia” Streamable from Rihanna’s site; official version available for purchase if the user uses the album pull-down menu and selects Good Girl Gone Bad.

6. M.I.A., “Paper Planes” Streamable from M.I.A.’s MySpace page; official version available for purchase if the user uses the album pull-down menu and selects either Kala or the “Planes” remix EP.

7. Katy Perry, “Hot N Cold” Streamable from Perry’s MySpace page; not available for purchase via widget, despite presence on Amazon. (On the bright side, the awfulness of having to visit Perry’s page was mitigated slightly by a pop-up ad for Ted Leo & The Pharmacists. Teach the children, Ted!)

8. Jason Mraz, “I’m Yours” Streamable from Mraz’s MySpace page; official version available for purchase if the user uses the album pull-down menu and selects the right version of the “I’m Yours” digital single.

9. Estelle feat. Kanye West, “American Boy” Streamable from Estelle’s MySpace page; not available for purchase via widget, despite presence on Amazon. (It would appear that the Estelle insta-tribute band the Studio All-Stars don’t have a MySpace page.)

10. David Archuleta, “Crush” Streamable from Archuleta’s MySpace page; available for purchase if you select “Crush” from the pull-down menu in the widget.

So, out of the ten most saleable songs in the U.S. right now, MySpace Music is letting its users purchase four of them–and all four have to be navigated to, instead of them being presented to the user straight off. Can someone tell me why Tom & Co. felt like they had to launch this thing today, before it was ready for prime-time at all? I know that the site’s supposed to be “iterative,” but not having six of the top ten singles for purchase on what is being pitched as a track-by-track marketplace is not unlike trying to open an outlet of The Gap that’s missing jeans.

Earlier: MySpace Music Gets Ready For A Big Amazon Affiliate Check