Myspace has shown off a brand new look for its website ahead of a big re-launch, which it hopes will catapult it back into the minds of social media users.
The site was purchased two years ago by Specific Media for a price of $35 million (£21.5 million), after its value plummeted under the ownership of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. Its new ownership includes pop star Justin Timberlake, who ironically played Facebook funder Sean Parker in the movie The Social Network.
If you head over to ‘new.myspace.com’ now, you’ll be presented with a rather snazzy 2 minute video demo of the new site design and layout, which we have to say we like. Rivals Facebook and Twitter won’t like it so much though, with the sign-up process offering the ability to find your Facebook and Twitter friends quickly and invite them to join you on Myspace.
Music was a big part of Myspace, and in its heyday it was the place for bands to get started and grow a fan base around the world. It looks like they’re going to push this further, adding in a music player at the bottom right of every page, along with ‘profile songs’ and mixes on your profile.
In a world where everyone wants you to pay even to stream music, it’s clear that Myspace is hoping to become the place to go to easily listen to music and find new artists. Users will be able to make ‘mixes’ and share them socially, while music videos and songs can easily be watched and listened to.
The design is very modern and looks great, mixing in design aspects of Microsoft’s Windows 8 Metro system with tiles, along with some hints of another social site, Pinterest. Profile pages flow from left to right, rather than top to bottom, with large images representing events, songs and videos.
We think the new design looks great and the ideas are all in the right place. However, with a feeling of Myspace being ‘on hiatus’ for a few years while the likes of Facebook and Twitter have risen, we’re not sure if many will jump ship.
Check out the full video for yourself at https://new.myspace.com/play and let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.