Yahoo is partnering with other online music providers as the Internet giant tries a fresh approach to getting an edge in the evolving digital music business.
The company today announced the availability of Artist Pages, a free consumer experience that aggregates the best music products, services, information, and content the Web has to offer about more than 500,000 artists featured at Yahoo Music.
Showcasing tour dates, music videos, music downloads, streaming music, editorial content and much more, Artist Pages will help fans discover, experience, or purchase their favorite music online as easily as possible. Artist Pages launched on Yahoo! Music (http://music.yahoo.com) on April 7.
Yahoo! is placing control of its Artist Pages in the hands of music fans, giving them an ability to create their own canvas of content and commerce offerings. To customize their own Artist Pages, users can select among modules offering iTunes, Amazon.com, Last.fm, Rhapsody, Pandora, YouTube and Yahoo!. In the future, users will also be able to create and self-publish their own Artist Pages as Yahoo opens the platform to any musician, artist or record label exposing their creativity to Yahoo's audience.
"Yahoo! is focused on attracting and engaging the largest online audience and connecting each individual to the people and experiences that matter most to them," said Jeff Dossett, senior vice president of Yahoo!'s North America Audience Group. "With Yahoo! Music's Artist Pages, we're creating a truly open and indispensable music destination that will drive music fans to Yahoo! first on their path to music discovery, experience and purchase."
Originally conceived as a closed service that was restricted to proprietary consumption and information offerings, the re-launched Artist Pages represents the first major effort by any online music site to open itself up to best serve music fans who use multiple online music products and services.
"Artist Pages leverages the scale of the Web and Yahoo!'s massive audience to create something totally new, open, social and original which we believe will attract a new generation of music fans and Web users to Yahoo! Music," said Michael Spiegelman, head of Yahoo! Music. "Artist Pages is a major game-changer for the digital music industry."
Yahoo Music was the No. 2 online music site in December, with 19.6 million unique visitors, according to research company ComScore. Time Warner Inc's AOL Music was the top site with 24.6 million visitors, while News Corp's MySpace Music ranked third with 17.2 million visitors.